Iranian Gov’t Financial Transactions Going Digital

The Vice Presidency for Information Technology says all financial transactions and payments with the government will soon be digitized as part of the wider e-government project focused on improving transparency and accountability.

Reza Bagheri-Asl, director of the Executive Council of Information Technology, in a talk with Mehr News Agency, referred to the details of a related government bill and said, “All e-government transactions related to ‘e-health’, tax and ‘payment procedures’ will be digitized.”

Government transactions make up 30% of Iran’s GDP according to Bagheri-Asl, and the move to digitize should streamline all payment systems.  He added that procurement procedures with government departments will also move to digital-only transactions to increase openness and speed up payments.

The government has instructed public entities that the new program has been launched by the office of e-commerce at the Ministry of Industries Mining and Trade, which will implement it. The Executive Council of Information Technology will function as an overseer.

Earlier in November, the head of Iran’s Information Technology Organization Nasrollah Jahangard, was quoted as saying by ISNA that the launch of new services “will help ease public dealings” with the huge bureaucracy and help in downsizing the government and reduce its deep and unwanted involvement in the economy.

Nearly 50% of government organizations are set to be connected to the network, he added.

Meanwhile, as part of a public-private partnership deal to digitize payments with government bodies, Mobile Telecommunications Company of Iran (MCI) became the official partner of the e-government program at the end of 2016.

The services include secure digital signature, encrypted data storage on SIM, e-wallet and near field communication payment services for minor purchases and several other mobile financial solutions.