The collaboration supports broader participation in digital payments across the UAE
Dubai, UAE, 04 May 2026 – botim money, the financial services arm of botim has expanded its collaboration with Mastercard to power the next phase of its card issuance journey, supporting growth and digital-first payments. Building on more than two years of issuing Mastercard cards, the expanded agreement establishes a long-term strategic vision and a joint roadmap to advance reliable, digital-first payment experiences.
botim money cards are available without a minimum salary threshold, widening eligibility across the UAE’s diverse resident base and supporting everyday payment access for more users, while keeping the programme aligned with standard service practices. The agreement reflects the programme’s scale and performance to date providing a foundation that supports continued enhancements to the card experience, while unlocking additional use cases across spend, payments, and financial services over time.
“With card payments being part of everyday life for people living and working in the UAE, access needs to be reliable and inclusive by design.” said Dr. Tariq Bin Hendi, Board Member at Astra Tech and CEO of botim. “This expanded strategic collaboration with Mastercard strengthens our ability to provide reliable, digital-first payment experiences to a broader segment of residents, while giving us a long-term platform to keep improving the card proposition over time.”
The announcement comes as Dubai targets cashless transactions to account for 90% of all transactions by the end of 2026. By widening eligibility through a regulated, digital-first card programme, the collaboration strengthens botim money’s role as a practical payments-modernization layer contributing to Dubai’s Cashless Strategy.
Gina Petersen-Skyrme, SVP & Country Manager, UAE and Oman at Mastercard, said, “Our deepened strategic agreement with botim money reflects Mastercard’s commitment to secure, scalable, and future-ready payment solutions. By combining our global network with botim money’s digital platform, we’re enabling seamless payment experiences built on trust.”
About botim money
botim money, formerly PayBy, is a part of Astra Tech’s ecosystem and powers the financial services layer of botim, the MENA region’s fastest-growing and first AI-native, fintech-first platform. Licensed by the Central Bank of the UAE, botim money advances financial inclusion by providing secure, seamless, and user-friendly financial solutions to millions of users across the region.
botim money holds both the Stored Value Facility (SVF) and Retail Payment Services and Card Schemes (RPSCS) licenses, further solidifying Astra Tech’s position in the financial technology sector. Its full suite of services includes digital wallets, local and international money transfers, lending, remittances, and in-store and online payments. The platform serves as an accessible gateway to simplified financial services built for everyday use.
About botim
botim is evolving into a fintech-first, AI-powered ecosystem, simplifying how people pay, transfer, lend, and manage everyday services within a single trusted platform. Built on a foundation of secure communication, botim serves over 150 million users across 155 countries, including more than 8.5 million in the UAE.
With embedded infrastructure powered by botim money, the platform is integrating digital payments, personal finance tools, and AI-led experiences to make everyday transactions more seamless, inclusive, and human. botim is building towards a new era of financial inclusion and access.
About Mastercard
Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re building a sustainable economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.
