Meeza National Payment Scheme

Discover Meeza

Meeza is the domestic card scheme and the favorite payment method for government bills, in-store purchases and e-commerce. More than 31.4 million cardholders in Egypt enjoy a seamless and convenient payment experience using “Meeza” cards.

Embracing the state vision aiming at fostering financial inclusion and transforming the economy into less cash dependent, the National Payment Council issued a decree in 2017 to establish a national payment scheme. The scheme serves as a platform and vehicle supporting financial inclusion and government initiatives. In line with the CBE directives, EBC has been entrusted with this mission to develop and operate a Domestic Payment Scheme with a national brand payment cards “Meeza”.

Seamless payment

Meeza offers cardholders 24 /7 seamless payment experience. 27-issuer bank and 740k electronic commercial point of sale in addition to wide acceptance in government payment units. The network also offers secure payment services on e-commerce portals through an OTP code with every purchase transaction made online. Meeza adopts the international specifications and patterns for accepting plastic cards and operating mobile payment services.

Within the framework of the Central Bank of Egypt’s directives towards contributing to raise the level of effectiveness and efficiency of the financial infrastructure in the Egyptian governmental entities by using modern payment methods in the field of payment technology in order to achieve financial inclusion, the Central Bank of Egypt issued its instructions to Egyptian Banks Company to establish and operate a payment acceptance network to link acceptance channels with government agencies (points of sale and electronic payment sites) with banking payment systems through the National Payments network.

The network accepts all cards issued locally (credit – debit- prepaid) on points of sale and governmental entities’ payment websites and route them through the National network to obtain the necessary ratifications from the payment systems in banks.
The system has been activated starting from May 1, 2019, whereby Egyptian Banks Company has completed technical tests to connect all banks in the Egyptian market with the network of acceptance channels of government entities before starting activating the service with 38 banks in record time.

The system of government payments receipts through electronic points of sale adopts international specifications and patterns for accepting plastic cards and operating mobile payment services.