Al Etihad Payments (AEP), a subsidiary of the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE), has appointed Aref Al Ramli as Chief Executive Officer, effective 2 November.
Al Ramli brings more than 24 years of experience in financial services and will oversee the development of the UAE’s national payment infrastructure and efforts to increase adoption of AEP’s payment platforms.
He joins from Al Hilal Bank, where he served as Chief Digital Officer.
Previously, he was CEO of Emirates Digital Wallet, leading a payments initiative involving 16 banks to support financial inclusion and the UAE’s transition towards a cashless economy.
During his time at Mashreq, Al Ramli headed Digital Banking and Innovation and oversaw the launch of Mashreq Neo and Mashreq NeoBiz.
He also chaired the UAE Banks Federation’s Digital Committee from 2017 to 2020, working with banks, the central bank and government entities on digital initiatives.
AEP looks to expand national payment platforms
AEP reported that its instant payment platform, Aani, had 14.7 million enrolled users in 2026 and processed more than 192 million transactions worth AED 545 billion.
The company also began issuing Jaywan cards through financial institutions across the UAE earlier this year and announced partnerships with Mastercard and UnionPay International to support its national payments infrastructure.
In his new role, Al Ramli will work with financial institutions and payment service providers to expand the use of AEP’s platforms across the country.
“My ambition is for AEP’s platforms to become a natural part of how people and businesses across the UAE pay every day. That requires reliable infrastructure, strong partnerships with financial institutions, and services that give customers a clear reason to use them,”
said Al Ramli.
He added that his priority would be to increase adoption and help financial institutions translate AEP’s payment capabilities into services that meet customer needs.
Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News UAE, based on image by Who is Danny via Magnific
