Revolutionizing the way e& money users make payments through the power of Pay by Bank

e& money, the fastest-growing digital wallet in the UAE, has been actively enhancing its platform to adapt to the evolving payments landscape. With the UAE's mobile payments market projected to grow by 12.3% annually until 2028, e& money's initiative is crucial. Operating as a super app, their platform offers a diverse range of financial services. e& money strives to deliver a seamless, secure, and user-centric financial journey, which has led to their collaboration with Lean to revamp the payment experience.

Challenges

As e& money scaled, its existing payment infrastructure introduced friction across both user experience and operational efficiency.

Fragmented top-up experience

Wallet top-ups relied heavily on third-party payment gateways. Users were required to leave the app, authenticate with their bank, and complete multiple steps before returning to e& money. This created drop-offs and a disjointed experience.

High transaction costs from card payments

Debit card top-ups incurred processing fees starting from 1% per transaction. As usage scaled, these fees became a significant and growing cost center.

Low user engagement and repeat usage

Due to friction in the payment journey, users were topping up their wallets only 1.3 times per month on average. Improving this experience became critical to increasing engagement and retention.

Solutions

e& money integrated Lean’s Pay by Bank deposits to enable a seamless, account-to-account top-up experience directly within its app.

• Seamless in-app bank deposits: Users can now top up their wallets instantly by connecting their bank account, without leaving the e& money app. This removes unnecessary steps and creates a faster, more intuitive payment flow.
• Lower-cost alternative to cards: By shifting away from card-based top-ups, e& money significantly reduced transaction costs. Pay by Bank deposits offer a more cost-efficient model, with no chargebacks and instant settlement, improving unit economics at scale.
• Built for frequency and retention: Reducing friction at the point of deposit made it easier for users to fund their wallets, encouraging more frequent transactions and stronger ongoing engagement.

Results

50% faster deposit experience
Compared to third-party gateway flows, users can now complete deposits significantly faster within a single, uninterrupted journey.

$800K annual cost savings
Reducing reliance on card payments resulted in substantial savings on transaction fees.

2x increase in user return rate
A smoother deposit experience led to a significant uplift in repeat usage, doubling the monthly return rate of users on the platform.

40% monthly growth in active users (UAE)
Improved payment infrastructure contributed to strong user adoption and sustained growth in active customers.