Members News

The Jordan Payments and Clearing Company (JoPACC) joined the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) as an associate member, becoming a part of a global network of financial sector regulators and policy-making institutions. Through this membership, JoPACC will work closely with AFI to increase financial inclusion and reduce inequality by developing tailored financial inclusion solutions and products and driving their practical implementation. To achieve its ultimate shared objective, JoPACC will benefit from a wide range of practical services, tools, access to global policy leadership, and visibility.

JoPACC recently hosted a high-level delegation from AFI led by Dr. Alfred Hannig, AFI’s Executive Director, at its headquarters in Amman to showcase its mission, efforts, and achievements to boost financial inclusion in Jordan. JoPACC specifically shed light on the launch of the instant payment system “CliQ” that adopts the latest ISO 20022 standard for financial messages, which facilitated instant money transfers between bank accounts in Jordan, and the upgrade of JoMoPay (Jordan’s Mobile Payment Switch) to the same ISO standard (20022), enabling instant transfers between the two systems seamlessly. JoPACC also has a plethora of projects in store that aim to facilitate financial account access for individuals, such as the eKYC project, which will enable financial consumers to establish a trusted proof of identity digitally to open financial accounts digitally and remotely. The company is also committed to spreading knowledge and awareness about digital financial services in Jordan. As a result, this membership comes to recognize JoPACC’s tremendous efforts to promote safe and sound access to digital financial services and enhance digital liquidity. It further offers JoPACC a platform to expand its contribution and exchange knowledge and expertise with like-minded entities. AFI will be holding its Global Policy Forum in Jordan in September, hosted by its principal member, the Central Bank of Jordan, where JoPACC will actively participate and present its efforts and near future plans.

AFI was established in 2008 with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Alliance has more than 100 member institutions in 90 developing countries, where most of the financially excluded live, and is now the world’s leading financial inclusion policy and regulation organization. JoPACC has had significant achievements in Jordan since its establishment in 2017, cooperating with different local and international financial entities, policymakers, and stakeholders to promote digital financial services as a major driver of financial inclusion and the digital economy. The company is regulated by the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) and owned by CBJ and all commercial banks in the Kingdom.

ProgressSoft concludes participation at Sibos which took place from 10 – 13 October in Amsterdam.

Hundreds of financial industry leaders gathered in-person for the exciting conference program which focused on embracing the evolving digital landscape to succeed in the face of uncertain times: from new regulation to thriving in the post-Covid world.

As annual Sibos partner, ProgressSoft was there to showcase its latest payment solutions and advancements to the financial industry, this year with a focus on a special milestone: the designation of ProgressSoft’s Payments Hub with a SWIFT Compatible Application Payments Label 2022.

The label was awarded to ProgressSoft’s Payments Hub only weeks before the commencement of the event and is evidence that the solution is compliant with SWIFT requirements including ISO 20022 and Cross-Border Payments and Reporting Plus (CBPR+) guidelines and beyond.

As one of only four solutions worldwide awarded with this designation to date, the solution inevitably gained massive attention from banks interested in not only ensuring their full compatibility with SWIFT requirements but benefiting from the sophisticated functionalities of the solution that serve financial and non-financial messages and streamline cross-border payments.

ProgressSoft’s Director of Product Management, Rawan Soudah, also took the Sibos Exhibitor Stage to guide attendees on the challenges, features and approaches behind CBPR+ compliance and successful ISO 20022 migration, and how it can be achieved using a reliable and resilient foundation.

“This is not an IT project,” stated Ms. Soudah, “it is a transition that impacts and involves every department within a bank and everybody in the payment chain, so identifying the concerned domains from the start is crucial to identify the right solution and approach.”

ProgressSoft is thrilled to have reunited with financial industry leaders and showcased its Payments Hub and Central Bank Digital Currency solutions among other vital innovations at Sibos 2022.

As the Kingdom braces for the introduction of 5G technology, Orange Jordan inaugurated the first Orange 5G Lab at Orange Digital Village in Abdali to explore the new cases of this technology and provide relevant training.

The Orange 5G Lab inauguration was attended by the Senior Director of Policies and Information at the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, AbdelKader Al Batayneh, deputizing for the Minister, Vice Chairman of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) Board of Commissioners, Dr. Nael Adwan, Executive Vice President Marketing, Design and Open Innovation at Orange, Karine Dussert-Sarthe, and CEO of Orange Jordan, Thierry Marigny, as well as several company executives.

This Orange 5G Lab is the first of its kind in Jordan. So far, 16 Orange 5G Lab have been launched, 13 in Europe, 2 in Africa and recently in Jordan, and Orange will continue to launch more to unlock the unprecedented potential of cutting-edge technology.

During the launch, the CEO of Orange Jordan, Thierry Marigny, asserted that the Orange 5G Lab comes as part of the responsible digital leader’s role in digital transformation by exploring and testing new use cases, pointing out that the program is also an extension of the company’s continuous efforts to support digital education across Jordan to enable youth with the required digital skills and enhance progress in all sectors, therefore contributing to digital economy growth.

“The lab comes as we prepare to launch 5G, supported by the global group’s expertise in launching the technology in many countries. We seek to develop the digital ecosystem and promote innovation for the future by anticipating new opportunities enabled by 5G ahead of its launch,” he added.

Executive Vice President Marketing, Design and Open Innovation at Orange, Karine Dussert-Sarthe, said: “We are happy to support the opening of Orange 5G Lab in Jordan, leveraging our international Orange 5G Lab program which supports digital transformation and helps businesses and innovators unlock value from 5G in 16 locations around the world.”

“We are pleased with the success of hundreds of companies testing and prototyping innovative solutions with us”, she added.

The Orange 5G Lab will provide an open space for co-innovation and development to enable all companies and innovative startups to explore and test new case uses through 5G networks and equipment, including augmented reality gaming, virtual reality tourism, and remote medical consultations, as well as benefit from Orange’s experience in this technology.

Fresh Del Monte Produce, one of the world’s leading vertically integrated producers, distributors, and marketers of fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables announced today it has invested a 39 percent stake in Decapolis, a Jordanian and UK-based startup technology company that provides a blockchain-driven food safety and quality traceability technology for the food industry. The investment is part of Fresh Del Monte’s technology-driven mission to offer best-in-class, innovative solutions for its products and services, and to provide sustainable solutions that other businesses and industries can benefit from.

The two companies plan to roll out Decapolis Food Guard (DFG)™, the blockchain-based traceability solution, across all Fresh Del Monte business segments, starting with Fresh Del Monte’s pineapple operations in Costa Rica. Decapolis Food Guard provides full traceability solutions through the DFG chain of records which capture assessments at each stage of production, from planting to distribution through the use of QR codes. Deploying blockchain technology ensures data remains immutable and QR codes on product labels certify end-to-end traceability. Anyone who scans the QR code will be able to see a complete log of product information from farm to fork. This traceability process allows for trusted record keeping in the supply chain, whether it impacts consumer knowledge, food safety, or quality analysis. Fresh Del Monte and Decapolis also plan to provide the Decapolis Food Guard (DFG)™ to other interested businesses.

“Now more than ever, consumers are very cognizant of what goes into their food. With this blockchain technology, they’ll know exactly what has gone into the product, and where it has traveled until the moment it was purchased for consumption. We’re excited to begin rolling out this traceability solution to all Fresh Del Monte products,” said Mohammad Abu-Ghazaleh, Fresh Del Monte Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Decapolis has successfully developed and deployed this solution in the private and public sector, spanning four continents. Today, Decapolis is optimistic about its promising partnership with Fresh Del Monte.

“We are in the business of doing good. We embark on this endeavor with full confidence in our company, our offerings, service, and the people we serve. It will surely be a promising and fruitful venture, a force multiplier to work that positively impacts communities, families, and the future of healthy living and technology for good. “We remain steadfast in moving towards our vision of becoming the leading global reference platform for compliance and certification for food trade worldwide,” said Abedalrhman Habashneh, Decapolis Founder and Chief Executive Officer.

In the second annual cycle of the Digital Champions Program launched by the Jordan Payments and Clearing Systems Company (JoPACC), JoPACC, represented by its CEO, Ms. Maha Al-Baho, hosted the team of INJAZ, represented by its CEO, Ms. Deema Bibi, to recognize them as the 2022 Digital Champion.

The Digital Champions Program aims to recognize and honor the individuals and institutions pioneering change across the financial sector who contribute to expanding the acceptance and use of digital financial services. The champions are nominated by stakeholders in the financial sector, after which an evaluation conducted by JoPACC’s team determined the candidate(s) chosen for that year.

INJAZ is a leader in raising financial literacy, especially in the realm of digital financial services, for school students, university students, community colleges, and youth centers by conducting educational programs and courses for them. INJAZ is also credited with the achievement of introducing the national financial literacy curriculum (Financial Education Program) in collaboration with the Central Bank of Jordan and the Ministry of Education, which was mainstreamed in schools as a subject taught to students from the 7th to the 12th grade.

Ms. Maha praised the entrepreneurial role INJAZ has played in enforcing the teaching of life skills at an early age and expanding the horizons of the educational process to include practical elements, which shall equip youth to lead their lives and make decisions in a responsible and informed manner. Ms. Deema Bibi commended JoPACC’s efforts in promoting financial awareness in Jordan and also affirmed INJAZ’s belief in the importance of financial awareness and education from a young age.

JoPACC and INJAZ have also agreed to intensify their efforts to enhance awareness of core financial concepts by holding joint training sessions and building financial awareness programs, which aim towards enhancing the levels of financial inclusion across the Kingdom.

Building on its mission to inspire and prepare youth to become productive members in their society and accelerate the development of the national economy, INJAZ has established itself over the past 22 years as a leading solution provider linking the public, private, and civil society sectors to bridge the skills gap between the educational system and the changing needs of the labor market. In 2018, INJAZ established mySTARTUP incubator that builds on INJAZ’ resources, expertise, and network to promote entrepreneurship and enable startups to become a driving force toward the enhanced and equal participation and economic development of youth and women.

JoPACC, on the other hand, manages several payment systems in Jordan, introduces innovative digital solutions, and conducts analyses and studies in the field of financial technology and inclusion.