Latest / DEWA Podcasts / In a major boost to artificial intelligence (AI) DEWA reduces security deposit refund time from 4 days to 30 minutes, and now just 8 minutes, without human intervention

Transcript

In a major boost to artificial intelligence (AI) DEWA reduces security deposit refund time from 4 days to 30 minutes, and now just 8 minutes, without human intervention · DEWA Podcasts

• 0:00
  So Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, or
• 0:03
  DEWA, has just achieved a major milestone in
• 0:06
  artificial intelligence and digital transformation.
• 0:10
  Wow. Yeah. They've reduced the time required
• 0:14
  to refund security deposits to just eight minutes,
• 0:17
  entirely without human intervention. That is
• 0:20
  a massive drop from the previous 30 minutes.
• 0:24
  Right. This new eight -minute system applies
• 0:27
  to amounts up to 4 ,000 dirhams, which actually
• 0:31
  covers around 90 % of all refund requests. The
• 0:35
  progression here is fascinating. Oh, definitely.
• 0:39
  Phase one involved refunding security deposits
• 0:42
  within four days through traditional procedures.
• 0:45
  Then, in the second phase, Diwa automated the
• 0:49
  approval process, reducing the time to just 30
• 0:52
  minutes. In the current phase, the time has been
• 0:55
  further reduced to only eight minutes through
• 0:58
  an advanced system that relies on a robust verification
• 1:01
  mechanism. Incredible. It really is. This enables
• 1:07
  direct refund transfers to customers' accounts
• 1:09
  via their IBAN, ensuring high levels of accuracy,
• 1:12
  speed, and reliability. This initiative forms
• 1:16
  part of Diwa's ongoing efforts to embed AI across
• 1:19
  all its services. Yeah. His Excellency Saeed
• 1:23
  Mohammed Al -Tayr, the MDE and CEO of Diwa, highlighted
• 1:27
  the strategic importance of this achievement.
• 1:30
  Okay. He stated, quoting here, that it's in line
• 1:34
  with the vision to digitize all aspects of life
• 1:37
  in Dubai and transform it into a global digital
• 1:40
  capital. Hmm. It positions Dubai among the world's
• 1:44
  best cities for quality of life, adopting the
• 1:46
  latest fourth industrial revolution technologies.
• 1:49
  Wow. and integrating AI across operations. Right.
• 1:54
  He noted they've made huge progress, dropping
• 1:57
  refund times from four days to 30 minutes and
• 2:00
  now to just eight. Hmm. He said this is part
• 2:04
  of continuous efforts to provide a fully digital
• 2:07
  customer experience that enhances happiness and
• 2:10
  exceeds expectations. The operational impact
• 2:13
  is equally significant. Definitely. He also mentioned
• 2:17
  the new system operates around the clock, entirely
• 2:20
  independent of official working hours. Oh, nice.
• 2:23
  This enhances operational efficiency and lets
• 2:26
  staff focus on innovation and service improvement.
• 2:29
  Right. These developments come alongside continuous
• 2:32
  growth in customer accounts, which reached over
• 2:35
  1 .34 million by the end of March 2026. Wow.
• 2:39
  That marks a 5 .08 % increase compared to the
• 2:43
  same period in 2025. Hmm. It reflects Diwa's
• 2:47
  global leadership in smart and sustainable services.
• 2:50
  Exactly. They're continuing to develop pioneering
• 2:54
  digital infrastructure to keep pace with Dubai's
• 2:56
  population growth as well as its economic development.
• 2:59
  The growth he mentioned is clearly reflected
• 3:01
  in the transaction volume. Yeah. During the first
• 3:05
  quarter of 2026, more than 3 .7 million digital
• 3:09
  transactions were completed. Hmm. That's up from
• 3:12
  more than 3 .5 million transactions in the same
• 3:15
  period in 2025. By the end of December 2025,
• 3:19
  the number of customer accounts had reached 1
• 3:21
  ,327 ,182. Okay. Before rising to 1 ,346 ,985
• 3:31
  by the end of March 2026. Wow. That's an increase
• 3:35
  of 1 .49 % during just the first quarter. Yeah.
• 3:40
  This growth reflects the accelerating adoption
• 3:42
  of digital channels and the efficiency of Diwa's
• 3:45
  digital service ecosystem. So here's a question
• 3:48
  we'd like you to think about. If artificial intelligence
• 3:52
  can securely verify and execute financial refunds
• 3:55
  in just eight minutes without any human intervention,
• 3:59
  what other traditional civic services are ready
• 4:03
  to be completely transformed by this kind of
• 4:05
  automation?