Samba Financial Group signed a collaboration agreement with Sejel, which operates and develops the Haj and Umra Information Center. The agreement implements an automated payments system for the Umra sector as from this year's season. The move represents a significant leap forward in the field of Umra automated payments services, combining speed, flexibility and security. The agreement was signed last Tuesday between Engineer Ahmed A. Ghumri, CEO of Sejel and Anees Moumina, Western Region Corporate Banking head for Samba in the presence of Eisa M. Al Eisa, chairman of Samba Financial Group. The signing ceremony was also attended by members of the board and senior executives of both sides, opening the door to new horizons of vital partnerships between private sector institutions. The new system will provide an automated payments solution for collecting payments relating to Umra packages based on the principle of processing applications for Umra after the receipt of the amounts to be paid. The system will distribute the applications to the companies and entities involved in the provision of Umra services in the Kingdom. Al Eisa described the cooperation agreement with Sejel as being an example of the sort of partnership efforts that Samba seeks to achieve with various Government and private sector organizations to contribute to achieving the aspirations and vision of the leadership in the Kingdom, particularly with regard to visitors of the Holy sites, a top priority for the Kingdom. “I am sure that both Sejel and Samba are keen to leverage all potential human and technical resources in order to ensure success of the automated payment solution, which will work around the clock, with a high degree of speed, flexibility, and confidentiality,” he added. “I extend my thanks and appreciation to the counterparties in Sejel for their confidence in Samba as a strong partner that can help develop, implement and bring this solution to fruition. I am confident that this partnership represents a pioneering model for constructive cooperation between the various Governmental and private institutions in the Kingdom, to serve the vital interests of the nation”, he continued. Ghumri said “the automated payments system, which falls under this agreement with Samba Financial Group will deliver significant improvements to the adopted electronic system, and will provide interactive channels with a high degree of speed and security, with real time transference of data. The modest investment will put in place state-of-the-art technologies developed both locally and internationally.” He pointed out that the relevant parties in Umra services will see marked improvements upon application of the new solution, as it supports the distribution of financial receivables for companies in immediate and safe manner, and will constitute an added value to the level of services provided. Ghumri further said “we, the management team at Sejel are confident that Samba Financial Group, being a pioneer in the banking sector in the Kingdom, with a wealth of experience and an established track record of successes, particularly at the technical level, are the right partner for this impressive initiative. I am confident that the agreement will contribute significantly to the upgrading of the automated payments system, helping to take companies in the Umra services sector to new heights.”
