Within the framework of the Egyptian state’s general orientation towards publishing electronic payment and collection systems, and in implementation of the political leadership’s directives regarding the need to activate the digital transformation system in various government services, a ceremony was held to sign a protocol for joint cooperation between each of Ain Shams University headed by Prof. Dr. Mahmoud El-Metini and the Financial Institutions Operating Technology Company "e-Finance", represented by Mr. Ibrahim Sarhan, Chairman and Managing Director.

This came in the presence of Prof. Abdel Fattah Saud, Vice President for Education and Student Affairs, and Prof. Ayman Saleh, Vice President for Postgraduate Studies and Research, and Prof. Hisham Temraz, Acting Vice President for Community Service and Environmental Development, Prof. Dr. Nagwa Badr, Dean of the Faculty of Computers and Information, and Prof. Dr. Rasha Ismail, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Computers and Information and Director of the University's Electronic Portal, and Prof. Dr. Hala Mosheer, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Computers and Information, and Prof. Tamer Mostafa, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Computers and Information, and Dr. Islam Hegazy, Executive Director of Information Technology, Director of University Information Network, and a group of professors and experts at Ain Shams University, in addition to a group of representatives and heads of sectors at e-Finance.

The protocol aims to activate the electronic payment and collection of the university's portal services through the e-finance network, in implementation of the rules of the Ministry of Finance's Government Payment and Collection Center in collecting government revenues.

This agreement serves thousands of students and researchers in the field of graduate studies and faculty members, as it allows them to pay for the many services provided by the university from anywhere and at any time through the university's online portal and through the advanced e-finance networks.

The agreement reflects the trend towards developing work systems within the university by adopting modern electronic means aimed at achieving accuracy and speed in completing work, and keenness to keep pace with the latest global systems to provide services to beneficiaries and to provide multiple modern electronic methods to facilitate the customers in activating the state’s plan for digital transformation.

The step also represents an additional measure taken by the university as part of precautionary measures to reduce unnecessary presence on campus and its facilities, and prevent crowding, by taking advantage of the many technologies offered by e-Finance in this regard.

The cooperation between Ain Shams University and E-Finance includes providing technological integration with the payment gateway at the Electronic Payment and Collection Center of the Egyptian Government Financial Network, providing project management services, general supervision of project implementation and quality of work, and providing the necessary training on systems for monitoring operations and daily financial settlements of receipts. The online portal for the specialized work team, and providing the necessary technical support in various ways.

The agreement also represents an additional step in e-Finance's efforts to provide the education and higher education sector with all the modern technologies needed to bring about the desired boom in the sector, and to exploit all available capabilities to create a better technological environment for students and professors in universities.

For his part, Prof. Dr. Mahmoud El-Metini, President of Ain Shams University, affirmed the confidence that e-Finance enjoys as the technological arm of the Egyptian government and responsible for managing the Egyptian government's financial network with all its components. Through the online portal, it aims to employ the best available technologies and software to increase cooperation and communication between the various Facultys of the university, the various universities and the Ministry of Higher Education.

He added, "The university is also working to develop its portal for private services, enabling students and beneficiaries of the university's services to obtain many services in an easy and fast manner, especially since government services require cash collection before they are implemented, so the joint cooperation came with e-Finance.

Commenting on this cooperation, Mr. Ibrahim Sarhan, Chairman and Managing Director of E-Finance, expressed his happiness in cooperating with Ain Shams University, as this cooperation reflects the insightful vision of the university administration in the necessity of digital transformation and providing services to students and faculty members in an easy, easy and secure way.

He pointed out that "E-Finance" has a high-tech infrastructure and an electronic network that is widespread throughout the Republic and is secured according to international standards, which qualified it today to sign this agreement, in addition to its keenness to keep pace with modern technologies in means of communication.

Sarhan added that the cooperation between E-Finance and Ain Shams University provides a new model in the ability of technology to simplify procedures for faculty members and students benefiting in line with Egypt's vision and 2030 strategy.