UAE communications and fintech app Botim has become the first platform in the country to issue a prepaid card under the national Jaywan payment scheme, aiming squarely at the emirates' blue- and grey-collar workforce.

The Botim One Jaywan card will initially reach more than 200,000 workers, with the company setting a longer-term target of four million users. Internal figures shared by Botim show that 65 per cent of its fintech customers are blue-collar workers and a further 31 per cent work in grey-collar roles, segments that have traditionally struggled to access mainstream banking products.

The card carries no minimum salary or balance requirement, and sign-up is fully digital and available in multiple languages. Cardholders can send money to more than 170 international destinations, tap into over 125 dining, travel and lifestyle discounts, and buy fractional gold and silver starting from just Dhs10.

Distribution will run through payroll agreements with employers and partnerships with licensed exchange houses, putting the card directly in the hands of workers who are paid through those channels.

Botim chief executive Dr Tariq BinHendi said the move marks an important step in strengthening the country's payments ecosystem, supporting financial inclusion and advancing the UAE's digital transformation. With more than 8.5 million users across the UAE, Botim is positioning the launch as part of a broader national push to widen access to formal banking tools for lower-income residents, many of whom have relied on informal remittance channels until now.