More Than 20 Years of Powering Digital Government Services Across Egypt

SMART Digital Services took part in Cairo ICT 2025, the largest technology and communications exhibition in Egypt and Africa. This year’s participation carried special significance, as it coincided with the company’s celebration of 20 years since its founding and a distinguished journey supporting Egypt’s digital transformation since 2005. At its booth, SMART showcased the latest developments in its electronic payment services, subsidy systems, and digital government services. The company’s team met a large number of visitors and partners from government bodies, banks, and technology companies, and held talks on new partnerships expected to be announced soon. Speaking to Ahram Gate on the sidelines of the exhibition, Eng. Tarek Malash, Chairman of SMART, said the participation was an important opportunity to present how the company’s services have evolved. He explained that SMART is preparing for major expansions that will pave the way for strong growth in 2026, and that its 20th year marks the beginning of a new phase of growth. SMART’s figures reflect the scale of its role in the daily lives of millions of Egyptians. The company records around 14 million transactions a day across the bread and food-subsidy system, while the Damen e-payment network directly serves around 200,000 beneficiaries. On information security, Malash stressed that data protection is a priority beyond debate: “For us, security is non-negotiable.” He noted that the company has a dedicated team that continuously monitors cyber threats. He also highlighted SMART’s role in training and preparing young talent to work in technology and digital payments. Malash praised the Egyptian government’s efforts to drive digital transformation, describing the success of InstaPay as proof of the Egyptian market’s maturity. He expects 2026 to bring major shifts in Egypt’s digital-payments landscape, driven by upcoming partnerships. Over two decades, SMART has become one of Egypt’s leading providers of payment and digital services. It is licensed by the Central Bank of Egypt as a Payment Service Provider, has direct links with banks, and continues to invest every year in its infrastructure and people, reaffirming its commitment to delivering secure digital solutions that serve citizens and the Egyptian economy.

Eng. Tarek Mallash, Chairman of Smart Card Applications (Smart), said the company processes about 14 million transactions a day across Egypt’s bread and food-subsidy systems, while Damen has 200,000 direct beneficiaries. He spoke to Al-Ahram Gate on the sidelines of Cairo ICT 2025, describing the company’s participation as a chance to showcase upgraded services and sign new partnerships whose results will be announced soon. Smart is marking its 20th anniversary this year. Mallash noted that the company is now directly connected to banks and that its investments are growing every year, and he announced the start of a new phase of growth and expansion. On data protection, Mallash said: “For us, security is non-negotiable.” He added that the system is fully secured and that a dedicated team continuously monitors emerging threats. Mallash predicted an unprecedented boom in 2026, driven by major partnerships and agreements to be announced soon that will double the number of beneficiaries and reshape Egypt’s digital payments landscape. He described the government as the main driver of digitization in Egypt and praised InstaPay as proof of the Egyptian market’s maturity. He also said the company sees itself as a technology school that trains young people and opens doors to jobs for them. His advice to young people entering the sector was to set clear goals and keep training rather than approaching the field haphazardly.

"SMART Digital Services aims to process around 420 million transactions per month through its electronic systems by the end of 2026, up from roughly 400 million today. AbdelRaouf Hussein, Chief Executive Officer of SMART, highlighted the role of artificial intelligence in building more advanced financial applications, as the company continues to expand its payment and e-government platforms serving millions of Egyptians every day."