Lean Technologies and Ziina have launched the UAE’s first One-Tap Pay by Bank experience under the country’s Open Finance framework, enabling users to fund digital wallets directly from their bank accounts with a single tap.
The new capability, built on Lean’s Deposits solution, allows Ziina users to securely connect their bank account once and complete future wallet top-ups without re-entering credentials or being redirected to their bank’s portal.
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The launch represents an important step in the evolution of account-to-account payments in the UAE, demonstrating how Open Finance infrastructure can support faster, lower-friction payment experiences for consumers.
By combining Ziina’s consumer payments platform with Lean’s Open Finance technology, the solution enables a more streamlined funding experience while reducing the complexity typically associated with bank-to-wallet transfers.
“Pay by Bank has been live in the UAE for some time, but until now, it has only been available as single instant payments,” said Omar Hamada, Vice President of Sales at Lean.
“Working with Ziina, we’ve shown that the infrastructure is capable of supporting recurring, low-effort payment experiences, the kind that make a payment method genuinely part of how people pay every day. That is the direction the market is heading, and this is the first example of it.”
The introduction of One-Tap Pay by Bank signals a shift from simple account-to-account payment functionality toward more embedded financial experiences that can compete with traditional card-based payment methods.
For Ziina, the integration is designed to simplify one of the platform’s most frequently used features while improving the overall user experience.
“People expect financial products to be as simple and intuitive as the best consumer technology they use every day,” said Talal Toukan, Co-Founder and Head of Engineering at Ziina.
“Funding your wallet is one of the most common actions within Ziina, so making that experience faster and more seamless was a natural next step for us. Working with Lean, we’ve been able to reduce friction in a way that makes managing and moving money feel more effortless for our users.”
The launch comes as the UAE continues to advance its Open Finance ecosystem, creating new opportunities for banks, fintechs, and payment providers to develop innovative financial products built on secure consumer-permissioned data and payment infrastructure.
Industry observers view account-to-account payments as a key growth area within the broader digital payments landscape. By eliminating intermediaries and reducing transaction friction, Pay by Bank solutions have the potential to improve payment efficiency while lowering costs for both consumers and businesses.
The announcement was made during “Pay by Bank: The Default Way to Pay,” Lean’s flagship industry event, which brought together more than 150 leaders from banking, fintech, commerce, and regulatory sectors to discuss the future of account-to-account payments in the UAE and the wider region.
As Open Finance adoption accelerates, initiatives such as One-Tap Pay by Bank are expected to play a central role in shaping the next generation of digital payment experiences across the Gulf.
Why Lean and Ziina Collaboration Matters to MENA
The launch marks a major milestone for Open Finance in the region, demonstrating how account-to-account payments can evolve from one-off transfers into seamless, everyday payment experiences.
As regulators and fintechs push for greater financial innovation, frictionless bank-based payments are expected to become an increasingly important alternative to traditional card networks.
The partnership also highlights the UAE’s growing leadership in digital payments and Open Finance, setting a precedent for fintech innovation that could be replicated across other MENA markets as regulatory frameworks mature.
