The e-Dirham is a payment tool introduced by the government of the United Arab Emirates with the aim of facilitating the collection of revenues of governmental and non-governmental service fees in a safe and secure way. The e-Dirham was initially intended for use by the UAE federal government, but it was later used by the local governments of the constituent Emirates, as well as by semi-governmental organizations and private enterprises. The e-Dirham was launched on 3 February 2001, making the UAE the first country within the Arab Region to introduce such a system countrywide.