UAE fintech platform Botim has partnered with Mastercard to launch Mastercard One Credential, giving eligible cardholders access to multiple funding sources through a single card and marking the solution’s first rollout in the UAE and across Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The product allows eligible users to switch between prepaid balances and credit funding through a digital interface, reducing the need to manage separate cards for different payment methods.
The launch also introduces installment functionality and multi-currency access, positioning the product as part of Botim’s broader expansion into digital financial services.
One Credential combines prepaid and credit funding
Mastercard One Credential links a single payment product to multiple sources of funds.
Eligible Botim users will be able to move between prepaid balances and credit when making payments, giving them more flexibility over how transactions are funded.
The model is intended to simplify payment management by bringing multiple options under one card experience rather than requiring users to maintain separate products.
For first-time credit users, the proposition is also designed to provide a more straightforward entry point by embedding credit access into an existing card relationship.
Installments and multi-currency access broaden the use case
Botim cardholders will also be able to access funds across multiple currencies and convert purchases into installments.
That adds a financing layer to the core card proposition while giving users more visibility over transactions and repayment choices.
According to Mastercard consumer research cited in the announcement, 83% of surveyed UAE consumers said they would use card installments through One Credential.
The figure points to strong interest in combining everyday card payments with more flexible financing options.
UAE becomes first market in wider EEMEA rollout
The launch is notable because it represents the first deployment of Mastercard One Credential in both the UAE and the wider EEMEA region.
For Mastercard, the rollout provides an early test of how a multi-funding credential can be embedded into a digital-first fintech platform.
Gina Petersen-Skyrme, senior vice president and country manager for the UAE and Oman at Mastercard, said the product is designed to make it easier for cardholders to manage different payment methods through a single scalable solution.
Botim pushes deeper into financial services
The partnership also reflects Botim’s continued evolution beyond communications into fintech and digital financial services.
Dr Tariq BinHendi, board member at Astra Tech and CEO of Botim, said the collaboration is focused on giving users more choice, transparency and confidence in managing everyday payments.
The companies described the prepaid and installment proposition as the first milestone in a broader roadmap that could eventually introduce additional Botim card propositions and payment use cases.
Why this matters
The launch reflects a broader shift in payments toward flexible credentials that can connect multiple funding sources and financing options behind a single user experience.
For consumers, that can reduce friction between prepaid, credit and installment products. For fintech platforms, it creates a way to deepen engagement without requiring users to manage a growing number of separate cards.
The UAE’s role as the first EEMEA market for One Credential also reinforces its position as an early deployment market for new digital payment products.
Editor’s note
The strategically important element is the move from a card as a single funding instrument toward a card as a programmable access layer.
If users can choose between prepaid balances, credit and installments from one credential, the value increasingly sits in the software and orchestration behind the card rather than the physical product itself.
For Botim, that opens the door to a broader financial ecosystem around payments, credit and potentially other embedded finance services. The next test will be how quickly users adopt the flexibility One Credential is designed to provide.
