A strategic partnership agreement has been reached between NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL), a fully owned subsidiary of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), and Al Etihad Payments (AEP) for the deployment of the Domestic Card Scheme (DCS) in the United Arab Emirates. Read more: India has outpaced the developed countries in terms of mobile speed: What led to this achievement? The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) indirectly owns AEP. In accordance with the agreement, NIPL and AEP will collaborate to develop, deploy, and implement the national Domestic card scheme for the UAE. Additionally, NIPL will help AEP create the rules for their domestic card program. DCS aims to promote financial inclusion, promote the digitization agenda, increase alternative payment options, lower payment costs, and improve the competitiveness of the Middle Eastern nation as a global payments leader, in addition to enabling the growth of electronic commerce and digital transactions in the UAE. The national domestic card programme for the UAE will be developed, implemented, and put into operation by the two organizations in accordance with the agreement that was signed by NIPL and AEP.