DEWA cuts security deposit refunds to 8 minutes with zero human intervention

Dubai: In a major boost to digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI), Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has further reduced the time required to refund security deposits — without human intervention — to just eight minutes, down from 30 minutes previously. This applies to amounts of up to AED4,000 and covers around 90% of refund requests.Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of DEWA, said: “In line with the vision and directives of our wise leadership to digitalise all aspects of life in Dubai and transform the emirate into a global digital capital, positioning it among the world’s best cities in terms of quality of life, we continue to adopt the latest Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies and integrate artificial intelligence across all our operations. We have made significant progress in reducing the security deposit refund time from four days to 30 minutes, and now to just eight minutes. This is part of our continuous efforts to provide a pioneering, fully digital customer experience that enhances happiness, meets expectations and exceeds them.”Al Tayer added: “The new system operates around the clock, independent of official working hours, enhancing operational efficiency and enabling staff to focus on innovation and service improvement. These developments come alongside continuous growth in customer accounts, which reached 1,346,985 by the end of March 2026, marking a 5.08% increase compared to the same period in 2025. This reflects DEWA’s global leadership in smart and sustainable services, as we continue to develop pioneering electricity, water and digital infrastructure, and enhance the capacity of transmission and distribution networks to keep pace with Dubai’s population growth, as well as its economic and urban development.”During the first quarter of 2026, more than 3.7 million digital transactions were completed, up from more than 3.5 million in the same period in 2025. DEWA said this growth reflects accelerating adoption of digital channels and the efficiency, reliability and effectiveness of its digital service ecosystem in delivering seamless customer experiences.By the end of December 2025, the number of customer accounts had reached 1,327,182, before rising to 1,346,985 by the end of March 2026—an increase of 1.49% during the first quarter of the year.