Atyaf is developing an experimental payment interface intended to simplify everyday transactions in the Gaza Strip amid shortages of circulating cash and the technical difficulties affecting digital payments. Available at pay.atyaf.co, the Atyaf Payments prototype focuses on initiating a payment request between seller and buyer in as few steps as possible.
The project is not intended to create a bank, electronic wallet, or independent payment provider. Atyaf’s layer prepares the payment request, generates the QR code, and follows the transaction status, while money movement and user balances remain within supported wallet and payment-provider systems licensed by the Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA).
A short path from seller to buyer
In the proposed flow, the seller enters the amount to be collected through a fast interface and the system generates a QR code linked to that payment request. The buyer scans the code with a phone, moves into a supported licensed wallet, reviews the details, and authorizes the payment there.
The prototype then checks the transaction status and presents the result to the seller. The design aims to reduce manual exchange of phone or account details and lower the likelihood of errors in fast-moving everyday sales.
Responding to Gaza’s liquidity and connectivity reality
The shortage of physical cash, extensive damage to banking infrastructure, and connectivity interruptions have made everyday payments exceptionally difficult in Gaza. Reports from the World Bank, UNICEF, and United Nations institutions document fast-growing reliance on wallets and digital payments alongside continuing constraints in connectivity, merchant acceptance, and the cost of accessing cash.
Atyaf Payments research therefore extends beyond generating a QR code. It also examines fewer interaction steps, clear transaction status, safe behavior when connectivity fails, and keeping final financial authorization inside the user’s licensed wallet.
Current prototype status
The current version at pay.atyaf.co operates as a “Debug Lab,” technically testing merchant connection, displaying a QR code for scanning in a wallet application, and checking transaction status. It is not a public commercial payment product; it is an R&D environment for evaluating integration, security, and operational scenarios.
Any move toward broader use would require formal integration with licensed payment providers, the necessary technical and regulatory approvals, data-protection review, failure and refund handling, and comprehensive testing under weak-connectivity conditions.