Egypt's finance ministry said on Wednesday that citizens will be required to pay electronically any fees for government services that exceed EGP 500 starting May.

Finance Minister Mohammad Maait said in a statement that the decision is part of the state's plan "to achieve financial inclusion through the automation of all financial transactions."

In early 2017, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi issued a decision to establish the National Payments Council in an effort to reduce the use of cash and stimulate electronic payment.

In recent years, Egypt has embarked on a campaign to modernise the way government provides services to citizens through expanding its automated transactions.

The Ministry of Finance said that it is currently installing electronic payment machines at government agencies nationwide, with nearly 22,000 machines expected to be in place by the end of April 2019.