Emirates NBD, Etisalat, Gemalto and Visa have unveiled mobile Contactless technology, a new payments services in UAE. The partnership is expected to allow Emirates NBD Visa cardholders to purchase goods and services by using their Etisalat contactless mobile phones.
Reportedly, payments can be made by waving the NFC-enabled phone in front of the payment terminal eliminating the need for the traditional swiping of payment cards. The mobile NFC (Near Field Communications) contactless technology operates within a 4cm range and customers will have a passcode to make transactions more secure. Purchases will be charged directly to the customer’s Emirates NBD Visa credit card account just as they would be with a traditional card payment.
Jamal Bin Ghalaita, deputy CEO of Emirates NBD, said: “Emirates NBD believes contactless mobile payment services will be a key lifestyle driver for our highly mobile customer base, and we are delighted to be the a leading bank to deliver this innovative service to them. Our partnership with Etisalat is the perfect union to test this contactless technology and will inevitably transform banking as we know it today, as both organisations are leaders in their game and hence, are fully equipped for such a bold innovation.”
Essa Al Haddad, chief marketing officer of Etisalat, said: “We hope that this initiative will provide a new dimension to areas like ticketing, retail marketing and electronic payments thus paving the way for advanced NFC services on mobile phones.”
Remi de Fouchier, senior vice president, trusted services management at Gemalto, said: “ In cooperating with Etisalat, Emirates NBD and VISA, we are delighted to contribute to further develop NFC market in such a dynamic region.”
