Emirates NBD, a leading banking group in the MENAT (Middle East, North Africa and Turkey) region, has reported that contactless payments now make up 84% of all face-to-face card payment transactions. The bank, a front-runner in digital banking, saw contactless payment transactions which include contactless card and mobile wallet-based payments rise by 59% year-on-year in 2020. Mobile wallet-based payments using Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay more than doubled during the period while card tap and go-based payments increased by about half. Emirates NBD customers also are increasingly using their personal devices such as Garmin and Fitbit smartwatches and health trackers to make point of sale payments. The share of contactless payments of the total value transacted also has doubled, illustrating the growing customer comfort with using contactless payment options for larger ticket purchases as well.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 29, 2021 08:59 UTC