MasterCard drives mobile payment rollout in AsPac

MANILA, Philippines - MasterCard Worldwide recently upped the ante on mobile payment rollout in the Asia-Pacific with its launch of one of the world’s largest Near Field Communications1 (NFC) MasterCard PayPass pilots.

The pilot was launched in Bengaluru in collaboration with Citibank, Nokia and Vodafone, and introduced mobile payments to the city’s fast-paced lifestyle. 

It also put PayPass, MasterCard’s globally interoperable contactless payment system, at the center of industry trials and commercial deployments. 

Consumers participating in the Indian trial will enjoy promotional offers such as discounts at various popular retail establishments, including department stores, food courts at shopping malls and office buildings, restaurants and fast food chains, bookstores and multiplexes.

From a business standpoint, the pilot established a fully secure, scalable and interoperable mobile payments ecosystem and would gather user insight across a wide range of parameters.

The pilot is also a means to look at the level of acceptance consumers display toward embracing contactless payments through the mobile phone as well as track consumer response to the next stage of innovation in contactless payments — NFC-enabled interactive posters and mobile coupon redemptions.

“Being at the forefront of innovation, we are happy to bring mobile payments to the people of Bengaluru. Mobile payments offer them the convenience of being able to pay through their everyday device, quickly and conveniently — without fumbling for their change or wallets. The project marks an important milestone in helping the industry accelerate toward commercial roll outs and puts Asia in the middle of global MasterCard Mobile developments,” said Jeff Portelli, group executive for global products and solutions for the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa of MasterCard Worldwide.