** Contactless wallet payment activated for all NBB Cards and NBB POS Terminals on BenefitPay through Android devices **

In line with its brand promise to stay closer to its customers, and in support of the precautionary measures to safeguard its clients during the current health situation, NBB announced the activation of the ‘Tap & Go’ contactless payment service across NBB Point of Sale (POS) terminals and all NBB-issued cards on Android smartphones across the Kingdom through the BenefitPay wallet.

The launch comes as part of a collaboration with the Central Bank of Bahrain and BENEFIT, creators of BenefitPay, the Kingdom’s nation-wide e-wallet, allowing NBB customers to make contactless digital purchases at outlets across Bahrain using their Android-based smartphones and activated NBB credit, Prepaid, and debit cards on BenefitPay wallet.

The service falls in line with NBB’s dedication to upholding the necessary health and safety measures during the COVID-19 pandemic by reinforcing social distancing and minimal contact measures across its range of products and services. The contactless payment system serves to provide NBB’s clients with a quick, safe payment method designed to enhance customer experience while maintaining user data security. NBB has been actively replacing all credit, prepaid and debit cards issued by the Bank and continue to migrate existing customers to the new Near Field Communication (NFC) enabled cards with improved payment technologies.

Commenting on the launch, the Chief Executive of Retail Banking, Mr. Subah Al Zayani, said: “We focus on the client journey and are continuously supporting personalization and convenience to make our clients’ daily experiences smoother.

The collaboration with BenefitPay comes as part of our mandate to embrace digitalization as a core pillar of our transformation strategy. Customers can now benefit from using their cards, as well as their phones as electronic wallets, helping them stay safe and up to date on the latest technological advancements.”

Mr. Hisham AlKurdi, Chief Executive of Corporate, Institutional, and Investment Banking added:  “NBB is now continuously developing innovative and enhanced solutions to facilitate transactional operations as part of our customer-centric approach. The Bank has invested heavily in enhancing the services offered through Point of Sale (POS) devices deployed at various merchant locations across Bahrain. We believe in mutually-beneficial partnerships and are continuously training merchant outlets in availing the new services offered through NBB POS Machines in order to provide a seamless and contactless experience.”

The ‘Tap & Go’ service is now available for use on all NBB Mastercard and Visa cards, as well as NBB POS terminals using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology across the Kingdom, allowing customers to make secure digital payments across a number of locations by simply placing their BenefitPay wallet on Android phones close to NBB POS machines, in order to complete their payment.

For more information, please visit www.nbbonline.com.