Asia Pacific banks begin testing HCE mobile payments

PARTNER NEWS: Several major banks in the Asia Pacific region have begun piloting NFC mobile payment services based on host card emulation, using an end-to-end, cloud-based payments solution put in place by HCE specialist SimplyTapp in partnership with mobile technology solution provider PromptNow and IT solution services provider TIS.

SimplyTappSimplyTapp’s card virtualization and HCE is the underlying technology powering the service, while TIS’ financial-grade data centers coupled with PromptNow’s implementation services will allow for “simple and secure integration and deployment of the technology”.

Full details can be found in the press release:

Strategic Industry Initiative Brings Cloud-Based Mobile Payments Offering to APAC Issuers

SimplyTapp, PromptNow and TIS collaborate to provide secure payments technology to financial institutions and card issuers across the region

SimplyTapp, PromptNow and TIS have created the Asian Payments Cloud initiative to bring the first end-to-end, cloud-based payments solution to the banking and financial services community in the APAC region. The offering allows financial institutions and card issuers to provide a better customer experience to their growing customer segment of Android users by enabling them to use their devices for proximity payments and other real-world transactions. Several major banks in the region have begun carrying out a pilot to begin offering flexible mobile payments to their smartphone customers via the solution’s simple software integration.

Each alliance partner brings specific, complementary expertise to the solution. SimplyTapp’s card virtualization and host-card emulation (HCE) is the underlying technology behind the service. TIS Inc’s financial-grade data centers coupled with PromptNow’s implementation services will allow for simple and secure integration and deployment of the technology.

With this new solution, Android users of participating banks and institutions will have the ability to use their devices to tap-and-pay at POS terminals. SimplyTapp’s technology hosts a virtual payment card on the device, essentially eliminating the need to carry physical cards.

“We believe that HCE and cloud-based mobile payments have the potential to disrupt the current environment,” said Shimmy Thomas, Executive Director at PromptNow. “We are very proud to collaborate with technology and service innovators like SimplyTapp and TIS to deliver this pioneering solution to customers in Asia.”

“This cooperation is well aligned with our company’s vision,” said Masumoto Masahiro, Dy. General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy at TIS Inc. “We will leverage our industry-leading IT services and solutions, including financial-grade data center facilities, and with SimplyTapp and PromptNow, bring together our shared values to achieve goals for future growth.”

“This form of mobile payments is the first of its kind in the APAC region,” said Doug Yeager, SimplyTapp CEO. “It has the potential to significantly change the payments landscape for issuers, merchants and consumers alike. SimplyTapp is focused on propelling NFC HCE mobile payments to widespread adoption across the globe, and this partnership demonstrates its commitment to bringing advanced payment solutions to the region.”

“Our bank is focused on innovation and establishing ourselves as a market leader in mobile banking,” said Dr. Koson Sapprasert, SVP and Head of Innovation at Siam Commercial Bank. “We are thrilled to carry out a Host Card Emulation pilot as part of our innovation roadmap to engage with new technologies. This will be undertaken in collaboration with the Asian Payment Cloud initiative, formed by SimplyTapp, PromptNow and TIS.”

Issuers in the APAC region who are interested in learning more about this joint offering should inquire at [email protected].

About SimplyTapp

As the original developers of host-card emulation (HCE) technology, SimplyTapp enables developers to leverage mobile devices for tap-payments and other real-world transactions. SimplyTapp’s technology powers payment functionality for Android devices for card-issuing banks and provides a simple and secure transaction environment for industries including retail, transit, ticketing and hospitality. SimplyTapp offers three options for deployment of its technology: on premise, cloud-hosted and white label. The company was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas. For more information, visit www.simplytapp.com.

About TIS

TIS Inc., Japan, an IT Holdings Group company, is a leading providing a number of IT solution services such as Systems Integration, Data Center and Cloud services. TIS has IT and support offices across Japan, China and ASEAN region, contributing to the development of valued customers as a business partner of more than 3,000 companies in various industries such as finance, manufacturing, distribution, service, public, and communication. Financial institutions rely on TIS’s world-class secure financial grade datacentre facilities in Japan and China for their critical business operations.

For more information, visit www.tis.com

About PromptNow

PromptNow Company Limited, a subsidiary of MFEC Public Company Limited Thailand is a leading enterprise mobile technology solution provider in Southeast Asia region. PromptNow’s innovative solutions are enriching the lives of people through their daily experiences in transacting with their banks and financial institutions. PromptNow excels in the development of Enterprise mobile applications on multiple OS platforms including iOS, Android and Windows.

For more information, visit www.promptnow.com

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