BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 14. Mastercard was the first to implement the technology of contactless payments when it became possible to touch the terminal with a card to make payment in Kazakhstan, CEO of Mastercard in Central Asia, Rafal Trepka, told Trend.
According to him, during the last 10 years, Mastercard introduced many interesting and useful technologies in Kazakhstan.
"A landmark project was the contactless fare payment in the Almaty subway 2015. At that time, Almaty was the 5th city in the world to have this option. We went further and began to develop contactless payments in the form of payments with gadgets, smartphones, and watches, the role of which was growing rapidly at that moment. Using the capabilities of a global company Mastercard helped bring Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay to Kazakhstan.
The CEO added that the launch of contactless payments and contactless fare payment in the Almaty subway were the most important steps toward the digital future, which helped even more citizens of Kazakhstan to get the opportunity to choose the most convenient and secure payment method.
Furthermore, he also noted the innovative Tap on Phone service, when an ordinary smartphone becomes a full-fledged POS terminal for accepting card payments.
"In a restaurant or shop in Kazakhstan, you may see a waiter accepting payment on their mobile phone. This convenient solution works great for the development of cashless payments in places where the payment was previously available in cash only – in small shops, bazaars, hairdressers, shoe and clothing repair shops, and flower boutiques. Tap on Phone benefits all parties – entrepreneurs, banks, and cardholders, and contributes to the formation of a more open and transparent environment for all participants of the economy," he said.