- mada Pay is the first multi-issuer mobile wallet application in the kingdom that supports contactless (NFC) transactions to launch in Saudi Arabia.
- Visa’s contribution to the application is to support payment with Visa-mada co-badged (debit and prepaid) cards as well as Visa credit and Visa prepaid cards, underpinned by its market-leading payment security solution, Visa Token Service.
- Visa is committed to building a safe and seamless payments infrastructure in the Kingdom, with mada Pay, backed by joint tokenization technologies provided by Visa and mada to safeguard consumers’ payments.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 15 July, 2018: Visa (NYSE:V), the world leader in digital payments, today announced that it has partnered with mada, the national payment scheme, to bring Saudi consumers mada Pay, the first multi-issuer mobile payment solution that supports contactless (NFC) transactions to launch in the Kingdom.
mada Pay is an Android-based mobile application that enables cardholders to make fast, easy and secure contactless mobile payments at NFC-enabled merchants throughout Saudi and abroad with KSA-issued Visa cards (credit and prepaid). Visa and mada co-badged (debit and prepaid) cards can also be used with mada Pay.
The mada Pay app features built-in security technology enabled by Visa Token Service and mada Tokenization Platform that replaces card data, including the 16-digit card number, with a “token” (a random number), to protect cardholders’ account information. During the transaction, the token is selected (either a mada or Visa token) and submitted into the payment process rather than the actual card information, depending on the type of card and geographical location where the transaction occurs. This means that users of digital applications such as mada Pay are able to pay, safe in the knowledge that they are protected by multiple layers of security.
Ali Bailoun – Visa’s General Manager for Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with mada to launch mada Pay, the first digital application of its kind in Saudi Arabia, a secure and innovative cashless made possible by our joint secure tokenization technologies. This initiative reflects our commitment to supporting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 by leveraging our global capabilities and solutions to help build a secure, seamless and modern payments infrastructure that will facilitate the shift towards cashless commerce.”
Ziad Al Yousef, General Manager of the General Department of Payments Systems – at the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority, said: “Offering consumers a digital application is an important step forward in supporting the government’s efforts to achieve Vision 2030. We are pleased to be partnering with Visa and other international players to deliver such a safe, convenient and interoperable new way to pay.”
Earlier this year, Visa released the results of an independent study conducted by Roubini ThoughtLab and commissioned by Visa, “Cashless Cities: Realizing the Benefits of Digital Payments”, that examined the economic impact of increasing the use of digital payments in major cities around the world.
“Our Cashless Cities study shows that increased usage of digital payments, such as cards and mobile payments, could yield a net benefit of up to SR25.12 billion annually to consumers, businesses, and government in Riyadh. Today’s partnership is a great example of how Visa, the leading digital payments company globally, is well positioned to work with our partners in government – as well as across banks and merchants, in unlocking the financial benefits of moving towards digital payments,” added Bailoun.
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About Visa Inc.
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device, and a driving force behind the dream of a cashless future for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit www.visamiddleeast.com, www.visanewsmena.tumblr.com or follow us on Twitter @Visamiddleeast.
About mada
mada is the national payment scheme in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is intended to deliver the next wave of innovation and excellence in retail payment services across the country and beyond whilst remaining true to our values. Through an advanced payment infrastructure, mada connects its Member Banks to each other And with other payment schemes such as GCCNET, Visa, MasterCard, UPI and American Express to provide mada cardholders with a wider acceptance locally, regionally and internationally.
The mada infrastructure permits all automated teller machines (ATMs) and point of sales (POS) Terminals in the Kingdom to accept mada cards and those issued by international payment schemes.
For further information, please contact:
Sophie McNulty/ Dhanya Issac
ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller
Dubai, UAE
Tel: 971-4-4507600
Email: [email protected] / [email protected]