Absa Bank Kenya & VISA Launch Contactless Payment

Absa Bank Kenya has partnered with Visa to introduce, Absa Mobi Tap Solution, a contactless payment feature that enables small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to accept card-based payments from customers’ Android smartphones.

The contactless transactions are powered by near-field communication (NFC) technology which facilitates communication between the merchant’s device and the customer’s contactless payment card.

Some of the most significant advantages of contactless payment are allowing for quicker transactions and shorter queues at the checkout. It offers customers a convenient, reliable, and secure way to make payments.

To make use of the Absa Mobi Tap solution, merchants simply need to first download the app from the Play Store onto their NCF-enabled Android smartphones. Once installed, they can proceed to create a profile within the app. Once these initial setup steps are completed, merchants are all set to start accepting card payments.

To process a payment, the merchant enters the transaction amount into the app. Then, the customer can conveniently tap their contactless card on the back of the smartphone. If required, the customer also has the option to enter their PIN to complete the purchase.

“As a digitally-led bank, we are excited to introduce another first-to-market solution that provides merchants with an innovative and cost-effective solution for their day-to-day business,” Elizabeth Wasunna, Absa Bank Business Banking Director said, adding, “The new solution will enable businesses to accept contactless payments in a faster, easier, and more secure manner, facilitating the adoption of a cashless society for the benefit of all,”

Eva Ngigi-Sarwari, Visa Kenya’s Country Manager said, “Along with the ability to accept more payments more easily and grow revenue, Mobi Tap will help increase financial inclusivity by providing under or unbanked SMEs greater access to digital payments. Being a mobile-first country, the solution allows sellers to take advantage of the technology they already have – mobile phones, which are widely owned throughout the country.”

Absa Mobi Tap follows the recent rollout of Tap to Pay Services by KCB for its customers. KCB partnered with VISA and Thales to enable its customers with Android handsets and Garmin wearables to make contactless payment transactions.

To access the service, KCB customers are expected to first digitize their KCB Visa card as a once-off set-up by following instructions in their banking app. Once the card credentials are provisioned to a mobile device, a cardholder can tap to pay simply by opening their banking app, selecting NFC payments, tapping their phone at the point of sale and entering their PIN to complete the transaction.