As wearable payment solutions gain popularity in the UAE, Emirates NBD today announced its support of Fitbit Pay and Garmin Pay, making it the first bank in the Middle East to offer this service.

Emirates NBD, a front-runner in banking and payments technology, has taken the lead in supporting new, easy and accessible ways to pay. Fitbit Pay and Garmin Pay are designed for people on the go, enabling them to make quick and secure payments via their Fitbit and Garmin wearables respectively, wherever contactless payments are accepted.

To make purchases, customers will need to add their Emirates NBD Credit or Debit Card details to Fitbit Pay and Garmin Pay.

Commenting on the announcement, Suvo Sarkar, Senior Executive Vice President, Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management, Emirates NBD said: “Emirates NBD is committed to providing customers with products that offer a seamless user experience and easy, enhanced access. Our partnership with Fitbit and Garmin reinforces our commitment to creating frictionless payment experiences for our customers with an active lifestyle, as we continue to lead banking innovation and digitisation in the region.”

Contactless payment solutions like Fitbit Pay and Garmin Pay use near field communication (NFC) technology to transmit card information, which replaces the need to authenticate via chip and pin. Users can load their credit or debit card information directly to their Fitbit Pay and Garmin Pay wallets, allowing them to pay in an easy and convenient manner while on the move.

Girish Nanda, General Manager, UAE & Oman, Mastercard, said: “The launch of Fitbit Pay and Garmin Pay in the UAE is set to provide another significant boost to our vision of a world beyond cash. Backed by Mastercard’s advanced security features, these innovative wearable solutions offer consumers fast, simple, and safe ways to pay, and set new benchmarks in the contactless domain by bringing payments to a consumer’s wrist. Mastercard’s advanced tokenization solution replaces cardholder’s primary account number with an alternate card number or token that is used by the payment device and merchant, thereby reducing the possibility of frauds. As a leading technology provider, we remain at the forefront of developing a robust digital payments ecosystem that will further boost soaring consumer confidence in cashless transactions across the region.”

Shahebaz Khan, Visa’s Group Country Manager for UAE, said: “Mobile and digital payments continue to transform our business, and Visa is continuously working to deliver new and innovative form factors to our partners. Garmin Pay and Fitbit Pay use Visa Token Service and offer cardholders enhanced options for contactless payments through wearables, enabling their active lifestyle while offering a secure way to pay. Visa is pleased to work with Emirates NBD as the first banking partner in the Middle East to introduce Garmin Pay and Fitbit Pay.”

Vincent Lamoureux, Director New Markets, Fitbit commented: “We are always looking for new and exciting experiences for our users to make their everyday lives easier, and we are delighted to bring for the first time the contactless payments solution to our UAE customers. Fitbit Pay helps Fitbit expand our reach around the world to drive engaging experiences with existing customers and attract new ones by making it easy for users to make purchases at stores where contactless payments are accepted.”

Tim Spurling, General Manager for the Middle East & Africa, Garmin said: “Anyone who is out and about being active can relate to the struggle of where to stash a credit card or cash and has had to forgo a post-workout snack or coffee as a result. We’re solving that dilemma with Garmin Pay. Garmin is very excited to be launching Garmin Pay with Emirates NBD, one of the premier banking institutions in the GCC. We look forward to an ongoing collaborative relationship to help improve Garmin and Emirates NBD customers’ payment experience.”