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Samsung Pay goes online on first-year anniversary in UAE

Dubai - Nation first in the Middle East to be able to use enhanced service

On the first-year anniversary its mobile payment service in the UAE, Samsung has a treat for its users, especially for those who love to buy through the Web: the service is now going online.
The regional unit of the South Korean tech giant on Sunday announced that Samsung Pay can now be used for online transactions, following a successful year in which users were able to make purchases using certain Samsung Galaxy smartphones and Gear smart watches in stores.
The new feature "will enable users to use their mobile wallet for even more transactions moving forward," Mohammad Gharaibeh, head of enterprise of Samsung Gulf Electronics' mobile business, said in a statement.
He added that it would provide "simplified online purchases for users and give them extra peace of mind with the additional security that Samsung Pay provides".
And just as the UAE was the first country in Middle East to have received the Samsung Pay service in late-April last year, it is also the first again to have the online service available in the region, following launches in the United States, Russia and Singapore.

Samsung Pay entered the UAE's e-commerce space via the CCAvenue payment gateway in tandem with Mashreq Bank.
It is also strategically expanding its partnership ecosystem to provide greater flexibility, access and choice for customers.
Samsung's move comes at a point when more consumers in the UAE are increasingly leaning towards using digital methods more as a mode of payment. And though cash is still king, as it is often said, the online payment sector is gaining traction, with service providers ramping up security and educating users on its benefits, most notably the convenience it brings.
"In the UAE, a cashless society is becoming more of a reality, with a growing number of consumers in the country, who today prefer to go out without carrying cash in their wallets," Gharaibeh told Khaleej Times separately.
"The future of digital banking is very exciting and the way in which people bank and conduct transactions is rapidly changing, overall being driven by emerging technologies."
Samsung Gulf, quoting figures from a recent research from Card & Payments Middle East, says that that 77 per cent of GCC residents prefer to opt for alternative options to cash and card payments, should they be available in their country. Government identity cards (12 per cent), banking apps (17 per cent) and mobile payments (9 per cent) were identified as some of the top alternative choices.
Overall, this indicates "a great appetite in the region for technological advancements when it comes to the payments industry, with less reliance on traditional methods", Gharaibeh added.
"Mobility and convenience is a key aspect in the life of many smartphone users that bank, make purchases and socialise online."
- alvin@khaleejtimes.com