Visa selects Malaysia for first commercial contactless m-payments service

Visa has teamed with Malaysia's Maybank, wireless carrier Maxis and handset manufacturer Nokia to launch its first commercial contactless mobile payments service.

The deal marks the first time customers can purchase an NFC-enabled phone off the shelf and use it to make Visa payWave-enabled transactions at the point-of-sale.

The commercial roll out follows several m-payments pilot programmes Visa has conducted in various parts of the world.

From today Maybank Visa account holders can download their Visa payWave credit account details directly to the Nokia 6212 classic handsets over the Maxis wireless network.

Once the account has been personalised on the phone, users can make purchases at around 1800 merchant outlets that currently accept Visa payWave in Malaysia.

In addition, customers will be able to pay for charges while using metropolitan transit systems, bus terminals, highway toll gates and car park facilities at more than 3000 contactless payment touch points throughout Malaysia.

"We believe that Visa's NFC mobile payment launch in Malaysia signals a tipping point for the payments industry globally as we move from mobile payment pilots to commercial availability," says Elizabeth Buse, global head of product, Visa.

"The launch of Visa's first commercial NFC program in Malaysia is based on Visa's experience gained from undertaking extensive pilot activities around the globe and is something Visa plans to replicate in other places around the world."