Doha, August 30 (QNA) - In line with the Third Financial Sector Strategy and the Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030, Qatar Central Bank announced on Sunday its collaboration with Samsung Gulf Electronics to integrate Himyan, Qatar's national payment scheme, into Samsung Wallet, enabling eligible cardholders to make fast, secure and contactless payments directly from their compatible Galaxy smartphones and smartwatches.

The Himyan scheme is Qatar's first national payment card brand designed to drive the adoption of secure, efficient, and locally managed digital transactions.

By bringing Himyan to Samsung Wallet, users can now tap into the full convenience of mobile payments by adding eligible debit and prepaid bank cards. This eliminates the need to carry physical cards while allowing consumers to execute swift contactless transactions at point-of-sale (POS) terminals and retail environments across the country.

HE Deputy Governor of the Qatar Central Bank, Sheikh Ahmed bin Khalid bin Ahmed Al Thani, stated, “The integration of Himyan into Samsung Wallet marks a pivotal milestone in establishing Himyan as the leading digital payment option in the State of Qatar. It also represents a tangible demonstration of the Qatar Central Bank's commitment to delivering secure, locally managed payment solutions, in line with our vision of building an advanced and inclusive digital financial ecosystem. At the Qatar Central Bank, we prioritize investment in technologies that create tangible value and strengthen the efficiency of the national financial infrastructure, recognizing this as a strategic pillar for advancing digital transformation across the financial sector."

"Through this integration, Galaxy users can now directly benefit from the trusted features and capabilities offered by Himyan through a more seamless and secure payment experience. This reflects QCB’s ongoing commitment to advancing digital payments, expanding access to secure, seamless, and convenient financial services, and supporting the development of a robust and inclusive digital payments ecosystem in the State of Qatar," he continued.

"At Samsung, we place a major focus on delivering innovations that make everyday life simpler and more secure,” said Vice President and Head of the Mobile Experience Division at Samsung Gulf Electronics, Fadi Abu Shamat. “Customers in Qatar expect the same seamless experience from their digital wallet that they get everywhere else in their Galaxy ecosystem, and Himyan's integration into Samsung Wallet delivers that. By combining Himyan's trusted local infrastructure with the security of Samsung Knox, we're giving local cardholders a faster and safer way to pay without ever reaching for a physical card.”

The addition of Himyan significantly enhances the Samsung Wallet experience by expanding compatibility with Qatar's local banking ecosystem and increasing accessibility for domestic cardholders. The integration also introduces advanced security features backed by the same standards used across Samsung's global wallet ecosystem, such as device tokenization via Samsung Knox and biometric authentication (fingerprint or PIN verification), to keep user financial data completely isolated and secure.

To add a Himyan card to Samsung Wallet, users simply open the Samsung Wallet app on a compatible Galaxy device, select Add Card, and complete a quick verification process through their card-issuing bank. (QNA)