Joint Electronic Teller Services (Jetco) has commercially launched mobile NFC services in Hong Kong and Macau using Gemalto's Allynis Trusted Services Hub (TSH).
Jetco is the largest automatic teller machine (ATM) network in the region consisting of 32 member banks.
The Hub provides aggregation service for banks and service providers, delivering secure over-the-air provisioning of payment credentials to their customers' NFC phones. This will allow users to pay for their goods, services, and transport with a simple tap of their smartphones.
Hong Kong, with a population of 7.2 million, has the highest smartphone penetration in Asia Pacific, and a user base that is already familiar with contactless payment.
Gemalto's TSH provides Jetco with a single connection and immediate access to the broadest base of users, allowing it to quickly deploy NFC services across a comprehensive portfolio of smartphones and mobile networks.
"Hong Kong is experiencing major growth in cross border payments, particularly with Mainland China," said Angus Choi, CEO of Jetco Hong Kong.
"Gemalto's TSH provides a one-stop solution that allows our member banks to plug in to the NFC infrastructure and provision services for their large base of customers, seamlessly and securely,” said Choi.
Suzanne Tong-Li, president for Greater China and Korea at Gemalto, said TSH enables Jetco to play the role of a trusted third party, eliminating the need for multiple individual contracts.
"With a strong track record of NFC deployments in Asia, we can empower JETCO to play a leading role in transforming Hong Kong into a fully cashless society,” said Tong-Li.