Qatar Central Bank partners with Samsung Gulf Electronics to bring Himyan, the country’s national payment scheme into Samsung Wallet.

Eligible Himyan debit and prepaid cardholders can now tap to pay from a compatible Galaxy phone or smartwatch, without carrying a physical card.

Himyan is Qatar’s first national payment card brand, built to support secure, efficient and locally managed digital transactions.

The integration forms part of the Third Financial Sector Strategy and the Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030.

Cardholders can add an eligible Himyan card to Samsung Wallet on a supported Galaxy device and complete a verification step with their card-issuing bank.

Once loaded, the card is protected by device tokenisation through Samsung Knox (Samsung’s on-device security platform that keeps card data isolated from the handset) along with a biometric or PIN check at checkout, the same standard Samsung applies across its wallet globally.

From there, cardholders can pay at contactless point-of-sale terminals across Qatar’s retail network.

“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,”

said H.E. Sheikh Ahmed bin Khalid bin Ahmed Al Thani, Deputy Governor of the Qatar Central Bank.

 “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,”

said Fadi Abu Shamat, Vice President and Head of the Mobile Experience Division a Samsung Gulf Electronics.

For Qatar’s banks, the integration adds a mobile channel to reach Himyan cardholders who have shifted toward contactless payments.

It also gives Samsung Wallet another domestic payment scheme alongside the international card networks it already supports in the country.

Featured image: Edited by Fintech News UAE, based on image by 3DdarkZone via Magnific