Google has included South Africa amongst the countries with access to its payment gateway, Google wallet. Some other countries Google newly granted access include Moldova, Qatar, Serbia, Azerbaijan, and Iceland.
Driving the news
Google wallet is a service that allows users to store information about their credit or debit cards, loyalty cards, boarding passes, and much more in their assigned wallets. The users can also retrieve the information stored fast and conveniently.
What’s more?
Users with assigned wallets (and their debit or credit card information stored in the wallet) can make payments for purchased items by simply tapping their phone against a point-of-sale system at the checkout point.
- The supported banks for this service in South Africa include FirstRand Bank, Discovery Bank, Investec, Standard Bank, ABSA, and Nedbank. And this service is available on android and Wear OS devices.
Why this matters
Google is attempting to replace the use of physical wallets through digitized service. And as the adoption of mobile technology in Africa increases, so will the possibilities.
What they are saying
Alistair Mokoena, country director for Google South Africa at the launch of the service, stated millions of people already use mobile phones to carry out payments at stores, bus stations, etc. and this is good for economic development. Speaking on plans for the Google wallet, the director said “we want to make digital wallets available to everyone by including everyone – a dynamic ecosystem of producers, developers, and users – through rapid, secure access to their daily necessities.”