NETS Partners Gemalto Middle East To Implement Oman’s National e-Purse Solution
(NewDesignWorld Press Release Center) -- Singapore, Monday, 18 May 2009 – Singapore’s leading electronic payments provider, NETS is pleased to announce its partnership with Gemalto Middle East to implement the first national ePurse solution with the Omani government in two phases beginning 27 July 2009.
The main aim of the ePurse solution is to allow both citizens and residents to store and load money in their National Identity and Resident Cards and use them as a mode of payment besides credit and debit cards. This not only helps government departments to collect payment for their services but also allows citizens and residents, who do not carry a debit or credit card, to transact electronically.
During the first phase, it will be mandatory for citizens and residents to use the cards to pay for transactions such as fines with the Royal Oman Police. This solution will be rolled out extensively in 2010 with all banks in Oman participating in the ePurse initiative. At the same time, government agencies and retailers will be able to collect payment via the card.
Chairman of Astute and CEO of NETS, Poh Mui Hoon remarked, “The Omani government together with Gemalto Middle East were looking for a partner who was able to offer payment expertise that is trusted, secure and reliable. After almost three years of negotiations and persistent follow-ups, they were also convinced that our technology and software could be re-configured after Phase One, for proliferation to the rest of the banks and government agencies in Oman.”
For its commercial launch, the e-Purse team evaluated a few available options for the implementation of the project before awarding the contract to Gemalto Middle East and Astute Technology, a subsidiary of NETS.
Vice President for Government Programs in Middle East, Pierre Servettaz, remarked, “The first phase of the project will be actively steered and implemented by BankMuscat, which acts as an issuer of the ePurse. It is also an acquirer of transactions and an operator of the system Phase Two, which will see ITA hosting the ePurse system in-house and proliferating the application to all the banks in Oman.”
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About NETS
NETS was founded in 1985 to operate and manage an on-line debit payment service pioneering Singapore’s shift to a cashless society. It has since grown to a multi–service organisation, providing a comprehensive range of electronic payment services.
Based in Singapore, NETS is relentlessly developing new payment solutions as it aims to be the preferred world-class solutions provider for payment and processing services, accepting multi-media and multi-channel transactions on behalf of companies, institutions and individuals worldwide. With a growing range of payment services that works seamlessly across mobile, wireless and physical arenas, NETS is poised to become the integrated payment gateway for Asia.
Find more information on NETS and its payment services at http://www.nets.com.sg.
Network for Electronic Transfers (Singapore) Pte Ltd
Joyce See
Vice President
PR & Corporate Communications
DID : +65 6374 0535
E-mail: joycesee@nets.com.sg
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