Citi introduces mobile payments in India through Nokia's N6212 on Vodafone network

Citi has launached Citi Tap and Pay services in Bengaluru, bringing to India next-generation contactless credit card payments.

The two services will allow customers in Bengaluru to use their mobile phone as a credit card. The technology will allow customers to tap their mobile phone on a contactless reader at the point of sale to pay for purchases, eliminating the need for the traditional swiping of credit cards.

The service also does away with the need for customers to send SMS or incur mobile data charges to make these payments.

"Contactless mobile payment services will be a key lifestyle driver for our highly mobile, international and increasingly urban customer base, and we are delighted to be the first to deliver this innovative service to them," said Jeff Semenchuk, EVP and head of growth ventures, Citi Innovation.

Citi says it has established a fully secure, scalable and interoperable mobile payments ecosystem in Bengaluru in collaboration with Nokia, Vodafone, MasterCard and ViVOtech.

The launch of the Citi Tap and Pay pilot service will be one of the world's largest and most comprehensive pilots ever undertaken and is part of Citi's efforts to harness new innovative technologies to provide mobility for customers.