Byblos Bank launched ByblosPay, the first mobile payment application in Lebanon to use the Host Card Emulation (HCE) technology. This application was made possible thanks to a unique cooperation between Byblos Bank, Visa, CSC Bank, which specializes in electronic payments, and FOO a mobile app development lab based in Beirut.

ByblosPay was launched during a ceremony held at Byblos Bank Headquarters in Ashrafieh, in the presence of Joumana Bassil Chelala, Joumana Bassil Chelala, Deputy General Manager and Head of Consumer Banking and Distribution Channels Division at Byblos Bank Group, Hadi Raad, Head of Emerging Products and Innovation for CEMEA Region at Visa, and a host of concerned persons.

With the launch of ByblosPay, Byblos Bank becomes the first bank in Lebanon and the region extending from Jordan and Iraq to Saudi Arabi and Kuwait and from Egypt to Morocco, to adopt the HCE technology, which constitutes the future of electronic payment. This innovative application allows users to pay in Lebanon or abroad using their Android Smartphones without the need for cash money, or sticky cards, or modified SIM cards or any other devices.

In his speech for the occasion, Elie Abou Khalil, Head of Group Retail Products at Byblos Bank said: “Byblos Bank has always been a pioneer in adopting the latest electronic innovations. ByblosPay will be a unique experience for our clients and a revolution in payment methods for Lebanon and the region.” He added: “We’ve been working for several years with our partners to launch the most advanced and lasting technologies, which allow Smartphones to be used as payment devices.”

 For his part, Hadi Raad said: “We are very excited to work with Byblos Bank to make contactless mobile payment a reality for their customers. Consumers are ready for the next wave of digital payments with growing interest in using their Smartphone to make payments. Visa Token Services is helping to accelerate the move to mobile, by bringing the added benefit of a new layer of security - without any additional friction - and also providing a secure foundation for previously unimagined ways to pay.”

Currently available on the Google Play Store, ByblosPay is an easy-to-use mobile application allowing users to scan their Byblos Bank Visa Credit Cards securely so that their Smartphones can be used seamlessly for payments at any merchants that are equipped with NFC contactless payment devices.  

ByblosPay is one of Byblos Bank’s many innovative mobile applications, which include Byblos Bank’s Mobile Banking Application, the first application to allow users to self-enroll and get complete control over their accounts; AkramApp, which is dedicated to the Bank’s flagship card loyalty program Akram Program; and Asra3App a first-of-its-kind application created exclusively for car dealers, and which was awarded by the European Financial Management Association (EFMA).