News

Dukhan Bank To Launch Wristband-Based Payment Option

Published

1 week ago

February 18, 2021

Joanna

dukhan bank to launch wristband-based payment option

VISA

Qatar’s leading retail bank, Dukhan Bank, has recently published a press release, announcing the launch of its new payment platform and companion wristbands that make use of NFC technology to facilitate contactless payment.

Called Dukhan Pay (D-Pay), the new platform is intended to meet customer’s growing demand for digital banking products and services. It can also help curb the spread of the novel coronavirus by providing a safer alternative to traditional payment options.

“The Dukhan Bank wristbands are entering the market at a time when there is an increased demand in safe, contactless payment. In addition to being safe, the wearables facilitate fast and easy transactions using blended technology that is both secure and fashionable,” commended Dukhan Bank.

Dukhan Bank

The wristbands are available in three colors (gray, pink, and blue), and they are compatible with any point-of-sale terminal with support for contactless payments, allowing customers to spend up to 1,500 QAR per day without touching the terminal.

“The initiative falls under D-Pay, a key cornerstone in Dukhan Bank’s digital transformation that seeks to absorb the latest technologies and online banking solutions to make banking simple, safe, and convenient for our customers,” the bank added.

Not long ago, Dukhan Bank launched contactless credit and debit cards. Other banks in the region are being similarly digital-forward. For example, the Qatar National Bank partnered with fitness tracker makers Fitbit and Garmin to enable contactless transactions via their smartwatches.

Also Read: Thales Deploys Its Security Solution At Bahrain International Airport

Even before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, major retail chains had been adopting various scan and pay solutions to make shopping faster, safer, and more convenient. Airports are now widely adopting self-check kiosks to increase their capacity and reduce the number of transmission vectors for infectious diseases.

Indeed, the future seems to be contactless, and the technology to enable it is already here. The only question that remains to be answered is how well it will be received by customers.

News

UAE Is Ready To Test New Face ID Technology In Service Delivery

Published

6 days ago

February 22, 2021

Joanna

uae is ready to test new face id technology in service delivery

Shutterstock

It looks like UAE citizens won’t be required to identify themselves using government-issued documents in the near future. The country’s government has decided to greenlight an official trial of a new facial recognition technology (face ID technology) to further develop the services provided by the private and government sectors alike.

The decision was made at a Cabinet meeting on Sunday, which was chaired by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai. “In a meeting today, we have approved a facial recognition technology to verify the identity of individuals instead of submitting a lot of documents,” tweeted His Highness.

If the initial trial turns out successful, the ministry will expand the use of the facial recognition technology and support the launch of a related set of services in some private sector institutions.

Besides being convenient and efficient, citizen identification using face ID technology could also help curb the spread of the novel coronavirus and other infectious diseases. Similar contactless identification solutions are currently being deployed across airports, banks, and private businesses.

The Cabinet also approved the National Standards Manual for Statistical Data to provide a unified framework for the collection, processing, storage, and presentation of statistical data. The goal here is to ensure a high level of quality in all statistical activities, which play an essential role in supporting important governmental decisions.

Also Read: Dubai Police Use Futuristic Technology To Read Murder Suspect’s Mind

The manual covers eight basic topics: economic statistics, social and demographic statistics, education statistics, employment statistics, environment statistics, buildings and housing units statistics, and administrative divisions of each emirate.

It’s also worth mentioning that the Cabinet reviewed a study dealing with the prevention of mental and physical disabilities and reducing the mortality rate among children by performing premarital screenings for genetic diseases. According to the study, premarital genetic tests can reliably predict the risk of developing genetic diseases.