News from the Wire

RBC and Visa Canada to initiate first mobile payment pilot program in Canada

Friday, November 02, 2007 — 11:48:48 (EDT)

Toronto, Nov. 1, 2007 -- RBC and Visa Canada are teaming up to be the first in Canada to pilot a mobile payment service that uses cellphones rather than traditional credit cards for making Visa purchases. This Ontario-based pilot is expected to be completed in 2008, and involve multiple phases including in-lab testing, an RBC staff pilot and a consumer trial.

As part of the pilot, mobile devices will be embedded with Near Field Communication (NFC) contactless chips that will enable users to make purchases using the Visa payWave feature just as they would with a contactless payment card. Designed to be a fast and convenient way for consumers to pay for small purchases, mobile phones can simply be waved at Visa payWave checkout readers. The functions to be tested in the pilot include secure delivery and storage of account information to the mobile device; mobile payments at retailers; storing and redeeming mobile payment coupons; and mobile account management.

"Handheld communication devices are already as indispensable as wallets," said Anne Koski, head, Payments Innovation in RBC's Cards division. "Many of our clients would appreciate the convenience of making purchases through their mobile phones rather than fumbling for cash when trying to get through a busy checkout line. Mobile devices, much like electronic payments, have become a mainstay in people's lives, so combining the two securely makes a lot of sense."

RBC's launch of mobile payments in Canada is closely aligned with the country's migration to chip card technology. RBC is currently participating in the payment industry chip trial taking place in the Kitchener-Waterloo area by issuing chip cards to their clients. Widely used in other parts of the world, chip-embedded credit cards are designed to provide increased protection against counterfeiting and skimming fraud. Similar security features will be incorporated into the mobile device payment technology.

As part of the chip card trial RBC will also provide many clients with the Visa payWave contactless payment feature on their chip card. This allows users to wave their credit card near a Visa payWave reader rather than having to swipe the card or insert it into a chip reader. These transactions do not require a signature or a PIN to complete the purchase.

"RBC was the first Canadian FI to offer a credit card with chip technology nationwide," added Koski. "We were the first to announce our intentions to offer Visa payWave on our cards and we are pleased to be at the forefront of another new technology that has the potential to transform the way consumers make payments. Visa's mobile platform is providing us with the ability to develop new and secure payment solutions to meet the needs of our clients."

"The launch of the Visa platform is the latest demonstration of our mobile vision - to provide the applications and enabling technologies for innovative mobile programs that bring value to financial institutions, mobile operators, merchants and their customers," said Michael Bradley, vice president, Products, Visa Canada. "We're thrilled that RBC is leveraging the Visa mobile platform and today's announcement marks a significant milestone in its development of innovative payment solutions."

RBC is the leading issuer of chip cards in Canada, processing over 11 million chip transactions to date worldwide.

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Source: Company press release.