Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Orient Finance Bank and MayaSoft announced the launch of the first commercial solution in Uzbekistan based on Visa Tap to Phone technology - MARTA Terminal.

Visa Tap to Phone technology helps turn an Android smartphone with an NFC module into a POS terminal for accepting contactless payments, without additional equipment.

The Marta Terminal solution is fully certified by Visa according to the Visa Ready program countries. Thus, already today, owners of small and medium-sized businesses in Uzbekistan can start accepting contactless payments using an Android smartphone and MARTA solution. To do this, you need to conclude an acquiring agreement, then download the free MARTA Terminal application in the Play Market and activate it via SMS or email. It is noteworthy that MARTA Terminal provides the ability to make payments anywhere in Uzbekistan where there is mobile coverage, even without an Internet connection.

The launch of the first commercial solution for mobile acquiring through Visa Tap to Phone technology will expand the infrastructure for accepting payments in Uzbekistan by including micro, small and medium-sized businesses in the network that previously did not accept contactless payments for payment, or did not accept them in a limited amount. At the same time, consumers will be able to pay for their purchases safely, quickly and conveniently using contactless cards and smartphones, even where this was not possible before.

For merchants, the use of the technology reduces the burden on cash processing, increases the customer base of the outlet and minimizes the cost of connecting to acquiring services.

“The pandemic has significantly changed the behavior of consumers, who today increasingly prefer to pay without contact. According to a study by Visa, 82% of small and medium-sized business owners have already changed their operations through digital transformation to better meet user expectations. Our task is to help merchants of various formats to digitalize their business in terms of using modern payment methods, expanding the infrastructure for accepting contactless payments, and to provide consumers with the opportunity to pay quickly and securely. It is for this that the company has developed Visa Tap to Phone technology, and together with our partners we are pleased to announce that the solution is now available in Uzbekistan,” Christina Dorosh, vice president, regional manager of Visa in Central Asia and Azerbaijan.

Since its inception, Orient Finance Bank has been paying great attention to the development of non-cash payment systems using bank plastic cards. This allowed us to take strong positions in the banking services market of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as to take part in projects to expand the network for accepting international plastic cards on a national scale. It was a great honor for the bank to receive the title of the largest acquirer of Visa cards in Uzbekistan for 2020. Not stopping at what has been accomplished, the bank, together with partners from MayaSoft, in order to expand the possibilities of customers, is launching a project for contactless card acceptance using Android smartphones and Visa Tap to Phone technology ", - Tuyboyev Sherzod, First Deputy Chairman of the Board of Orient Finance Bank.

“A lot of work has been done to create the MARTA Terminal product, the necessary testing has been passed, and the result is a unique payment solution that enables entrepreneurs to accept payments by bank cards easily and safely, both upon delivery of goods or services, and at points of sale. In the process of passing the certifications, MayaSoft specialists have gained a lot of experience, which will allow the service to be scaled to different segments where it is required to safely make payments with cards, phones, and wearable devices. MayaSoft values partnership with Visa and Orient Finance Bank and is ready to support the development trends of contactless payments based on Visa Tap to Phone technology. We hope that our innovative product under the MARTA Terminal brand will take its rightful place in the payment acceptance infrastructure and serve as an incentive for the development of micro, small and medium-sized businesses in the country,”- Kirill Salakhovich, Business Development Director, MayaSoft.