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Samsung Electronics’ mobile payment service Samsung Wallet is being used in Qatar. Image generated with generative AI (ChatGPT).

Samsung Electronics’ mobile payment service Samsung Wallet has partnered with Qatar’s national payment network. Following Saudi Arabia, Qatar’s domestic payment system has now also been integrated into the Galaxy ecosystem, expanding Samsung’s links with local financial infrastructure in the Middle East’s digital payments market.

Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported on Aug. 30 local time that the Qatar Central Bank (QCB), in cooperation with Samsung Gulf Electronics, Samsung Electronics’ regional subsidiary, had integrated the country’s national payment system Himyan into Samsung Wallet.

Himyan is Qatar’s first domestically developed national payment card brand. It was introduced to build a secure and efficient digital payment system managed within Qatar without relying solely on international payment networks.

With the integration, users of Himyan debit and prepaid cards can register their cards with Samsung Wallet and make payments using only a Galaxy smartphone or smartwatch. They can use the service at merchants and point-of-sale (POS) terminals supporting contactless payments across Qatar without carrying a physical card.

For Samsung, the move means more than simply adding another card option to Samsung Wallet. By directly linking Qatar’s government-backed local payment infrastructure with Galaxy mobile services, the company has expanded the foundation for local consumers to remain within the Galaxy ecosystem from purchasing a smartphone through to making payments.

Samsung particularly highlighted the combination of the local payment network with its own security technology. Fadi Abu Shamat, Vice President and Head of the Mobile eXperience (MX) Division at Samsung Gulf Electronics, said, “Customers in Qatar expect the same seamless experience from their digital wallets that they enjoy across other parts of the Galaxy ecosystem.”

“By combining Himyan’s trusted local infrastructure with Samsung’s Knox mobile security platform, local cardholders can now make faster and more secure payments without carrying a physical card,” he added.

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A beach in Doha, the capital of Qatar. Image generated with generative AI (ChatGPT).

Samsung Wallet uses device tokenization along with biometric and user authentication features such as fingerprint recognition and PINs. Samsung Knox’s security system, which keeps card and financial information separate from other data on the smartphone, is also applied to local payment services.

Qatar is not the first Middle Eastern country where Samsung Electronics has linked Samsung Wallet to a national payment system. In 2024, the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) introduced Samsung Pay through mada, the country’s national payment network. This allowed users in Saudi Arabia to register mada cards and credit cards with Samsung Wallet.

At the time, the Saudi Central Bank introduced Samsung Pay as part of efforts under Vision 2030 to expand the digital payment ecosystem and promote fintech. Samsung’s mobile payment platform was brought into the process as Saudi Arabia sought to reduce its reliance on cash and shift its national payment infrastructure toward digital services.

As Gulf countries accelerate their transition to digital finance, Samsung Wallet is also expanding its footprint across the Middle East. For Samsung Electronics, integration with local national payment networks offers an opportunity not only to improve convenience for Galaxy users but also to broaden the Galaxy ecosystem from smartphones to payments and security.

With Qatar joining Saudi Arabia in connecting its national payment network to Samsung Wallet, the service is becoming increasingly embedded in the everyday lives of consumers across the Middle East.

                                                                                                            Nam Mi-kyung