Samsung Pay launch date announced for Singapore

Just a day after Apple announced that its Apple Pay mobile payment service would be available in Singapore, Samsung is getting more specific on when it will officially launch Samsung Pay there this year.

While it was no surprise that the company had plans to launch the service in Singapore, it has remained vague on timing. However, on Wednesday, the South Korean company announced that Samsung Pay would be available as early as the second quarter of 2016. Customers have already been using Samsung Pay in Singapore on buses and trains since the end of March, but a full rollout would allow its usage with American Express, MasterCard and Visa, as well as OCBC Bank, Standard Chartered and DBS/POSB. Apply Pay is currently only available for American Express card holders in Singapore.

Singapore represents the first country in Southeast Asia to see roll-outs of the mobile payment services. It is already available in South Korea, China and the US.