FinTech PayBy partners with LuLu, to provide contactless and secure payment solutions
Fintech startup PayBy is partnering with the Middle East’s leading retail conglomerate, the LuLu Group, as it embarks on an ambitious digitalization programme. Following a successful pilot project in Abu Dhabi, PayBy’s revolutionary contactless payment solutions are now operational across more than 60 LuLu hypermarkets and stores in the UAE.
To prevent the spread of coronavirus through currency or cards, the UAE Central Bank in March urged the use of contactless payment methods. In response to growing consumer demand, PayBy’s QR Code-based contactless solutions are supporting UAE retail businesses as they transition to recovery in the wake of COVID-19.
When shopping in LuLu stores and hypermarkets, customers simply present the QR code in the PayBy app, let the cashier scan it, and wait for the payment confirmation. After entering their PIN, TouchID, or Face ID on their device, they can check the payment confirmation – the quick, contactless transaction is thus completed.
V. Nandakumar, Director, Marketing and Communications, LuLu Group, commented: “The LuLu Group is entering an ambitious phase of accelerated digital transformation and will rely on partnerships with innovative payment solutions such as PayBy that can be easily and swiftly integrated with existing payment infrastructure. Moving away from cash-based transactions offers greater safety, convenience, and efficiency for consumers and businesses, and supports the UAE government as it strives towards increased financial inclusion in the economy.”
PayBy supports retailers looking to grow revenue through contactless payments without capital-intensive infrastructure upgrades. Their point of sale (PoS) solutions can be adopted by a range of businesses – hypermarkets, taxis, baqala stores, restaurants, beauty salons, and malls. The PoS solutions can be installed without any setup or monthly fees, and with lower transaction fees than existing solutions.
Financial transactions on PayBy are well protected by leading and proven technologies. The QR code generated by PayBy is based on tokenization – widely acknowledged as a more secure payment method as it is processed without exposing sensitive payment information.
PayBy is integrated into popular instant messaging platforms such as BOTIM and ToTok. It can be used for payments at different merchants, to pay for deliveries on arrival, order goods and services online, transfer and receive money instantly, and even share cash gifts with family and friends.
2019 has seen $516M invested in GCC-based startups, a 22% drop in total funding from $661M in 2018, mainly concentrated in the UAE. Discover more trends and insights in our 2019 GCC Venture Investment Report.