Consumers shopping across the island can look forward to faster check-out times at the cashier with NCB’s new digital payment app, NCB Pay. The bank has so far partnered with Fontana to utilise the mobile application. “Contactless transactions are 63 per cent faster than paying with cash, and up to 53 per cent faster than swiping or inserting a payment card into a POS terminal,” shared Danielle Cameron Duncan, General Manager of NCB’s Payments and Digital Channels division. “Consumers want the speed and ease of using modern, world-class payment solutions wherever they go, and they want payment options that can keep pace with their lives.” Similar to other popular digital payment applications, NCB Pay allows users to link their physical payment cards to a digital wallet on their smartphone. Users can then make payments at compatible Point of Sale (POS) terminals or near-field communication (NFC) enabled payment devices using only their NCB Pay App. Cameron Duncan also pointed out that there has been a significant increase in contactless transactions over the past two years, as more consumers opt for payments which do not require them to swipe, enter a personal identification number (PIN) or sign to authorise transactions. “The pandemic has changed how consumers shop and pay, and their appetite for convenient and secure purchase options has increased,” Cameron Duncan said.