ع
The Qatar Central Bank announced the integration of Himyan into Samsung Wallet in line with its Third Financial Sector Strategy and the Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030. Deputy Governor Sheikh Ahmed bin Khalid bin Ahmed Al Thani described the development as a pivotal milestone that establishes Himyan as the leading choice for digital payments in Qatar while demonstrating the regulator’s commitment to secure locally managed solutions. Al Thani said the move advances a sophisticated digital financial ecosystem as part of broader national objectives.
Himyan serves as Qatar’s first national payment card brand, designed to drive adoption of secure, efficient and locally controlled digital transactions across the country. The scheme, which emerged from efforts beginning in 2022 to transform Qatar into a cashless society, supports debit and prepaid cards for use at point-of-sale terminals, ATMs and approved e-commerce sites via the QPAY gateway. Banks including Doha Bank and Ahlibank have issued Himyan cards to promote financial inclusion without requiring minimum balances.
Cardholders can add eligible Himyan debit or prepaid cards to Samsung Wallet by opening the app on a supported Galaxy device, choosing the add card function and completing a verification step with their issuing bank. The integration incorporates Samsung Knox security features such as device tokenization and biometric authentication through fingerprint or PIN to isolate and protect financial data. “By combining Himyan’s trusted local infrastructure with the security of Samsung Knox, we’re giving local cardholders a faster and safer way to pay without ever reaching for a physical card,” Fadi Abu Shamat of Samsung Gulf Electronics said.
Qatar Central Bank figures show the country’s digital payment transactions surged 40 percent year-on-year to QR106.814 billion, equivalent to more than $27.5 billion, in July 2026. Overall transaction volumes across all payment systems increased 23 percent to 72.487 million in the same month, led by growth in account-to-account transfers and instant payment platforms. This expansion reflects wider uptake of digital tools including the Fawran instant transfer service and the Tahweel system.
Himyan cards gained Apple Pay support in 2025, extending secure contactless and online payment options to iPhone and Apple Watch users throughout Qatar. The latest Samsung Wallet integration builds on that foundation by broadening device compatibility within the local banking ecosystem. Such partnerships with global wallet providers align with ongoing regulatory initiatives to diversify payment methods while maintaining high security standards.
The Third Financial Sector Strategy, inaugurated by the Prime Minister in November 2023, rests on four pillars covering banking, insurance, digital finance and capital markets alongside cross-cutting themes of innovation, regulation and investor protection. A Qatar Central Bank assessment found that 153 of the strategy’s 283 projects are led by the regulator, with 111 completed through 2025 as part of efforts to deepen digital transformation and financial inclusion. The Himyan Samsung Wallet integration contributes to these objectives by enhancing accessibility for domestic cardholders.
