SEAMLESS MOBILE PAYMENT APP SEQR, LIVE WITH GarantiBank IN ROMANIA TODAY
SEQR is making its first international market entry when the mobile payment application goes live in Bucharest today. SEQR is developed by Seamless, one of the world’s largest supplier of payment solutions and has been rolled out on a large scale in Sweden since 2012. Together with GarantiBank, the app is made available to its customers, who now have access to the most complete mobile payment solution available on the market. More than 200 stores are already signed and Subway Upground, the Bata and For Family networks, Bierhaus 67 and AVE Hotels in Bucharest are among the merchants that are live at the launch. SEQR will also be implemented nationwide in the Nike, Collective, Folli Follie, Converse, KIX, Calvin Klein Jeans, Star Place and Arsis networks, as well as Tabiet teahouse and Antipa coffee shop.
- We are very excited about the launch in Romania together with GarantiBank, which marks a big milestone for SEQR. We have a unique offer to merchants through the significant decrease in interchange fees independent from existing payment card infrastructures. This, together with an easy to use app, is an attractive mobile payment solution for merchants all over the world. SEQR is today the most used mobile payment solution in stores and online in Sweden and Europe and this is the first step in a large international expansion, says Peter Fredell, CEO of Seamless, the company that provides SEQR.
SEQR enables anybody with a smartphone to pay in stores, at restaurants, parking lots and online, transfer money at no charge, store receipts digitally and receive offers and promotions directly through one mobile app. Users simply scan or tap (using NFC technology) a QR-code at check-out using the SEQR-app and approve the purchase by entering a PIN code. Fast, smooth and safe, SEQR’s payment solution enables merchants to lower interchange fees significantly compared to those charged by traditional card companies.
- SEQR is a mobile payment solution that is unique in its kind on the Romanian market and has already been proven successful abroad. Seamless is a world expert in mobile payment solutions and GarantiBank is constantly innovating for the benefit of its customers. Therefore, it is natural to have a partnership in which all parties including customers, merchants, Seamless and GarantiBank, win,” stated Fatih Arpas, Director of Alternative Delivery Channels & IT, GarantiBank.
Downloaded for free from iOS AppStore or Google Play, the application connects the user’s current GarantiBank account to the retailers’ cash register or online system via a QR code. GarantiBank is the first financial institution to make SEQR available in Romania.
GarantiBank has 300.000 retail customers nationwide in Romania and is a universal bank owned by Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. (TGB), the most profitable and the second largest private bank in Turkey, in terms of assets.
In October, Seamless was shortlisted in the categories Best Mobile Money Deployment in Europe and Best NFC Deployment in the Mobile Money and Digital Payments Global Awards 2013 in Dubai. In addition, SEQR is nominated as the “Mobile Payment of the Year” for the Swedish Mobile Gala. The winners are announced in November. SEQR is rolled out in Sweden on a large scale and offered nationwide in the country’s largest grocery chains, fast food chains and national retailer chains including McDonalds, Hemköp and Ur&Penn.
For more information, please contact:
Cecilia Lago Albright, PR & Project Manager Marketing, Seamless Distribution AB (SEQR), +46 707 43 13 45, cecilia.albright@seamless.se
ABOUT SEQR, by Seamless
SEQR (se·cure) is Sweden’s and Europe’s most used mobile wallet in stores and online. SEQR enables anybody with a smartphone to pay in stores, at restaurants, parking lots and online, transfer money at no charge, store receipts digitally and receive offers and promotions directly through one mobile app. Through the SEQR app, the user simply scans or taps a QR-code at check-out and approves the purchase by entering a PIN code. Fast, smooth and safe, SEQR’s payment solution enables merchants to lower interchange fees significantly compared to those charged by traditional card companies. SEQR’s unique transaction platform has been developed by Seamless, one of the world’s largest suppliers of payment systems for mobile phones. Founded in 2001 and active in 30 countries, Seamless handles more than 3,1 billion transactions annually through 525 000 active sales outlets. SEQR is available at Sweden’s largest grocery chains, fast food chains and national retailer chains including McDonald’s, Hemköp and Ur&Penn. In 2013 SEQR was launched in Romania together with GarantiBank. Seamless is traded on Nasdaq OMX Stockholm, under the SEAM ticker.
About GarantiBank Romania
GarantiBank Romania is part of the financial banking Group Garanti Romania, which reunites Garanti Leasing (the brand under which Motoractive IFN SA operates), Garanti Credite de Consum (the brand under which Ralfi IFN SA operates) and Garanti Credite Ipotecare (the brand under which Domenia Credit IFN SA operates). GarantiBank is a universal bank owned by Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. (TGB), the most profitable and the second largest private bank in Turkey, in terms of assets. Turkiye Garanti Bankasi is among the strongest banks in the world, according to the ranking established in May 2013 by Bloomberg, one of the most prestigious worldwide business and economic news agency. The bank offers a series of quality products and services for all business segments: retail, SME and corporate, and it is one of the most dynamic and innovative banks on the local market. Present in Romania since 1998, GarantiBank developed a solid clients portfolio and extended its national presence through agencies and alternative channels, reaching an extended network of over 260 intelligent ATMs that can be utilized by anyone, not only the bank’s clients, for transactions with or without card. Garanti Bank was awarded in July 2013 by the international prestigious magazine Global Finance for "Best Consumer Internet Bank in Romania" and "Best in Social Media in CEE Region". The two awards were given within the "World's Best Internet Banks Competition 2013". www.garantibank.ro
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