SwatchPAY! is launching in Ukraine with Mastercard

July 15, 2021 | By Alexandra Gontar
Contactless payments with Swatch watches are now available in Ukraine to Mastercard cardholders. Three Ukrainian banks – Bank Vostok, Oschadbank and PrivatBank – are among the first to enable SwatchPAY!

Kyiv, 15 July 2021. – Today, Mastercard and the Swiss watch brand, Swatch, are launching a new contactless payment service in Ukraine – SwatchPAY! From now on, owners of SwatchPAY! Watches will be able to pay with their watches wherever there is a contactless payment terminal: at stores, cafes, public transport, etc. Contactless payments with SwatchPAY! are now available to the holders of Mastercard cards issued by Bank Vostok, Oschadbank and PrivatBank.

SwatchPAY! uses an NFC chip hidden underneath the watch dial. To make a payment customer just needs to place the watch next to the contactless payment terminal. The SwatchPAY! Watch is water-resistant to a depth of 30 meters, and unlike any smartphone, doesn’t require batteries to make payments, which makes it even more flexible and durable payment tool.  

“Never has contactless payment been this popular! We are all the more excited to launch SwatchPAY! in Ukraine together with our strong partners from Mastercard, Bank Vostok, Oschadbank, and PrivatBank,” says Bernardo Tribolet, Vice President Marketing at Swatch International. “Setting up your SwatchPAY! is simple, fast and does not come at any extra costs. To use SwatchPAY!, there is no need to separately activate the payment function or keep the watch within the range of the connected smartphone, which makes contactless payment safe and convenient.”

How to enable payments with SwatchPAY!?

  1. Install the SwatchPAY! mobile app on your smartphone (available for iOS and Android);
  2. Enter your payment card details by scanning the card with your smartphone or manually;
  3. Activate the watch with SwatchPAY! Box in the official store or you may do it yourself using Android smartphone with NFC;
  4. Pay contactless for your purchases with the SwatchРAY! Watch and easily manage your payments from the mobile app.

Today, 13 models featuring SwatchPAY! that enable contactless payments are available in Ukraine. For the list of models, visit the official Swatch website . To buy a SwatchPAY! Watch visit official stores - swatch.ua website or designated partner stores ZIFFERBLATT.

Almost 40% of all Mastercard card transactions in Ukraine at offline retail stores are made with NFC-enabled smartphones and devices today. Payments with wearable devices like watches and wristbands are gaining popularity particularly fast: Ukraine is already on the top-3 list of Europe’s leading countries by the number of such payments. We are convinced that the SwatchPAY! Watch will become a popular accessory and payment device among Ukrainians. It does not require additional charging, it is always on your wrist, and payments are made in the quickest, easiest and, more importantly, safest way due to the Mastercard digital platform”, says Yuriy Batkhin, Vice President for Business Development, Mastercard Ukraine and Moldova.

SwatchPAY! is powered by the Mastercard global digital tokenization platform that replaces the card number with a unique 16-digit combination – a token. At the moment of purchase tokens replace actual card details thus ensuring maximum security of a payment transaction.

Alexandra Gontar, Director Communications Ukraine, Mastercard

About Swatch

Swatch - is an iconic provocative timepiece that saved the Swiss watch industry, thanks to its visionary founder Nicolas Hayek. Colorful, happy, loud, shrill and forever re-interpreted in different ways. Swiss Made and, thanks to industrial production and only 51 parts, available at a democratic price. Since the “second watch” was born in March 1983, in a very short space of time Swatch has become one of the most famous brands in the world – and all the while remaining true to itself. On average, a new Swatch design is created once every one-and-a-half days, keeping time as part of a monthly release or as a Special Collection.

Known for revolutionary concepts, creative models and the pleasure it takes in provocation, Swatch loves to keep on surprising its audience. Swatch watches are a popular canvas for artists working in a great range of styles, and arguably the world’s largest art gallery on the wrist. The Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai offers (artistic) freedom for artists-in-residence from all over the world. But be careful – Swatch is addictive: Swatch Club numbers several hundred thousand members.

About Mastercard (NYSE: MA)

Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re building a sustainable economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.

www.mastercard.com