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Jordan's mobile wallet to include cardless ATM access

January 9, 2014

Jordanians might soon be using to their mobile phones to withdraw money from ATMs, pay bills, and make person-to-person or person-to-merchant transfers. The Central Bank of Jordan will allow the country's banks and telcos to launch mobile wallets as part of its Jordan Mobile Payment project in March, according to The Jordan Times.

Consumers will need neither a smartphone nor a bank account to use the service, which will work with standard cellphones. Moreover, they will be able to transfer funds to customers of other telcos, according to Maha Bahou, executive manager of the payment services department at the CBJ.  

Jordanians and foreigners living in the Kingdom will be able to open mobile wallets at any of the country's mobile operators and their agents, as well as at payment processors Middle East Payment Services and Emerging Markets Payments, and at banks, she said.

Jordan has a 155 percent mobile phone penetration rate, while 75 percent of Jordanian adults do not have bank accounts, according to The Jordan Times.

Mobile operators or companies that issue mobile wallets will have to abide by the CBJ's mobile payment regulations, and deposit collateral at the CBJ equivalent to the value of the e-wallets they want to issue.

Future JCB plans include facilitating benefit payments to e-wallets, NFC payments, and international transfers, Bahou said.

Read more about mobile banking.