Visa has struck a global deal with Samsung which will see the mobile phone giant pre-load the contactless payWave applet onto its mobile devices featuring NFC technology.
The arrangement - unveiled at Mobile World Congress - means that, off the shelf, selected next-generation Samsung devices are ready to be personalised with Visa payment account information.
Banks will be able to load this information over-the-air to secure chips embedded in the handsets using Visa's Mobile Provisioning Service, which is linked to the Samsung Key Management System.
This means customers can then add contactless payments functionality to their device through an application provided by the bank.
Mariano Dima, EVP, Visa Europe, says: "A Samsung device equipped with the Visa contactless payment service is a powerful proposition and will allow us to make mobile payments a reality for people around the world."
Won-Pyo Hong, president, head of media solution centre, Samsung Electronics, adds: "We believe that we have a strong value proposition for financial institutions that will ultimately allow consumer choice in NFC payments."
Meanwhile, Visa has also signed an agreement with mobile commerce provider Roam designed to enable merchants to accept electronic payments using mobile technology.
Under the deal, Ingenico subsidiary Roam will participate in the Visa Ready Partner Program and has agreed to bundle its mobile point-of-sale hardware peripherals with Visa's acceptance technology.
Jim McCarthy, global head, product, Visa, says: "Visa, through its mPOS partner program, is committed to accelerating the use of mobile technology to enable merchants worldwide to accept Visa payments. Our agreement with Roam will help us reach that goal globally."