Initially available for 1,000 customers who registered to experience the speed and convenience of mobile payments. TouchPay will be made available to all RBS and NatWest customers who have Apple iPhones in the near future. Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) provides Trusted Service Manager (TSM) service, data generation for payment applications and fulfilment of iCarte devices.

Interest in participating in the trial program has already been incredibly high, with more than 9,000 RBS customers registering to participate over a period of three days. To use the service, customers simply attach the cover to their Apple iPhone 4 or iPhone 4s and follow the on-screen instructions to download the TouchPay app from the Apple App Store. Once the activation process is complete, users can use their smartphone for transactions of £20 or less at mobile contactless-enabled retail outlets without entering their PIN and can also track their spending through the TouchPay application.

During the activation process, Giesecke & Devrient's TSM service is used to authenticate the end user and for the secure over-the-air (OTA) personalization of the customer details to the iCarte which enable the NFC payment functionality. G&D also undertakes additional data generation on behalf of RBS before the activation process starts and provides fulfillment services for the iCarte packs that are sent to customers.

Ben Green, Head of Mobile at RBS, comments: "TouchPay has proven incredibly popular and shows that our customers want more flexible and convenient ways to pay. The TouchPay service means that our customers need only to carry their smartphone with them to make payments and manage their finances wherever they are. Giesecke & Devrient is a strategic partner of RBS and their knowledge and experience in delivering secure NFC services has been invaluable to ensuring the success of Touchpay."

Michael Kuemmerle, member of the Management Board and Group Executive of Mobile Security at Giesecke & Devrient, said: "As the market for secure mobile financial services develops our innovative TSM solutions enable service providers, such as banks, to introduce NFC services quickly, easily and securely. G&D has a long relationship with RBS and we have been the provider of cards and services to the bank for a number of years. RBS is a UK market leader in providing mobile applications to their customers and G&D are delighted that RBS has chosen to work with us as their trusted partner to deliver the TSM services for Touchpay."