Lebanon is renowned as a shopping and fashion hub, and the country is fast emerging as one of the region’s leading markets when it comes to introducing innovative cashless payment solutions.

We recently joined hands with MasterCard and ABC Malls to launch the Bank Audi ABC MasterCard Credit Card – a one-of-its-kind payment solution that offers the ground-breaking MasterCard® PayPass™ technology that allows cardholders to Tap & Go™ as they make purchases in the mall.

This is the latest in a range of more than 50 payment solutions that we at Bank Audi have launched with MasterCard to encourage consumers in Lebanon to benefit from the many advantages of electronic payments.

We believe that contactless capabilities are a natural progression in the evolution of the payment process, and we look forward to witness the impact of these solutions towards realizing the vision of a world beyond cash.

In Hall 5, Stand #5G80, we will be demoing solutions from every continent showcasing the powerful role of mobile technology in driving the transformation of digital payments around the globe.

Also, Ed McLaughlin, our Chief Emerging Payments Officer, will be joining executives from Google, Isis, Citi and Turkcell for a panel discussion titled, “Mobile Money: Navigating the Mobile Wallets Landscape” The session, taking place Thursday, February 28^th at 11:30am local time in Hall 4, Auditorium 3, will provide an overview of the mobile wallets landscape and the critical success factors necessary to drive consumer usage.

We’ll be live blogging and tweeting from the conference, so be sure to follow the conversation at @MasterCardNews or via The Cashless Conversations Blog. If you’re unable to attend the conference, but would like further information about our presence – and planned news announcements – please contact Brian Gendron  or @MasterCardBrian. Analysts or members of the media attending MWC who are interested in scheduling a 1:1 interview and/or a booth tour should also contact Brian.

Most importantly – WATCH THIS SPACE! We have additional exciting information to share about our plans for Barcelona, so stay tuned…

While mobile payments are generally still in the early days, there is already mass adoption in a few countries across the globe, in particular the Philippines, Kenya and the US (for accepting payments on smartphones / tablets). Many companies are driving to invent, design and build solutions aimed at providing consumers with a more convenient and more secure payment experience vs. a simple cash transaction. We at MasterCard are partnering with many of these innovators as we look to address the ongoing convergence between the physical and digital worlds made possible by the mobile device.

This convergence is dramatically transforming consumer behavior worldwide; it is radically altering the day-to-day payment experience. In both developed and emerging markets, consumers are changing the way they interact with merchants and with each other via their mobile devices. And these fundamental changes in how consumers interact will also transform how they transact.

So, what’s driving this conversion of physical to digital? It’s driven in large part by the continued adoption of connected devices – from the simplest mobile handsets to PCs, smartphones, tablets and game systems; even cars and appliances like refrigerators are getting connected. And the real opportunity for all of us is the fact that every one of these devices is becoming a commerce device.

At MasterCard, we are leading this transition to digital as we move beyond the simple payment transaction into creating better shopping experiences for consumers, and generating more value and increased sales to merchants.  This is exemplified through our mobile initiatives with partners around the world such as Everything Everywhere, Deutsche Telecom, StarHub and DoCoMo, as well as our PayPass Wallet Services platform which won the “Best of CTIA” Mobile Payment Technology award.

As we head into 2013, I often get asked whether cloud or contactless (NFC)-based technologies will prevail. The key to this is that these are not – and they have never been – mutually exclusive approaches. MasterCard fully endorses NFC as an ideal technology to deliver convenience and value to consumers and merchants for point of sale transactions. However, consumers and merchants want to interact in many ways: sometimes at the point of sale, sometimes on the internet, and now in new ways that are just emerging like “in-aisle” purchases. What is most powerful about the mobile device is its flexibility to be used in so many ways by consumers.

Perhaps most importantly, unlike the approaches we have seen from others, we’ll continue to focus on our partner-centric model to help enhance our partners’ relationships with their customers.

Keep an eye out for us in February at Mobile World Congress where we’ll be showcasing partnerships and solutions from every continent, hosting conversations around the future of commerce, and advancing the dialogue around the powerful role MasterCard is playing in moving towards a world beyond cash.

So stay tuned for what will surely be an amazing 2013. And in the meantime, we wish all of our cardholders, customers and partners a happy, healthy New Year!

As an urban shopping center operator, I’m always on the lookout for smart and innovative solutions that bring added benefits  for everyone, including merchants and consumers. That’s why for the very first time, we installed MasterCard® PayPass™ contactless payment terminals at all the vendor booths at the Roppongi Hills Christmas Market 2012.

The Christmas Market, for six straight years, has been offering shoppers an authentic atmosphere of traditional Christmas markets in Germany. Installing the PayPass readers, has helped to speed up transaction times and ease long check-out lines that are commonplace during the busy Christmas shopping period.

Accepting PayPass cards at our Christmas Market this year has definitely brought greater convenience to both customers and merchants alike. Our customers enjoyed being able to make payments with a simple tap of their card, saving them the much needed time while doing their Christmas shopping, and our merchants were impressed by how this helped quicken the lines at their stalls during the busy Christmas season.

If you shopped at our holiday event, let us know what you thought in the comment section below.

Mori Building Co., Ltd., the operator of the Roppongi Hills luxury retail and entertainment complex, has supported the MasterCard Purchase with Purpose program since 2010. The program provides all MasterCard  cardholders with the opportunity to support children in need through their Christmas shopping or when they dine using their MasterCard cards. Read here to find out more.

As an industry, we have begun to see a substantial shift in online shopping from PCs to smartphones and tablets. Consumers want to shop and pay in whatever way best fits their needs and lifestyles – with a simple tap, click or touch – in-store, online or on a mobile device. At the same time, merchants want to provide the best shopping experience possible – regardless of where, or how, a consumer wants to engage with them.

While this announcement was of a trial of a new MasterCard solution, we are working full-time on the development, innovation and evolution of digital payments technologies. The exciting aspect of these new payment methods is that we can leverage new technology to deliver payment methods that break the previous tradeoffs between convenience and security. In our customers’ eyes, this is the key to successful innovation.

In the weeks and months to come – including our participation at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona – we’ll be showcasing partnerships and solutions from every continent and hosting conversations around the future of commerce, advancing the dialogue around the powerful role of technology (and MasterCard) in moving towards a world beyond cash. So watch this space – and have a safe and happy 2013.