Himyan Cards in Qatar Now Work With Samsung Wallet

Qatar Central Bank has partnered with Samsung Gulf Electronics to add Himyan, Qatar’s national payment scheme, to Samsung Wallet. Eligible Himyan debit and prepaid cardholders can now tap to pay from a compatible Galaxy phone or smartwatch, leaving the physical card at home.

Himyan is Qatar’s first national payment card brand, designed for digital transactions that are secure, efficient and managed locally. The integration supports the Third Financial Sector Strategy and the Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030.

How the wallet integration works

Cardholders add an eligible Himyan card to Samsung Wallet on a supported Galaxy device, then complete a verification step with the bank that issued the card. Once the card is approved and loaded, device tokenisation through Samsung Knox protects the stored details. Samsung Knox is Samsung’s on-device security platform, and it keeps card data isolated from the rest of the handset. A biometric check or PIN is still required at checkout, in line with the security standard Samsung applies globally to its wallet.

After activation, Himyan cards in Samsung Wallet can be used at contactless point-of-sale terminals throughout Qatar’s retail network. Users no longer need to carry the physical card for those transactions.

What the launch means

Qatar Central Bank Deputy Governor Sheikh Ahmed bin Khalid bin Ahmed Al-Thani said Galaxy users can now take advantage of Himyan’s trusted features in a payment experience that is smoother and more secure.

Fadi Abu Shamat, Vice President and Head of the Mobile Experience Division at Samsung Gulf Electronics, said combining Himyan’s local infrastructure with Samsung Knox gives cardholders a faster and safer alternative to reaching for a physical card.

For Qatar’s banks, this adds a fresh mobile channel to Himyan cardholders who have already moved toward contactless payments. For Samsung Wallet, it adds a domestic payment scheme to an app that already supports international card networks in the country.