Airtel Payments Bank launched a National Common Mobility Card (NCMC)-enabled smartwatch in partnership with Noise and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) at the Global Fintech Fest 2024 on Wednesday. The Airtel Payments Bank smartwatch comes with an integrated RuPay chip that enables transactions from the user’s wrist. It has been launched as a payments and fitness solution, with health and fitness tracking features built into the device. The announcement comes a day after the Indian telecom firm shut down its Wynk Music streaming service in favour of new bundles offering Apple TV+ and Apple Music.
Airtel Payments Bank Smartwatch Features
The Airtel Payments Bank Smartwatch comes with an embedded RuPay chip in the dial for direct payments on the go, the company said in a press release. It also offers integration with NCMC that provides support for tap-and-pay transactions. With this integration, the smartwatch supports payments at points of sale and in public transport systems in metros, buses, parking lots and other places across India. Users can enable or disable contactless payments using the smartwatch.
Additionally, it may also include the issuance of transport concessions and monthly passes, if applicable. Users can also make payments at contactless terminals, with a limit of Rs 5,000 without entering a PIN. Payments made beyond the above limit will require entering a PIN.
The new Airtel Payments Bank Smartwatch also comes with traditional health and fitness tracking features, including measuring blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. It is also claimed to be able to track 130 sports modes, and users can customize it by choosing from over 150 cloud-based watch faces.
The smartwatch also supports Bluetooth connectivity and is IP68 dust and water resistant. Airtel claims that it has a 550 nits TFT LCD screen. It also displays notifications, call reminders, and messages when connected to a smartphone, just like other smartwatches. The Airtel Payments Bank smartwatch promises a battery life of up to 10 days on a single charge.
The price of the Airtel Payments Bank smartwatch in India has not been announced yet, though the company says it will soon be available for purchase through both the bank’s online and retail platforms.
