Samsung’s own take on mobile payments has taken off and become quite prominent in the three nations it’s been introduced in, being South Korea, China and the United States. More than a few markets are scheduled to launch at some point in 2016, but Samsung has yet to announce which one will be taking that number four spot. In the ranks of the nations scheduled for release during the year lies Brazil, where the 2016 Olympic Games will be taking place. According to Samsung’s VP of Samsung Pay, Elle Kim, Samsung will be rolling out Samsung Pay in Brazil in time for it to feature prominently at the games in Rio.
Samsung’s plan to push the service at the Olympics is bold, but may well work out in their favor. As a sponsor of the Olympic Games, Samsung may find it easier to push their services and agendas than other parties. With most of the world set to be watching the Olympic Games and even watching Brazil closely during the games, Samsung Pay coming to prominence during that time could serve as a signal to the world at large that the service is reliable, can handle mass quantities of users in a small area over a short time and is mature enough to become a daily driver and receive a wider global rollout. A successful push in Brazil could even inspire some places to sign up that would otherwise have remained skeptical of the service’s credibility and usability.
Future plans for Samsung Pay go beyond simple expansion into new territories and support for new banks, according to Kim. She stated that the ability to use Samsung Pay to withdraw cash from ATMs, already available in South Korea, could see a wider rollout. She also made the prediction that being able to pay for parking automatically as you drive into a garage or park in a metered spot may be in the near future for Samsung Pay. She said that pilots were already in the works for things like in-car payments and IoT integration with Samsung Pay, essentially aimed at making your Samsung smartphone the centerpiece of your smart home.