Airtel Payments Bank Smartwatch With RuPay Chip Launched in India in Partnership With Noise and NPCI

Airtel Payments Bank introduced a smartwatch with support for National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) technology in collaboration with Noise and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) at the Global Fintech Fest 2024 on Wednesday. The Airtel Payments Bank Smartwatch is equipped with an integrated RuPay chip that enables transactions from the user's wrist. It has been launched as a payments-cum-fitness solution, with health and fitness monitoring features built into the device. This announcement comes a day after the Indian telecommunications firm shut down its Wynk Music streaming service in favour of new bundle packs offering Apple TV+ and Apple Music.

Airtel Payments Bank Smartwatch Features

The Airtel Payments Bank Smartwatch is equipped with an embedded RuPay chip in the dial for direct, on-the-go payments, the company said in a press release. It is also offers NCMC integration, which brings support for tap and pay transactions. Courtesy of this integration, the smartwatch supports payments at merchant locations and on transit systems across the metro, buses, parking facilities and more, in India. Users can choose to toggle contactless payments on/off from the smartwatch.

Additionally, it can also take into account the issuance of transport concessions and monthly passes, where applicable. Users can also make payments at contactless terminals, with a limit of Rs. 5,000 without entering their PIN. Payments made over and beyond the aforementioned limit will require the entering of the PIN code.

The new Airtel Payments Bank Smartwatch is also equipped with traditional health and fitness monitoring features, including blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), body temperature, heart rate and blood pressure measurement. It is also claimed to be capable of tracking 130 sports modes and users can customise it with a selection of over 150 cloud-based watch faces.

The smartwatch also supports Bluetooth calling and comes with IP68 dust and water resistance. Airtel says it sports a TFT LCD screen with 550nits brightness. It also displays notifications, call reminders and messages when connected to the smartphone, similar to other smartwatches. The Airtel Payments Bank smartwatch promises a battery life of up to 10 days on a single charge.

Airtel Payments Bank smartwatch price in India has not been announced although the company says it will soon be available for purchase through both online and retail platforms of the bank.