EZ-Link ventures into a new era of payment wearables with Garmin and Watchdata Technologies

Stylish payment X fitness smart devices enhance contactless payment experience and encourage active lifestyle

SINGAPORE, 19 January 2017 – EZ-Link Pte Ltd, Singapore’s largest issuer of CEPAS-compliant cards, today announced the launch of EZ-Link Wearables, a new product line featuring smart, stylish wearables offering ez-link payment functions and a new array of lifestyle options.

Focusing on fitness for a start, EZ-Link unveiled the Batman v Superman Fitness Tracker X EZ-Link in collaboration with Watchdata Technologies and the Garmin vívosmart HR with EZ-Link smartwatch in partnership with Garmin Ltd. Both devices carry the ez-link CEPAS purse for fast, convenient and reliable contactless payments on public transit and at more than 30,000 ez-link acceptance points island-wide. They are also smart health and fitness devices that monitor and record daily activities to support a healthy lifestyle.

“Our vision for EZ-Link Wearables is to give our users new possibilities and freedom, by blending an essential part of their daily journeys – ez-link with different aspects of their lives. We are excited to partner with Garmin and Watchdata Technologies to give both fitness enthusiasts and more casual active lifestyle seekers options in realising their fitness goals and enjoying their daily commutes with just one stylish device. We are even more excited to be at the core of a wearable revolution for Singapore and the limitless possibilities we can bring to consumers in the future,” said Mr Nicholas Lee, Chief Executive Officer, EZ-Link Pte Ltd.

“Last year, we integrated a similar contactless chip into the vívosmart HR band in Taiwan which lets users pay for train rides, bus trips and retail purchases via the I-Pass electronic wallet stored within the chip. This collaboration with EZ-Link puts Singapore on the road map as the first country in South-east Asia to offer a contactless payment solution where you can pay for public transport rides with a tap of your wearable on your wrist. Integrating the latest smarts, such as innovative payment solutions, into our wearable devices is one of the key pillars of our ongoing efforts to help consumers experience new ways of convenience in their daily life,” said Al Sundoro, General Manager, Garmin South Asia.

“We are so honored and excited to introduce the Batman v Superman Fitness Tracker X EZ-Link, also known as ‘Sharkey’, as the first smart wearable with ez-link card payment function for consumers in Singapore. It is an inspiring result after a long period of joint research and development with EZ-Link to bring a seamless travel experience and healthier lifestyle option to all commuters daily. This milestone marks the beginning of a new era for smart wearable technology and we are ready to work with EZ-Link to bring more products with our leading edge technologies and innovations in payment and data security in the near future,” said Mr Huang Wenwei, General Manager, Payment & ID, Watchdata Technologies Pte Ltd.

Batman v Superman Fitness Tracker X EZ-Link <image>

 

 

Designed and developed by EZ-Link and Watchdata Technologies, the Batman v Superman Fitness Tracker X EZ-Link combines both the functionalities of a smart fitness band and an ez-link card. Its lightweight ergonomic design makes it the perfect wrist companion for both daily commute and purchases. Besides using it to tap and pay for trains, buses, taxis and shopping, users can also pair it with the Watchdata Wearables mobile application via Bluetooth to monitor the number of steps taken, amount of calories burnt and sleep quality.

Featuring the legendary symbols of two iconic super heroes, theBatman v Superman Fitness Tracker X EZ-Link will be available exclusively on My EZ-Link Online Shop from 24 January 2017, 11am at S$42.80 inclusive of GST.

Garmin vívosmart HR with EZ-Link <image>

 

 

The Garmin vívosmart HR with EZ-Link brings together the full-bodied features of this fitness tracker with the convenience of paying for your train and bus rides – all in one device. The vívosmart HR offers 24/7 steps, sleep and fitness activity tracking. It also has heart-rate monitor for fitness enthusiasts who want to make sure that they are exercising in the optimal heart-rate zone. It pairs with your smartphone via Bluetooth and once connected, you can receive notifications such as WhatsApp messages and Facebook posts on the fitness band instead of having to constantly check your phone.

The Garmin vívosmart HR with EZ-Link will be available at major retailers in Singapore from end March 2017 at S$259.

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About EZ-Link Pte Ltd

EZ-Link’s core business is in the sale, distribution and management of ez-link cards, as well as the clearing and settlement of all ez-link card transactions generated in transit and non-transit (retail/merchant) sectors. To date, more than 17 million new CEPAS-compliant ez-link cards have been issued. EZ-Link continually sets new cashless trends, having launched the “My EZ-Link Mobile” application, the world’s first Near Field Communication (NFC) mobile application for contactless card top-ups; “EZ-Link NFC SIM”, the first NFC payment service on Singapore’s public transit; and “EZ-Pay”, Singapore’s first free card-less, account-based ERP payment service.EZ-Link has also unveiled other innovations in Singapore including EZ-Charms, the first non-card form factor, as well as the “EZ-Link Rewards with Perx” to reward commuters for using public transport with the ez-link card.

About Watchdata Technologies Pte Ltd

Watchdata Technologies, is a recognized pioneer in digital authentication and transaction security. Watchdata was founded in Beijing in 1994, and has international headquarter in Singapore since 2000. With another 10 regional offices, Watchdata are serving customers in over 60 countries worldwide. Our customers include mobile network operators, financial institutions, transport operators, governments and leading business enterprises. Watchdata solutions provide daily convenience and security to over 1 billion mobile subscribers, 80 million e-banking customers and 50 million commuters. In Singapore, through closely working with our partners, we have been dedicating to bring innovative and secure products to Singaporean’s daily life, products include CEPAS card, bank cards, smart wearable, etc. Watchdata also offers a wide range of product line, including smart wearable device, smart mobile terminal, contact and contactless EMV cards, UICC, e-ID and transportation smartcards, online security tokens, card readers and electronic toll collection (ETC) devices. Our end-to-end solutions include secure hardware, operating systems, software applications, and services such as personalization and remote lifecycle management.

About Garmin Ltd

Garmin International Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN). Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan, United Kingdom and Singapore. Vívosmart, and Garmin are registered trademarks, and Garmin Elevate and Garmin Connect are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.