Both Apple and Samsung are set to launch mobile wallet services in Azerbaijan next year, according to comments from a top Mastercard executive in the country.

Mastercard’s head of business development for digital payments in the country, Hakan Tatlici, told Azerbaijan newswire Trend the two services would appear next year, followed by “other digital payment services”.

The promotion of mobile and digital payments is part of a government initiative to reduce the heavy reliance on cash payments in the market.

Between the years of 2018 and 2020, authorities want to reduce the proportion of cash payments from 74 per cent to 40 per cent, according to AzerNews statistics.

A launch of either Samsung Pay or Apple Pay in Azerbaijan would make the country one of the few in the Eurasia region to have either service, or rival Google Pay, available to consumers.