Interac Association, which operates Canada’s debit card system, has completed what it claims is the country’s first debit transaction via NFC.

The demonstration was run in partnership with McDonald’s, the RBC Royal Bank, payment provider Moneris Solutions and BlackBerry, which supplied the NFC-based handsets used in the demo.

No mobile operator was involved, although the first NFC-based credit card transaction was carried out last November when Rogers Wireless, the country’s largest operator, launched its Suretap service in partnership with local bank CIBC.

Interac says a wider rollout of its mobile payments system will take place later this year.