Samsung is preparing to launch its Pay app into the Indian market during the first half of 2017 according to reports on SamMobile, a Samsung community site.

Mobile payments and the move to digital banking have been big issues in the country during the second half of 2016, with authorities trying to push forward a cashless economy agenda and several mobile operators looking to launch and enhance their digital payment and banking services.

According to the community site report, Samsung trials of the service are underway as the company targets a commercial launch in early 2017.

Samsung Pay is currently being rolled-out on a market-by-market basis, following an initial release in the US and China during 2015. The vendor added several locations this year, including Australia, Brazil, Spain, Singapore and Puerto Rico. Samsung plans to continue expanding availability of the service next year, including launching the UK.

The application is exclusive to a limited number of Galaxy and Gear devices, but rumours in the Korean media last week suggest there is set to be an increase in the number of Samsung-branded devices able to access Samsung Pay early next year. This will leave only a few of the brand’s entry level devices unable to use the service.