Egypt’s PASS|APP Facilitates Contactless Entry & Payments to Curb Spread of Viruses

It’s never been more important to find new and novel ways to limit contact, as Coronavirus continues to pose a threat during everyday activities. Simple actions such as turning door handles, swiping access cards and even exchanging cash are now discouraged, as COVID-19 continues to spread. Luckily, most of us now own smartphones – and these ubiquitous devices can help each of us change these habits and avoid reaching into our bags or physically touching many surfaces that are known to harbour viruses, thanks to software like Egypt’s PASS|APP.

Founded in 2017, PASS|APP harnesses the technology we largely already own to speed up entry and payments, while making the processes completely contactless. By digitising our wallets, PASS|APP can act like a key or access card to offices and gated communities, replace paper tickets at events and even be charged up with cash for contactless transactions at on-site vendors.

Having been incubated by AUC’s Venture Lab (V-Lab), PASS|APP has quickly been and strageically been deployed at a variety of different locations, and for different uses. Many Egyptians interacting with the startup ecosystem may have already used PASS|APP while entering Cairo’s entrepreneurship hub The GrEEK Campus, where they’ll be issued a dynamic, time-sensitive QR code to scan at the gates, while others might have come across a similar deployment at gated communities across Egypt’s Red Sea and North Coast. Earlier in 2020, PASS|APP even installed their first smart turnstile at Salam Stadium as part of their pilot with Estadat Holding, a major sports facility management company.  As PASS|APP founder, Hany AlBoraie explains, the company aspires to "eventually eliminate human interaction when it comes to opening gates, paying for services and proving identities.”

With over 100 locations across Egypt already using this technology, and with the threat of contamination on the minds of millions across the country, PASS|APP is likely to become more and more ubiquitous as daily habits change. 

Find out more about PASS|APP here.