Barclays bank has made a move into the wearable tech space with a new contactless payments wristband set to be trialled in the UK this summer.

The bPay wristband, managed by Barclaycard, will undergo a limited roll-out this year at sponsored events such as the British Summer Time music festival. This will be ahead of a wider consumer launch planned for 2015.

The device will be powered by the existing contactless payments technology in Barclays’ credit and debit cards, which can already be used at 300,000 PoS terminals at retailers around the country.

But the bank says that the bPay gadget will serve other purposes in addition to its contactless payments capability, such as being an entry pass into sporting and music events.

The wristbands will be free to use for consumers – who do not have to be Barclays bank customers – but retailers are expected to be charged a small fee on transactions.

It is the latest FS foray into wearable technology, following moves such as the Google glass and smartwatch play announced by CaxiaBank earlier this year.

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