DIGISEQ and Universal Smart Cards Sign Multi-Year Agreement to Scale Wearable Payments Manufacturing
Strategic supply partnership gives DIGISEQ committed manufacturing capacity, supporting its growth in the wearable payments market
LONDON, 14 September 2026 – DIGISEQ Ltd, a wearable payments technology company accredited by Visa and Mastercard, and Universal Smart Cards Ltd (USC), a specialist smart card and wearable technology manufacturer with operations across the UK, USA, Asia and Africa, today announced a multi-year Commercial Supply Agreement covering the manufacture, fulfilment and distribution of SmarTap payment inlays, the secure components at the core of DIGISEQ’s wearable payment devices.
Under the agreement, recently signed, USC becomes DIGISEQ’s preferred manufacturing, fulfilment and distribution partner for SmarTap payment inlays across the global wearable payments market, and DIGISEQ becomes USC's preferred partner for secure provisioning services. The initial term runs three years from signing, renewing automatically thereafter.
As DIGISEQ expects total order volumes to rise dramatically, the agreement sets minimum purchase commitments which rise significantly year on year.
For DIGISEQ, the agreement locks in production capacity and pricing stability as it scales wearable payment programmes with banks, brands and OEM partners. For USC, it provides multi-year demand visibility that supports manufacturing allocation and inventory investment. It also supports joint investment in wearable R&D and manufacturing capabilities, and both companies will also collaborate on new wearable form factors and manufacturing processes over the term of the agreement.
"This agreement gives us multi-year visibility on manufacturing capacity at a point where demand for wearable payment devices is accelerating. Locking in volume and pricing now means we can commit to banks and brand partners with confidence, rather than negotiating supply deal by deal."
Colin Tanner, CEO, DIGISEQ
A growing market
Contactless has become the default way consumers pay in person: the total value of contactless transactions worldwide is forecast to double from $7.7 trillion to $18.1 trillion by 2030, according to Juniper Research. Within that trend, passive NFC wearables, devices such as rings and wristbands that work without a battery or a paired phone, are among the fastest-growing sub-segments. Payment wristbands grew 25 to 30 percent between 2023 and 2025, according to Grand View Research, and the market for contactless payment rings alone is projected to grow from $46 billion in 2025 to $159 billion by 2032, a 19.3 percent compound annual growth rate, according to Coherent Market Insights.
“Wearable payments are one of the fastest-growing segments in our industry, and this agreement reflects the scale of that opportunity. Committing to multi-year volumes with DIGISEQ lets us plan our manufacturing capacity and inventory with confidence, and invest alongside them in the next generation of wearable form factors. It's exactly the kind of long-term partnership we want to build more of.”
Chris Allen, Co-Founder, Universal Smart Cards Ltd
About DIGISEQ
DIGISEQ is a wearable payments technology company accredited by Visa and Mastercard. It enables contactless payments from NFC wearable devices, including rings, wristbands and other accessories, working with banks, brands and OEM partners across Europe and beyond. www.digiseq.com
About Universal Smart Cards
Universal Smart Cards Ltd (USC) is a specialist smart card and wearable technology supplier, manufacturing chips, inlays and finished products, and providing integration, distribution and fulfilment services from operational centres spanning the UK, USA, Asia and Africa. Founded in 2001 and certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, USC works with global brands and OEM partners across the smart card, photo ID, access control and wearable technology markets, having shipped over 200 million products worldwide. www.usmartcards.co.uk
Media Contact
DIGISEQ: Angela Davies – Commercial Director, [email protected]
Universal Smart Cards: Chris Hall – Head of Marketing – [email protected]