Visa has confirmed that its new digital wallet service, V.me, will launch to an initial group of consumers in the UK by autumn 2012. The announcement by Visa is the latest in a number of contactless payment systems.

Visa will be using WorldPay as a key development partner in the delivery of the V.me service in the UK. Further development and launch partners in each market, including banks and retailers, are to be announced soon.

The service will be made available through Visa’s member banks and will initially be accessed through the internet browser on a PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. Consumers will be able to put multiple cards into the wallet.

Mariano Dima, Executive Vice President of Product and Marketing Solutions at Visa Europe, said: "V.me sits at the heart of Visa’s future of payments. For the first time, consumers and retailers will have a streamlined online checkout experience through an acceptance mark that offers industry-leading security and, when a Visa card is used in a V.me wallet, the same protection and rights that come with any Visa card transaction.”

The news follows Barclays move to extend the Pingit service to non-Barclays customers and O2’s Wallet application allowing users to shop or send money via their mobile.