Which bank has tied up with Samsung Pay so that its cardholders will be able to pay using smartphones at merchant establishments?

Introduction / Context:
Mobile payment platforms like Samsung Pay allow customers to make contactless payments using their smartphones instead of physical cards. Banks often partner with such platforms so that their cardholders can use this technology at merchant establishments. This question asks about a specific banking general knowledge fact that is relevant for competitive exams related to marketing and banking awareness.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Samsung Pay is a mobile payment service.
• A particular bank has tied up with Samsung Pay to allow its cardholders to make smartphone based payments.
• The options list four major Indian banks.

Concept / Approach:
Questions of this type are factual recall items, where you need to remember a specific partnership announcement. These are common in banking, marketing and current affairs sections. The correct answer is the bank that publicly announced its tie up with Samsung Pay for enabling card based smartphone payments at merchant point of sale machines.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall relevant current affairs regarding Samsung Pay launches and partnerships in India.Step 2: Among the listed options, identify which bank was reported as having tied up with Samsung Pay to enable such payments.Step 3: The known factual answer from exam oriented sources is Kotak Mahindra Bank.Step 4: Confirm that other banks listed have had various partnerships but are not the correct answer for this specific question.Step 5: Therefore, choose option C, Kotak Mahindra Bank.

Verification / Alternative check:
Banking current affairs compilations and online question banks for competitive exams identify Kotak Mahindra Bank as the correct answer to this question. They state that Kotak Mahindra Bank tied up with Samsung Pay so that its cardholders could pay using smartphones at merchant point of sale terminals. This cross reference verifies that option C is factually correct for the question as framed.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, HDFC Bank, is a large private bank that has many digital initiatives, but it is not the specific bank named in this question. Option B, Yes Bank, and option D, Punjab National Bank, are also active banks but do not match the reported tie up described in the exam oriented fact. Selecting any of these would not match the known answer in standard banking GK resources.

Common Pitfalls:
In factual GK questions, candidates often rely on guesses if they have not kept up with current affairs, and may choose a well known bank like HDFC Bank simply because it sounds familiar. Another pitfall is confusing different digital partnership announcements, such as those involving various wallets, card networks or mobile platforms. To minimise such errors, it is helpful to revise important bank tie ups and digital initiatives regularly before the exam.

Final Answer:
Kotak Mahindra Bank