Founded in 2011, SimplyTapp, Inc. was a financial technology company that developed a cloud-based platform enabling card-issuing banks, merchants, and developers to leverage Host Card Emulation (HCE) for mobile payments. Their core technology allowed standard Android smartphones with NFC capabilities to emulate a contactless payment card, removing the need for a hardware-based Secure Element (SE) on the device. This innovation significantly lowered the barrier for banks to create their own branded mobile wallet applications. In May 2015, the company was acquired by Capital One to integrate its technology and talent into Capital One's digital wallet and mobile payment initiatives.