US financial services provider Bank of America and Visa intend to launch a pilot program in the near future that will allow customers to make payments via their smartphones, UK-based media outlet Reuters reports, citing spokespersons from Bank of America.

Expected to run from September 2010 until the end of the year, the test program marks Visa’s bid to enable US consumers to create NFC-powered “digital wallets” incorporating financial capabilities. The program will allow select New York-area employees and customers to install small chips, supplied by Visa and its technology vendors, in their smartphones that emit radio signals over very short distances.

Visa also plans to conduct a similar test program in partnership with US Bancorp in late 2010, a spokeswoman from Visa has confirmed.

Bank of America rolled out mobile banking services in 2007 and has currently more than 5 million customers conducting USD 15 billion in transactions via their phones, primarily bill payments and account transfers.