The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is testing mobile contactless payments within the business with a view to a wider pilot next year.

Staff at the bank's headquarters will be able to pay for items under £10 using MasterCard's Maestro 'tap and go' technology by touching their phone on a terminal.

The system will be more conveninent, said RBS consumer banking chief executive Paul Geddes.

"We think people will really welcome the speed and convenience of reaching for their mobile phone to make a payment - we believe that mobile phones will be the next step in the payments evolution," he said.

The trial will run till the end of the year.