Alibaba’s self-service Tao Cafe takes e-shopping offline — Xinhua — “Entry into Tao Cafe in Hangzhou, capital of east China’s Zhejiang Province, is through ticket gates similar to those at subway stations, however, customers scan their smart phones instead of tickets… The 200-square-meter store offering beverages, fast food and snacks can accommodate 50 customers at a time. To enter and make a purchase, shoppers require only a smart phone with Alibaba’s Taobao ecommerce app.”
Archive for July 2017
Quantum cheques could be a forgery-free way to move money
Quantum cheques could be a forgery-free way to move money — New Scientist — “Say Alice wants to pay Bob using a quantum cheque. She would have to go to the bank, verify her identity and then the bank would issue her with two qubits taken from its central quantum computer. These qubits are inextricably linked to the remaining qubits within the bank’s central computer – a quality known as quantum entanglement. Measuring the state of any one qubit in an entangled system will reveal the state of all qubits within that system. The bank can use this entanglement to verify that its coffers were the origin of a quantum cheque.”
What’s New in Payments 2: Special report sets out the latest thinking on the future of payments — free of charge
Payments experts from the European Banking Authority, Yandex, Vodafone, Orange, Dejamobile and Wirecard are among eight contributors to What’s New in Payments: Volume Two, a 76-page special report on the future of payments which is now available to download free of charge from the NFC World Knowledge Centre... More
Swiss city of Zug to offer blockchain-based digital identity to residents
Swiss city of Zug to offer blockchain-based digital identity to residents — EconoTimes — “The city of Zug in Switzerland announced that it is the first community to offer all citizens of the city the opportunity to get a blockchain-based digital identity… With the digital ID, the residents can register their identity independently on the app and the identity is verified by the ID control of the town of Zug.”
First battery-free cellphone makes calls by harvesting ambient power
First battery-free cellphone makes calls by harvesting ambient power — University of Washington — “University of Washington researchers have invented a cellphone that requires no batteries — a major leap forward in moving beyond chargers, cords and dying phones. Instead, the phone harvests the few microwatts of power it requires from either ambient radio signals or light.”
UnionPay reports growth in QR code mobile payment volumes
UnionPay reports growth in QR code mobile payment volumes — UnionPay International — “The cross-border transaction volume of mobile QuickPass, the UnionPay mobile payment product, doubled in the first half of this year. More notably, more overseas customers are using mobile QuickPass. The transaction volume of mobile QuickPass used locally in Hong Kong and Macau more than tripled and the transaction of mobile QuickPass by Hong Kong and Macau cardholders in mainland China grew by over seven times year-on-year.”
Stripe strikes global partnerships with China’s Alipay, WeChat Pay
Stripe strikes global partnerships with China’s Alipay, WeChat Pay — Reuters — “‘If you are an internet business this unlocks a new vast customer base,’ John Collison, Stripe’s president and co-founder, said in an interview. In turn, Chinese consumers will have expanded choice as to which international online merchants they can purchase products and services from, he added.”
US pop band adds NFC tags to merchandise range
Fans of US pop group Airspoken can now access music, videos and other digital content by tapping their NFC mobile devices against NFC tags embedded in the band’s merchandise, from t-shirts, stickers and hats to bracelets and more... More
Commuters on the F1 Manly to Circular Quay ferry first to tap into contactless ticketing on one of Sydney’s most iconic routes
Commuters on the F1 Manly to Circular Quay ferry first to tap into contactless ticketing on one of Sydney’s most iconic routes — Mastercard — “Paying for a ferry ride is now as easy as tap-and-go, as Mastercard and Transport for NSW bring contactless ticketing payment to Sydney Ferries… In an Australian first, commuters can use their Mastercard contactless card or mobile wallets that have enabled Mastercard cards to tap on.”
N26 will bring Apple Pay to customers in Spain later this year
N26 will bring Apple Pay to customers in Spain later this year — N26 — “Later this year, N26 will bring Apple Pay, which is transforming mobile payments with an easy, secure and private way to pay that’s fast and convenient, to customers in Spain. N26 is proud to bring Apple Pay to Spain. Supporting Apple Pay is another example of the innovation for which N26 is so well known.”
Citi Pay launches in the US
Citi Pay launches in the US — Citi — “Online and in-app purchases will be enabled through Citi’s integration of Masterpass… For Android users, the digital wallet also enables Citi cardholders to make in-store purchases by tapping their Android mobile devices at any NFC-enabled point-of-sale terminal… In 2016, Citi Pay launched in Singapore, Australia and Mexico with tap and pay capabilities.”
Over 20 financial institutions in the US, Europe add support for Apple Pay
Over 20 financial institutions in the US, Europe add support for Apple Pay — Apple Insider — “Apple added another 22 banks and credit unions to its roster of Apple Pay-supporting institutions in the United States, with the new additions to the collection joined by a number of European institutions… The latest batch of institutions to join the Apple Pay support page are, like the last update, made up of regional banks and credit unions.”
More than 30m journeys made using NFC mobile phones across London in the last 12 months
More than 31m journeys have been made using NFC mobile phones across Transport for London’s (TfL) network in the last 12 months, the transport operator has revealed... More
Ticketmaster will soon admit you to events using audio data transmitted from your phone
Ticketmaster will soon admit you to events using audio data transmitted from your phone — VentureBeat — “Ticketmaster will soon be able to admit you to live events and track your movement using nothing more than a discrete digital audio broadcast from your smartphone… The ticketing giant has teamed up with Lisnr, a data-over-audio company that uses an ultrasonic sound technology it calls ‘smart tones’ to transmit information between devices.”
Open Banking launches account information and payment initiation API specifications
Open Banking launches account information and payment initiation API specifications — Open Banking — “The payments initiation API will enable third parties to set up secure payments on behalf of customers and, once authorised by the customer, submit the payment for processing. The specification currently caters for the submission of a single, immediate, domestic payment from UK personal and business current accounts and is payment scheme agnostic.”
LG Pay to be used for low-budget smartphones next year
LG Pay to be used for low-budget smartphones next year — Korea Herald — “‘We will expand the use of LG Pay into low-budget smartphones alongside premium phones next year,’ Cho Jun-ho, president of LG’s mobile communication division said during a meeting with local bloggers on Friday… Cho said the use of LG Pay will expand into online stores and the global market, although he did not elaborate the specific date.”
Alibaba challenges Google, Amazon with new Echo-like device
Alibaba challenges Google, Amazon with new Echo-like device — Bloomberg — “Importantly, the gadget — powered by the AliGenie system — may eventually simplify shopping for the Chinese e-commerce giant’s 450 million active buyers who turn to the website for everything from cherries to makeup. It will begin formal sales from August 8 only for China and won’t come with a display.”
Tesco brings mobile and contactless rewards to millions of UK supermarket shoppers
UK-based supermarket giant Tesco has launched a contactless version of its Clubcard reward scheme that lets customers “simply tap at the checkout to add their points”... More
In China, Amazon’s ‘store of the future’ is already open
In China, Amazon’s ‘store of the future’ is already open — Tech In Asia — “This is a typical Bingobox store… A shopper opens the door – and registers with the startup – through WeChat, the popular messaging app… The customer has to scan each item’s barcode. And then pay on their phone, either via WeChat or Alibaba’s mobile wallet app, Alipay. As you leave the store, a camera checks you’re taking out only the stuff you paid for.”
Galeries Lafayette opens NFC digital showrooms for handbags
French department store chain Galeries Lafayette has added a digital showroom for leather goods at its La Rochelle and Cannes stores, allowing shoppers to place handbags that interest them on a dedicated table where NFC tags attached to the products are used to bring up information, options and checkout details... More