Facebook Messenger payments comes to UK — BBC News — “Facebook has chosen the UK as the first country outside the US to get its Messenger payments service… David Marcus, who runs Messenger, says it is obvious from our messages that we need this. ‘More and more people are having conversations on Messenger about paying one another,’ he explains. ‘As a result it’s a very natural place for you to have the most frictionless and secure way of paying each other.'”
Archive for November 2017
Central bank begins digital currency pilot in Uruguay
Uruguay to launch digital currency, ‘not Bitcoin’ it stresses — Bitcoin.com — “Uruguay’s Central Bank (BCU) formally presented rollout of its pioneering digitization of the Uruguayan peso on 3 November 2017… The plan ‘consists of a test with 10,000 mobile phone users of Antel,’ the release notes, ‘which will last for six months’ and be international… Registered users will be able to interact with merchants as well as peer-to-peer in money exchanges.”
Facebook tests P2P payments
Facebook may soon test a ‘red envelope’ payments feature — Recode — “Red envelopes are typically used for gift giving, especially for holidays like Chinese New Year, but the ability to gift someone money on Facebook would mean Facebook could also facilitate peer-to-peer payments. The company already offers payments like this in Messenger, but not on Facebook’s main website or app.”
Australian festival-goers try out NFC ticket implants
Under the skin: How insertable microchips could unlock the future — The Guardian — “Ten volunteers received a microchip at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne on Wednesday to mark the launch of Pause Fest, a technology and culture festival now in its eighth year. Their chips were preloaded with a three-day pass to the festival and will be programmed to unlock the door to their home, gym, or workplace, or potentially to function as their public transport pass.”
DBS launches developer platform that gives access to 155 banking APIs
Reimagining banking, DBS launches world’s largest banking API developer platform — DBS Bank — “With 155 APIs at launch for Singapore across more than 20 categories such as funds transfers, rewards, PayLah! and real-time payments, the platform will offer the world’s largest number of, and most relevant, banking APIs… More than 50 companies including household names such as AIG, McDonald’s, MSIG, PropertyGuru, as well as start-ups like Activpass, FoodPanda, Homage, and soCash have already hopped onto the platform.”
Visa to offer real-time payments in Europe
Visa to transform payments in Europe with Visa Direct — a real-time payments platform with global reach — Visa — “With Visa Direct, funds can be transferred into the recipient’s Visa account quickly, conveniently, and securely — providing instant access to funds and the ability to make purchases at 44m retail locations worldwide.”
EMVCo releases online and in-app transaction security framework
EMVCo launches EMV secure remote commerce technical framework — EMVCo — “EMV SRC will address the complexities and potential vulnerabilities within the remote payments environment by defining a consistent approach to enable the secure transmission and interaction of payment card data among participants. This helps reduce exposure to data compromise and simplify merchant support of these solutions.”
Visa gives approval to prepaid cryptocurrency card
Visa approves Monaco cryptocurrency card for Singapore residents — Bloomberg — “Visa Inc has approved a prepaid card backed by the cryptocurrency Monaco as the world’s largest payments network continues its foray into digital currencies… Visa has also approved programs for BitPay and Shift Card that allow consumers to convert cryptocurrencies into legal tender and deposit those funds into a bank account that is linked to a Visa debit or prepaid card.”
Wells Fargo to offer mobile-first bank accounts
Wells Fargo announces a mobile-first banking experience to encourage financial health — Wells Fargo — “Combining personal finance management tools with Wells Fargo banking, the Greenhouse experience will help consumers pay bills on time, spend confidently, and start to build a savings cushion — all while providing personalized insights through artificial intelligence to help them stay on track. Greenhouse, a standalone mobile app, will be available in a limited, national pilot in the first quarter of 2018 and will launch for Apple iPhone users during the first half of 2018.”
Commbank adds Face ID to mobile banking app
The new face of banking — Commonwealth Bank of Australia — “From today, iPhone X users will be able to use Face ID to securely log in to the CommBank app. ‘Our customers use secure fingerprint logins on the CommBank app about 30m times a month,’ said Pete Steel, Commonwealth Bank executive general manager of digital. ‘Extending that functionality to Face ID is part of our ongoing work to provide a better banking experience to our customers through simple, easy and secure features.'”
European Payments Council requests feedback on mobile payments interoperability guidelines
Mobile Contactless SEPA Card Payments Interoperability Implementation Guidelines (MCP IIGs) for public consultation — European Payments Council — “The EPC has facilitated the setting-up of a multi-stakeholder group covering the various sectors involved in the mobile payment ecosystem to develop a new version of the Mobile Contactless SEPA Card Payments Implementation Interoperability Guidelines (MCP IIGs), while leveraging the relevant documentation developed in standardisation and industry bodies.”
Face ID reported to take longer to unlock an iPhone than Touch ID
iPhone X Face ID slower than Touch ID (but there’s a fix) — Tom’s Guide — “I’ve been using Face ID on the iPhone X for more than 24 hours, and I don’t need a stopwatch to tell you that it unlocks my phone slower than when I was using Touch ID on my older iPhone 7 Plus… It took 1.2 seconds from pressing the side button to the iPhone X’s screen turning on and for the phone to recognize me and unlock the device. And it was another 0.4 seconds to swipe up to get to the lock screen. Total time: 1.8 seconds.”
Okey Co joins the NFC World Partner Program
NFC World today welcomes Beijing-based Okey Co as a member of our partner program... More
Rambus supports launch of Interac debit payments on Samsung Pay in Canada
Rambus collaborates with Samsung Canada and Interac to help deliver Samsung Pay in Canada — Rambus — PARTNER NEWS — “Rambus Inc, a leader in digital security, semiconductor and IP products and services, announced that it has teamed with Samsung Canada and Interac Association/Acxsys Corporation, the organizations behind Canada’s leading payment brand, to help enable Interac Debit on Samsung Pay in Canada. The Interac Token Service Provider (TSP), developed in collaboration with Rambus, now helps allow Interac users to make secure mobile debit payments through tokenized transactions using Samsung Pay.”
Samsung Pay adds Visa, Mastercard, Amex and Interac debit options in Canada
Samsung Pay expands in Canada with new partners — Samsung Electronics Canada — “Following a successful introduction with CIBC in the Canadian market, Samsung remains committed to enhancing Samsung Pay and making it a holistic digital wallet extending beyond credit cards with the introduction of debit cards and new partners including Interac Debit, Scotiabank, American Express Canada, ATB Financial, Visa Canada and Mastercard. In addition, Samsung Pay will be made available soon to Tangerine and Peoples Card Services customers.”
Mobile-only Orange Bank goes live in France
Orange is now also a bank — Orange — “Orange is launching its new banking offer in mainland France today. This 100% mobile-based offer is provided by Orange Bank and will be the only French bank to offer for free a service that provides real-time balances, mobile payment, innovative uses and a virtual adviser that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
eMarketer raises mobile payments forecast for China
eMarketer projects surge in mobile payments in China — eMarketer — “eMarketer has raised its projections by more than 86% for 2017, and now expects 461.4 million people in the country to use a phone to pay at the POS… By 2021, 79.3% of smartphone users will be tapping, scanning and swiping at the POS. By comparison, the US will have 31% of users doing so, and that figure will be 23% in Germany.”
Researchers build ID data into smart clothing
How to store information in your clothes invisibly, without electronics — University of Washington — “Most people today combine conductive thread — embroidery thread that can carry an electrical current — with other types of electronics to create outfits, stuffed animals or accessories that light up or communicate… The UW researchers realized that this off-the-shelf conductive thread also has magnetic properties that can be manipulated to store either digital data or visual information like letters or numbers. This data can be read by a magnetometer, an inexpensive instrument that measures the direction and strength of magnetic fields and is embedded in most smartphones.”
Android Pay to let users track all their card purchases?
Android Pay appears to be testing the ability to see all card purchases, even those not done on your phone — 9to5Google — “The Android Pay app appears to be testing out a new feature for ‘full purchase history’. In short, this new feature pulls your entire transaction history from your card and displays it right alongside Android Pay purchases. This new setting on Android Pay appears to only work for specific cards, though. In this first case, it works with an American Express Cash card.”
Android Pay goes live in Ukraine
Android Pay in Ukraine — Pay for your purchases in just a few seconds — Google Ukraine (Translation) — “We are pleased to announce that Android users in Ukraine can now not only search and receive information at the right time with the Google app, optimize their Google Maps routes and enjoy various apps on Google Play, but also quickly and securely make purchases offline and online using Android Pay… Today, Android Pay in Ukraine only works with Mastercard and Visa cards issued by PrivatBank, but the list of banks will be constantly replenished.”