While health applications continue to be the main consumer adoption driver for wrist-worn wearables, support for mobile payments “is also starting to become a mainstay,” according to new research from IDC... More
Archive for September 2019
Apple adds Ultra Wideband communications chip to iPhone 11
Apple’s iPhone 11 smartphones will come with a new chip that supports ultra wideband communications, opening up the potential for the devices to support a range of new proximity-based services including item tracking, keyless vehicle entry and mobile payments... More
Ahold Delhaize to roll out NFC shelf edge labels in supermarkets across Europe
European supermarket group Ahold Delhaize is to equip its stores in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Greece, Czech Republic, Serbia and Romania with NFC-enabled electronic shelf edge labels that shoppers can tap to obtain more information about a product — and then add the items to their shopping basket so that they can self-checkout on their mobile phone... More
Apple expands 3% cashback network for Apple Card holders to Walgreens and Duane Reede stores
US Apple Card holders shopping at Walgreens and Duane Reade stores can now earn 3% cashback on their purchases when they use their mobile phone to make an Apple Pay payment with their Apple Card... More
NXP explains how NFC and RFID tags can be used to improve the security of blockchain-based supply chain systems
PARTNER NEWS: “By adding transparency, security, and traceability, blockchain can make supply chains faster and more efficient, especially when originality and provenance are key concerns,” NXP explains in a new blog post... More
PepsiCo unveils customer loyalty programme that delivers cashback rewards to PayPal and Venmo accounts
PepsiCo has launched a loyalty programme that lets customers use their mobile phone to scan a code printed on drink bottles and snack bags to earn 10% cashback each time they buy both a drink and a snack — and receive their rewards as an automatic credit to their PayPal or Venmo account each time their balance reaches US$2... More
Bluey Merino to use NFC tags to guarantee the authenticity of its clothing
Bluey Merino, an Australian active and outdoor clothing brand that produces garments exclusively made from premium Merino wool, has developed NFC labels that customers can use to confirm the origin of the wool in their new product by simply scanning the label with their NFC mobile phone... More
Mastercard to build blockchain cross-border payments platform
Mastercard has announced it is to work with blockchain specialist R3 “to develop and pilot a new blockchain-enabled cross-border payments solution that will initially focus on connecting global faster payments infrastructures, schemes and banks supported by a clearing and settlement network operated by Mastercard”... More
Denver adds support for Transit in-app ticketing
RTD, the transportation operator for the city of Denver which launched a transit ticketing integration with Uber in May 2019, has now added a further integration with travel planning app Transit, enabling users to plan and purchase RTD tickets from within the Transit app... More
NAB to integrate receipts into mobile banking app
Customers of National Australia Bank will be able to begin viewing receipts for their purchases from within their mobile banking app from later this year... More
Guangzhou Metro pilots facial recognition at ticket barriers
South China city subway adopts facial recognition — Xinhua — “Instead of using tickets or swiping their smartphones, passengers can smile at a screen to unlock the electric gates in about half a second after completing a real-name registration on Guangzhou Metro’s official mini-program on WeChat, China’s popular social media platform, or on the ‘Guangzhou Metro’ mobile app. The fee will be deducted from the payment methods that subway riders previously register and validate through their mobile phones.”
Ankara adds NFC transit ticketing on buses, subways and local trains
Public transportation users in the Turkish capital of Ankara can now upload an AnkaraKart transit pass to their NFC mobile phone and use it to make payments on bus, subway and light rail services... More
Catalonia to issue citizens with ‘self sovereign’ digital IDs
Catalonia, the semi-autonomous region of Spain which includes the city of Barcelona, is to develop an electronic identity platform that “turns the citizen into owner, manager and exclusive custodian of his identity and data”... More
Nissan to build RFID payments into all cars sold in Brazil
All Nissan vehicles manufactured in Brazil are to come factory-installed with Sem Parar RFID tags, enabling them to be used to make in-vehicle payments for electronic tolls, car parking, fuel and retail transactions — including at McDonald’s drive-thrus across the country... More
Albert Heijn opens cashierless supermarket in the Netherlands
Dutch supermarket giant Albert Heijn has opened an autonomous mini supermarket that lets shoppers use their bank card to gain entry to the store, select items valued at up to the contactless card limit of €25 and then self-checkout — without the need to first download an app... More
Apple Pay goes live in Georgia
Apple Pay has added the country of Georgia to the list of nations where the mobile payments service is available... More
Android 10 to make it easier for Google Pay users to switch between cards
A new feature due to be added to Android 10 will make it possible for Google Pay users to quickly access details of all their stored payment cards from their lockscreen — and then easily select from the list the card they wish to use for their next transaction... More
Google adds Secure NFC option to Android 10
A new feature in Android 10 will make it possible for consumers to choose whether or not they wish to be able to make NFC card emulation transactions without first unlocking their device... More
PBOC provides details on how China’s new digital currency will work
China’s central bank has released further details of its forthcoming digital currency — including the news that citizens will be able to use it to exchange money and make payments in an NFC-like manner... More
JR East introduces loyalty points for transit ticketing payments
Users of Japanese rail operator JR East’s Suica stored value transit cards will soon be able to start collecting loyalty points when they use their account to pay for their journeys — and will receive four times as many points when they use Suica to make a payment with their mobile phone rather than a plastic card... More