iPhone 8 facial recognition will likely work with Apple Pay — MacRumours — “We’ve already seen confirmation that Apple is working on facial recognition in the iPhone 8 through a recent HomePod firmware release, and now additional information found in the code confirms Apple has a mechanism for authenticating Touch ID payments with a face scan instead of through a fingerprint.”
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Italian consumers can now make P2P payments in stores
Jiffy, the P2P payments service that lets 4.2 million Italian consumers send money from their bank account using just the contacts list on their smartphone, has begun rolling out to retail stores with an initial launch in 150 outlets in the cities of Milan, Rome and Turin... More
USAA launches pilot of new skill for Amazon Alexa
USAA launches pilot of new skill for Amazon Alexa — USAA — “USAA’s skill for Amazon Alexa pilot will leverage Clinc’s artificial intelligence conversation management technology to produce a more human-like interaction from Amazon Alexa, as the skill remembers context, follow-up questions, and complex human language. This technology will also learn as members interact with it and infer information not explicitly specified by users throughout a conversation.”
RFID market to reach US$11.2bn in 2017
RFID market to reach US$11.2bn in 2017 — IDTechEx — “In total, IDTechEx expects that 18.2bn tags will be sold in 2017 versus 15.2bn in 2016. Most of that growth is from passive UHF (Rain) RFID labels. However, in 2017 UHF RFID tag sales by value will be 25% of the value of HF tag sales, mainly because HF tags where used for security (such as payments, access etc) have a higher price point versus the cheaper, usually disposable labels used for tagging things.”
Soon, walk into metro station without taking your card from pocket
Soon, walk into metro station without taking your card from pocket — The Times of India — “Chennai Metro Rail Limited has invited tenders to introduce contactless smart cards which can be detected by scanners at stations even if the passenger keeps it in the pocket or a bag. The ticket price will be deducted once the passenger passes by the detector at the entrance to the platforms. These cards may later be used for other modes of transport as well.”
You can now send money with PayPal in the Skype mobile app
You can now send money with PayPal in the Skype mobile app — PayPal — “PayPal is now partnering with Skype to allow users in 22 countries to send money to other Skype users with PayPal via their Skype mobile app. With over one billion Skype mobile downloads to date globally, users will be able to use PayPal directly from their Skype app to seamlessly send money in the moment – like for a gift for a family member across the country or internationally.”
New bill seeks basic IoT security standards
New bill seeks basic IoT security standards — Krebs on Security — “The bill would require vendors of internet-connected devices purchased by the federal government make sure the devices can be patched when security updates are available; that the devices do not use hard-coded (unchangeable) passwords; and that vendors ensure the devices are free from known vulnerabilities when sold.”
Klarna launches Wavy peer-to-peer payment service
Klarna launches Wavy peer-to-peer payment service — Klarna — “Wavy enables consumers across 31 European markets to smoothly transfer money (Euros) and split bills amongst friends, colleagues and family members… The recipient of the payment does not have to sign up to Wavy to redeem a payment.”
Apple Pay to go live in four more countries this year
Consumers in Denmark, Finland, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates will be able to use Apple Pay “before the end of this calendar year”, the iPhone maker’s chief financial officer has revealed during Apple’s Q3 2017 earnings call... More
RBC first bank in Canada to enable bill payments using Siri
RBC first bank in Canada to enable bill payments using Siri — Royal Bank of Canada — “Thanks to an update to the RBC Mobile app, Royal Bank of Canada personal banking clients are now the first in Canada who can ask Siri to pay their bills on iPhone and iPad. RBC also launched seamless Interac e-Transfer payments within iMessage, which means clients can send a transfer without leaving their iMessage window.”
Paytm to launch chat feature in mobile app
Paytm to launch chat feature in mobile app — Economic Times — “Digital payments company Paytm will launch a chat facility built into its mobile app which will allow user-to-user communication. The feature is expected to be launched later this month.”
EMVCo publishes specification for merchant-presented QR code payments
Payments standards body EMVCo has added a specification for QR code payments in merchant-presented mode, following on from a spec for QR code payments in consumer-presented mode that it released in mid-July... More
How Australians pay: Evidence from the 2016 Consumer Payments survey
How Australians pay: Evidence from the 2016 Consumer Payments survey — Reserve Bank of Australia — “Cards were the most frequently used means of payment in the 2016 survey, overtaking cash for the first time. Contactless ‘tap and go’ cards are an increasingly popular way of making payments, displacing cash for many lower-value transactions… Consumers are increasingly using their mobile phones to make online and person-to-person payments.”
Tesla Model 3 has no key, so don’t forget your phone
Tesla Model 3 has no key, so don’t forget your phone — Road/Show — “For the Model 3, Tesla engineered the car to accept a digital key transmitted through Bluetooth from an owner’s phone… As a back-up, or for valet access, each Model 3 will come with a couple of NFC cards, which can also unlock and start up the car. The cards will unlock the door with a tap on the B-pillar, and start up the car with another tap between the front seats.”
Kakao Bank attracts more than 1m accounts in five days
Kakao Bank attracts more than 1m accounts in five days — The Korea Herald — “Kakao Bank was launched by Kakao Corp, the operator of South Korea’s most widely used mobile messenger Kakao Talk. Users can open accounts easily with a mobile phone number and ID card without having to visit a conventional bank branch.”
AIB celebrates Apple Pay launch with €0.01 ice cream cones
AIB celebrates Apple Pay launch with €0.01 ice cream cones — Irish Mirror — “Apple Pay ice cream trucks will be arriving at a number of locations across the country this weekend to celebrate the arrival of Apple Pay for AIB customers. The trucks will travel through Dublin, Cork and Galway offering €0.01 cent ice cream cones to AIB customers with Apple Pay on an eligible device.”
How facial recognition could replace train tickets
How facial recognition could replace train tickets — BBC News — “A facial recognition system designed to replace the need for tickets on trains is being tested in the UK… An early version that uses two near-infrared lights to help a single camera determine texture and orientation of each pixel it captures was shown to BBC Click… Researchers told the programme that they believe it will successfully identify passengers without the need for them to stop walking and could replace ticket gates.”
Convenience store Cheers opens first unmanned, cashless outlet
Convenience store Cheers opens first unmanned, cashless outlet — The Straits Times — “The Cheers outlet at Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) looks like its normal store — with shelves and fridges stocked with food and drinks — except there is no cashier or assistant in sight… Customers use a QR code found on the free ‘Shop It Yourself’ mobile app to gain entry to the store… The store also features a unified self-checkout system that accepts various cashless payment modes, eliminating the need for multiple payment terminals.”
Visa chasing Indian payments market as mobile money gains traction
Visa chasing Indian payments market as mobile money gains traction — Developing Telecoms — “Visa CEO Alfred Kelly has affirmed the company’s goal to claim a ‘fair share’ of India’s incipient cashless payment market by offering low cost, low hassle solutions to merchants… ‘Because it’s an exciting market and a lot is going on, there’s a number of players trying to get into the market,’ said Kelly. ‘We clearly have to have a way that’s low cost, low hassle, low friction to enable merchants to sign up.’”
Some Bitcoin backers are defecting to create a rival currency
Some Bitcoin backers are defecting to create a rival currency — The New York Times — “Bitcoin Cash is set to increase the limit on the number of transactions that can be processed by the Bitcoin network every 10 minutes. Currently, the network can process only blocks of transactions that are smaller than one megabyte, which allows for roughly five transactions in a second.”