Android Q won’t have Android Beam — Techradar — “Android Beam, the NFC sharing method where you put two phones back to back to transfer photos, videos, and other files, is nowhere to be found in the ongoing Android Q beta… At Google IO, we found out that it’s not coming back, either, according to the reps we talked to who are working on Android updates.”
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Apple Pay goes live in Iceland
Apple Pay launches in Iceland with support from Arion Banki and Landsbankinn — AppleInsider — “The two banks announced support for Apple Pay on Wednesday via their official websites and Twitter. Available straight away, the added support now means customers that have accounts with either of the banks are able to add their card to the Wallet app, and use it to make contactless payments using Apple Pay for the iPhone and the Apple Watch.”
Edenred pilots biometric cards for state benefit payments
Mastercard and Edenred Bank announce first biometric card trial in Mexico — Mastercard — “Mastercard and Edenred today announced the first regional test of biometric card technology in Mexico. The effort, focused on state benefits programmes, features an embedded fingerprint sensor that provides an additional layer of security to conveniently verify the cardholder’s identity for in-store purchases.”
Apple to expand Express Transit payments to open loop cards?
iOS 12.3 to bring EMV Express Transit support to Apple Pay — Tap Down Under — “New strings discovered within the pass.json files of Apple Pay card files make mention of new ‘Transit Network Identifiers’ options, as well as new passUpgrades/open loop options.”
Apple Pay to launch in the Netherlands ‘soon’
ING brings Apple Pay to the Netherlands — ING (translation) — “ING will soon be bringing Apple Pay to the Netherlands… More information about the introduction of Apple Pay in the Netherlands will be announced by ING shortly.”
Rambus explains advantages of network tokenization
PARTNER NEWS: “Network tokenization is one of many technologies that online merchants are turning to in a bid to strike the right balance between high security and a frictionless buying experience,” Rambus’ André Stoorvogel explains in an in-depth blog post on the company’s website... More
Google Pay goes live in Switzerland
Google Pay rolls out in Switzerland with support for Cornèrcard, Swiss Bankers, and more — Android Police — “Google Pay’s support documents speak of a rollout for customers of Cornèrcard, Bonuscard, Swiss Bankers, Revolut, and Boon… Today’s rollout makes Switzerland the 29th country [Google] Pay is available in.”
Japanese banks to offer real-time mobile payments in stores
Banks to join in new payment service — The Japan News — “The new service will allow consumers to make payments by presenting QR codes displayed on their smartphones to code readers installed at shops and other places. Purchased amounts will be debited from their bank accounts in real time.”
Hong Kong airport adds face recognition payments
Duty Zero by CDF introduces facial recognition payment at HKIA — DFNI Frontier — “The Duty Zero by CDF liquor and tobacco stores are the first in Hong Kong to feature the software, which is designed to enhance the consumer shopping experience for Chinese consumers. The Dragonfly POS devices are placed next to the checkout, customers input their phone number and face towards the camera; the software then completes the transaction in just a few seconds.”
Marshall University lets students add campus cards to iPhone and Apple Watch
Marshall ID cards now available on iPhone and Apple Watch — Marshall University — “By simply placing their iPhone or Apple Watch near a reader where physical student IDs are accepted, users can enter residence halls and libraries, access dining plans, purchase food, buy items in the university bookstore or in vending machines, print documents and more.”
Nike registers ‘cryptokicks’ trademark
Nike’s ‘cryptokicks’ trademark application hints at its new blockchain ambitions — The Next Web — “The application, filed on April 19, outlines how the company‘s proposed digital currency could be used by an online community. The document also describes an online footwear and clothing marketplace, as well as ‘a website featuring technology that enables users to mine, earn, purchase, receive by any other means, store, and transfer blockchain-based tokens, coins, cryptocurrencies, and other crypto assets’.”
Taipei Metro rolls out QR mobile ticketing
Mobile ticketing app for Taiwan’s Taoyuan metro to be fully launched Wednesday — Taiwan News — “Passengers travelling on the Taoyuan metro line will be able to pay their fares using a mobile app, starting Wednesday… Using their credit or debit cards, passengers will be able to buy tickets via the app and swipe though the turnstiles at the metro stations with a QR code on their mobile devices.”
Amazon launches P2P payments in India
Amazon Pay launches person to person (P2P) payments through UPI for Android customers — Amazon — “Customers can use this functionality to settle bills/expenses with friends, lend/return money to family, pay rents, pay for services like house-help, newspaper bills, milk subscription and more. Customers can also make payments from their bank account to local stores nearby or to [an] Amazon delivery associate at [the] doorstep by scanning UPI QR codes using the Amazon app.”
PayPal reports 40m Venmo P2P payments users
PayPal reports first quarter 2019 results — PayPal — “We now have 277 million customer accounts, including 22 million merchant accounts and over 40 million active Venmo accounts… Person-to-Person (P2P) volume grew 41% to $42bn, representing 26% of TPV. Venmo processed $21bn of TPV in the first quarter, growing 73%.”
Apple Pay goes live in Austria
Apple Pay officially launches in Austria — MacRumors — “Apple’s mobile payment system is now supported by the country’s largest bank Erste Bank und Sparkasse, as well as German-based mobile bank N26… Apple says additional Apple Pay partners ‘coming soon’ to Austria will include Bank Austria, Boon, Edenred, Revolut and VimPay.”
Apple to open up the iPhone’s NFC chip at WWDC?
Apple may expand the iPhone’s NFC tech to third-party developers during WWDC — TechSpot — “NFC is getting major improvements, including the ability for third-party developers to read any ISO 7816, FeliCa or MiFare tags. Currently, only tags formatted as NDEF can be read by third-party apps… Keep in mind, the news is from anonymous sources and is far from official.”
Alipay to invest $448m promoting face recognition payments in stores
Alipay to spend US$448m plugging new face scanner — Yicai Global — “Dragonfly 2’s next-generation 3D cameras are more precise and have a wider angle, and since the device can handle payments under various lighting conditions merchants will not need to make any changes to their store lights… The scanner is priced at CNY1,999 (US$298.50), nearly 30% less than the previous version.”
Visa unveils next generation payments platform
Visa is inviting issuers and processors to explore a new payments platform designed to “turn the transaction on its head” and “unlock an entirely new world of possibility when it comes to accessing, accruing and saving money”... More
German central banker calls for European payments network
Europe needs to get off the sidelines — Deutsche Bundesbank — “Here in Europe, we need to prevent a situation from arising in which American and Chinese payment systems are all we have left to choose between. Highly successful firms from the United States and China are looking to carve out a huge chunk of the European market. Hence the desire to forge a payments solution with a clear-cut European ‘brand’.”
JCPenney pulls support for contactless payments
JCPenney explains why it dropped Apple Pay — Techcrunch — “A third-party credit card brand made the requirement for all merchants to actively support EMV contactless functionality effective April 13, retiring the legacy MSD contactless technology in place. Given the resources and lead time associated with meeting the new mandate, JCPenney chose to suspend all contactless payment options until a later date.”