Amazon is entering the in-store payments market in India with the launch of ‘Amazon Smile’ QR codes that will enable shoppers to make purchases in shops... More
Author archive:
Visa to use audio chirp to boost its digital brand awareness
Visa has developed a custom two-note ‘chirp’, vibration and screen animation that can be triggered whenever a Visa payment is made on a digital device, Bloomberg reports... More
JCB rolls out support for Google Pay in Japan
Idemia and JCB partner to launch Google Pay in Japan — Idemia — “Users will be able to make contactless mobile payments in store using their JCB branded credit, debit, and prepaid cards enrolled in their Google Pay, at places such as convenience stores, supermarkets, drug stores and other shops where QuicPay [JCB’s contactless payment product] is accepted… It allows not only JCB, but also its issuing and processing partners to integrate with Google Pay and offer real-time enrolment, provisioning and tokenization capabilities.”
Westpac launches designer wearable payments range
Hayden Cox and Westpac have teamed up to create wearable technology accessories that you’ll actually want to wear — Vogue — “The five designs include a convertible and waterproof two-in-one Band and Chain; a Slimline Keeper to add to your watch or fitness band; an ultra-minimal Incognito Pin ‘brooch-like’ set that includes four unique toppers; an anti-fashion late 70’s-inspired Nostalgia Pin; and an ‘out of site’ and internal-facing iron/sew on Centsitive Patch.”
NFC Forum expands support for device pairing and personal healthcare monitoring
Four NFC Forum technical specifications speed and enable new NFC services — NFC Forum — “The Connection Handover Technical Specification 1.4 allows users to define additional specific services when two devices are paired together using other wireless communication technologies, such as Bluetooth or WLAN by a tap of an NFC-enabled device. The Personal Health Device Communication (PHDC) Technical Specification 1.2 defines the exchange of ISO/IEEE 11073 messages often used for personal healthcare devices such as heart, blood pressure and glucose monitors. Also, updates were made to the NFC Digital Protocol Technical Specification 2.1 and NFC Controller Interface (NCI) Technical Specification 2.1.”
GlobalPlatform adds financial configuration that makes it easier to add payment, access control and transport ticketing applications to wearables
GlobalPlatform enhances secure element deployment for payment-enabled wearables — GlobalPlatform — “Wearables such as smart rings and smart wristbands are bridging the gap between simple cards and feature-rich smartphones by enabling consumers to pay, unlock and travel with a tap,” comments Gil Bernabeu, technical director of GlobalPlatform. “This new configuration standardizes all of this, saving implementers time and money, increasing revenue opportunities and enriching the experience for consumers.”
Bank of America links its mobile apps to let customers access multiple services without re-authenticating
Bank of America unveils new mobile capabilities — Bank of America — “Bank of America today announced that it is introducing a new feature that will allow clients to move seamlessly between the Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Merrill Edge and US Trust mobile apps without having to re-authenticate… The new app-linking feature will be available at Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, and Merrill Edge today and at US Trust in November.”
Mastercard to offer contactless biometric payment cards
Pointing the finger at biometric card misconceptions — Mastercard — “Introduced in 2017, the Mastercard biometric card has been piloted in Africa, Europe and the Middle East with additional countries being added this year… We are working on a contactless solution to be ready in early 2019.”
National Trust builds contactless donation terminals into art works
Tap the past to preserve the future — National Trust for Scotland — “We’ve created beautiful replicas of a couple of the Trust’s most famous artefacts — to bring contactless to two of our historic locations. The replicas include a 200-year-old bust of Robert Burns at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Ayrshire, and a historical painting of Colonel William Gordon at Fyvie Castle in Aberdeenshire. Visitors can now simply tap their card on the artworks to make a £2 donation to the Trust and help preserve Scottish heritage for generations to come.”
Apple Pay to launch in Saudi Arabia ‘soon’
Apple Pay is ‘Coming Soon’ in Saudi Arabia according to Apple — The Apple Post — “Apple has announced within an update to its website on Friday that Apple Pay is ‘coming soon’ in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Payments Network (Mada), a major payment system in Saudi Arabia, has also confirmed that it will soon introduce support for Apple Pay.”
H&M invests in Klarna to let fashion shoppers ‘try before they buy’
H&M and Klarna partner to elevate the modern shopping experience for consumers — H&M Group — “H&M and Klarna will further integrate H&M’s digital and physical stores to give customers a seamless, personalised and engaging shopping experience no matter where, when and how they shop… This will include frictionless instore, mobile and online payments, simplified deliveries and returns and the flexibility to decide how and when to pay including the popular ‘try before you buy’ pay later service.”
CIMB deploys multi-QR POS terminals that support six different mobile payment services
CIMB is first in Malaysia to bring QR acceptance from six mobile wallets on one payment terminal — CIMB Bank — “The six mobile wallet partners to be accepted on CIMB terminal are Alipay, Touch & Go Digital, Boost, KiplePay, Mcash, and Vcash. These six mobile wallets have a combined estimated customer base of about 4.5 million in Malaysia and 520 million registered mainland Chinese users.”
Taiwan Cooperative Bank tests standardized EMVCo QR codes for payments
Taiwan Cooperative Bank completed Taiwan’s first standardized QR code payment in partnership with Visa — Visa — “By adopting the EMV QR Code Specification, as supported by Taiwan’s two large domestic payment switches, consumers can enjoy a fast, convenient and secure payment experience. The specifications are intended to be globally interoperable; and with the right mobile application local consumers as well as overseas travellers will be able to use the same QR code to make payments everywhere the specifications have been adopted.”
HID Global expands investment in NFC brand protection solutions
PARTNER NEWS: HID Global is increasing investment in its NFC-based Trusted Tag brand protection service and expanding its network of solution providers around the world... More
Survey finds Apple Pay is used for three in four US debit card mobile wallet transactions
Apple Pay makes up 77% of mobile payments among debit card users — Auriemma Consulting Group — “An Auriemma study of debit card issuers shows that Apple Pay makes up 77% of mobile wallet transactions. Samsung Pay and Google Pay, Apple Pay’s main competitors, make up 17% and 6% of transactions, respectively… While Apple Pay has the most market share, Samsung Pay users are the most engaged. In fact, the average Samsung Pay user makes 7.3 transactions each month, compared to 5.5 transactions for Apple Pay and Google Pay users.”
Japanese banks launch blockchain P2P payments service
SBI Ripple Asia’s MoneyTap app has launched in Japan — Coindesk — “The product allows users to send funds to others using just their telephone numbers or a QR code, and utilizes devices’ biometric log-in features, such as fingerprint scanning, for security… Currently, the service is only able to remit between accounts held at the three participating Japanese banks — SBI Sumishin Net Bank, Suruga Bank and Resona Bank. Payments are being offered at no charge and can be sent in Japanese yen or foreign currencies.”
Federal Reserve proposes new settlement system for faster US payments
The Fed proposes an always-on settlement system for faster payments — Digital Transactions — “The new proposal has two major facets. One outlines the RTGS plan for settlement of payments every day at all times. The other involves a so-called liquidity tool the Fed says could increase banks’ participation in a real-time system by limiting exposure that can arise outside of business hours. The general idea behind both is to reduce the risk from providing funds to payment recipients before settlement has actually occurred.”
Forecast: One in two payment cards shipped in 2018 will be contactless
Contactless payment cards forecast to account for over 50% of all cards delivered globally in 2018 — ABI Research — “Contactless payment card issuance is set to hit 1.5bn units in 2018, accounting for over 50% of all payment card shipments delivered globally… Breaking the 50% barrier marks a significant milestone in contactless card migration, where market momentum is expected to continue due to next-generation migration opportunities, most notably in the US, India, South East Asia, and Latin America. These opportunities are helping to push contactless card issuance volumes toward 2.3bn annually by 2022.”
Korean retailer pilots unmanned convenience store that uses face recognition for entry and payments
GS25 brings facial recognition to new shop — Korea JoongAng Daily — “Most convenience stores without a human cashier use barcodes to identify the products. GS25’s new system instead identifies an item by its packaging and weight. This allows customers to simply place items on the table before paying using facial recognition or a credit card. The company says it takes only about a second for the system to recognize five items at once, whereas with the conventional barcode system it would take 15 seconds to scan them one by one.”
Danske Bank begins wearable payments pilot
Danske Bank testing new wearable payment solution — Danske Bank — “FastPay is Danske Bank’s new payment solution that lets you wear your payment chip in a wristband, on a keyring or on your watchstrap so that you can make contactless payments without having to reach for your card.”