Singtel and AIS debut Via, Asia’s first cross-border mobile payment alliance — Singtel — “The Via alliance is the first initiative of its kind to connect both telco and non-telco mobile wallets across borders to create a region-wide payment network that will enable consumers to use their local mobile wallets when travelling. The Singtel Group will progressively expand this alliance to include other regional associates Airtel in India, Globe in the Philippines, Telkomsel in Indonesia, working within each country’s regulations, and non-telcos including China’s Ping An eWallet.”
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ST adds NFC chips that can control lighting products, motorized appliances, fans, thermostats and more
PARTNER NEWS: STMicroelectronics has introduced a new range of dynamic tag chips that combine NFC technology with pulse width modulation (PWM) logic to enable a wide range of appliances to be set up or fine tuned at home, in the field or in the factory using either an NFC phone or an ISO 15693 RFID reader... More
M&S rolls out mobile self-checkout in London food stores
M&S rolls out checkout free checkout as part of digital first strategy — Marks & Spencer — “M&S has today announced the launch of its scan and pay service, Mobile, Pay, Go, which will be available for customers in six London stores ahead of Christmas… The pacey roll out follows a successful trial of the service at Waterside Simply Food over the summer. The store now sees 20% of its sales from Mobile, Pay, Go with an average of 170 items being purchased through the app every hour.”
Tencent uses face recognition to verify the age of mobile game players
Honour of Kings uses facial recognition to check ages — BBC — “The mobile app resembles League of Legends and pits players against each other in multiplayer online battles set in a fantasy world. Under pressure from local regulators, Tencent introduced restrictions in July 2017 to limit under-12s to one hour of gameplay a day and 13- to 18-year-olds to a maximum of two hours. Last month, the company added a real-name registration system to encourage players to keep to the rules.”
FIS reports on real-time payments market growth
Real-time payment system growth surging worldwide — FIS — “FIS identified 40 live real-time payments programs worldwide as part of its 2018 Flavors of Fast report, up from 25 in 2017 and nearly three times as many as 2014. The report found five payments programs under development, plus another 16 expected to be live in the next 12-18 months.”
EU begins rollout of cross-border digital identity project
Cross-border digital identification for EU countries: Major step for a trusted Digital Single Market — European Commission — “As of 29 September, the EU-wide legislation on the electronic identification (eIDAS Regulation) will enter into force enabling cross-border recognition of the electronic ID and allowing citizens and business to share their identity data when necessary. People will be able to use their electronic ID (eID) such as ID cards, driver licenses, bank cards and fill tax returns online, access medical records and online public services across the EU.”
Tim Berners-Lee launches decentralized identity platform
One small step for the web… — Tim Berners-Lee — “Solid is a platform, built using the existing web. It gives every user a choice about where data is stored, which specific people and groups can access select elements, and which apps you use. It allows you, your family and colleagues, to link and share data with anyone… It will empower individuals, developers and businesses with entirely new ways to conceive, build and find innovative, trusted and beneficial applications and services.”
Tatra Banka lets new customers verify their ID on their mobile phone
Customers save at least 70% time using Innovatrics digital onboarding — Innovatrics — “Users are first tasked to take a photo of both sides of their identification card. Afterwards, they are prompted to take a selfie to verify that the image is actually the same as the picture on the submitted ID. A ‘liveness test’ is performed for added security wherein the client has to follow with his or her eyes a randomly moving dot appearing on the mobile screen.”
Micro loans let Chinese consumers buy snacks and lipsticks on credit
Chinese millennials are buying hamburgers on instalment, fuelling micro loan industry — South China Morning Post — “A small layer cake can be had for as low as 0.46 yuan per month for three years, or there’s lipstick for only 1.93 yuan (3 US cents) per month for two years. Interest rates differ based on the product price and repayment period but some loans are offered interest free.”
Amazon uses digital price tags to offer member-only pricing in new 4-star store
Introducing Amazon 4-star — Amazon — “Digital price tags alongside every product show the Prime price and list price, as well as Prime member savings, average star rating, and the total number of reviews a product has received. Customers who aren’t already Prime members can easily sign up for a free 30-day trial and instantly receive the Amazon.com price in store.”
Alipay builds travel guide into mobile payments app
Alipay launches in-app guide for Germany’s Oktoberfest — Alizila — “Alipay said Friday it launched an in-app travel guide in Chinese for visitors to Munich’s Oktoberfest celebration and the city’s 211-year-old downtown Viktualienmarkt… The pilot service will offer ‘a wealth of information on the culture and history of both venues,’ including a map, a guide to individual stalls and products, information on German behavioural norms, like how to toast with a glass of beer and advice on when and where it’s OK to take photos. Users can also pay for what they buy through the Alipay app.”
ST combines an NFC controller, secure element and eSIM in a single mobile security chip
PARTNER NEWS: STMicroelectronics has launched the ST54J, a single system-on-chip that lets mobile phone makers cut bill-of-materials costs, reduce PCB space and deliver faster performance by combining an NFC controller, secure element and eSIM into one unit that supports mobile payments, e-ticketing, remote provisioning and more... More
ANZ replaces its goMoney Wallet with Google Pay
ANZ launches Google Pay — ANZ Bank — “Google Pay replaces ANZ’s goMoney Wallet, ANZ’s current Android mobile wallet, which will be phased out from October this year… The move to Google Pay will provide customers with a faster and more reliable way to make contactless payments, particularly on older Android devices. It also allows ANZ to offer an Android mobile payment solution to more customers.”
Hong Kong links QR codes to faster payments to boost mobile wallet adoption
The launch of Faster Payment System (FPS) — Hong Kong Monetary Authority — “The FPS is a unique platform as it supports instant payments in the HKD and the RMB with the use of mobile phone numbers, email addresses or QR codes… A free mobile application tool, namely ‘Hong Kong Common QR Code’ (HKQR), is released today, which can be used for converting multiple QR codes from different payment service providers into a single, combined QR code. This would facilitate merchants, especially small and medium enterprises, in using a single QR code to accept different payment schemes, instead of displaying multiple QR codes to their customers.”
Japanese bank pilots blockchain mobile payments in bars and restaurants
Notice concerning demonstration experiment of S Coin — SBI Holdings (translation) — “S Coin is a settlement coin that allows charging and settlement on smartphones. In this demonstration experiment, for SBI Group employees, we will construct a mechanism that allows cashless settlement at eating and drinking establishments in Izumi Garden Tower, Roppongi 1-chome where SBIH is based.”
GlobalPlatform sets out IoT security role for secure elements
GlobalPlatform simplifies implementation of standardized IoT device security — GlobalPlatform — “GlobalPlatform, the standard for secure digital services and devices, has published a configuration that simplifies the implementation of secure element (SE) specifications for the protection of internet of things (IoT) devices… The configuration supports root of trust (RoT) device identity, the protection of critical assets, state-of-the-art AES cryptography for device management and authentication, allowing automatic enrolment to online cloud services.”
ANZ lets customers use smartphones and smartwatches to withdraw cash from ATMs across Australia
ANZ launches smartphone ATM access in an Australian first — ANZ — “ANZ today announced a new way for customers to access cash on the go, using only their smartphone or watch at 2,400 ATMs across Australia… There are more than one million ANZ customers currently using digital wallets loaded with an ANZ-issued card. Between October 2017 and August 2018, ANZ customers made more than 57m mobile payment transactions worth more than A$1.83bn. This was an increase of more than 150% in transaction numbers from the same time a year earlier.”
Ithmaar Bank to let Bahraini consumers withdraw cash from ATMs with just their fingerprint and a PIN
Ithmaar Bank and Eazy Financial Services announce plans to launch the region’s first biometric payment network — Ithmaar Bank — “When implemented, Ithmaar Bank customers will no longer be required to use their bank cards at ATMs. Instead, they will simply be able to use their fingerprint along with their PIN to process financial transactions. This provides a simpler, more secure way to process financial transactions than ever before. In future, this may also include points of sale.”
LG to pilot blockchain carrier billing system for international mobile payments in stores
LG U+ to offer blockchain-based overseas payment service — The Korea Herald — “Once the service is launched, LG U+ subscribers will be able to buy things at selected retailers using their mobile phones when they travel to Taiwan and Japan. Far EasTone subscribers will also be able to enjoy the same convenience when traveling to Korea and Japan. The service uses direct carrier billing, enabling transactions to be billed and paid through their carrier in their home currency.”
Digital currency pioneer David Chaum launches high speed blockchain for payments
Announcing David Chaum’s Elixxir: First blockchain capable of meeting the needs of consumer-scale messaging and payments — Elixxir — “The Elixxir blockchain can scale to hundreds of thousands of transactions each second, each message or payment delivered or confirmed within seconds, efficiently enabling use as a smartphone app.”