Cubic chosen as preferred provider by Metropolitan Transportation Commission for contract to deliver next-gen fare payment system — Cubic — “The next-generation system will include new features including an integrated mobile app that will support a virtual Clipper card, enabling customers to access real-time information, top up their accounts, plan trips and tap their phones through faregates and on buses in much the same way as mobile payments can be made at retailers.”
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Survey: Merchants are winning the US mobile wallet adoption battle
Merchants winning the battle for mobile wallet supremacy — Javelin Strategy & Research — “In the rush to market, the main wallet value proposition, paying at the POS, wasn’t particularly compelling. In reality, loyalty and rewards will drive adoption, something merchants are doing particularly well,” said Krista Tedder, director of payments at Javelin Strategy & Research.”
Tokyo Racecourse to replace betting slips with contactless cards and biometrics
Fujitsu’s cashless betting machines use palm vein authentication to support Japan Racing Organization — Fujitsu — “The betting machines will allow users to place bets without using cash by simply holding their hands out to the machine and using their JRA-Umaca contactless membership card… The purchase information is recorded on the JRA-Umaca card making it unnecessary to print a paper betting ticket, and if they make an accurate prediction, winnings will be paid out to the JRA-Umaca card automatically.”
Apple Pay hits launch hurdles in India
After Amazon and WhatsApp, Apple orders ‘stop payment’ — The Economic Times — “Silicon Valley giant Apple has shelved plans to launch a Unified Payments Interface-based payments platform in India after landing in a regulatory grey zone that has stalled the full rollouts of similar products by Amazon and WhatsApp as well. Apple put the brakes on introducing Apple Pay in the country despite holding discussions with a few leading banks and the National Payments Corporation of India, which manages the UPI platform, said two people with knowledge of the matter.”
NFC ticketing pioneer Utah Transit Authority pulls support for contactless payments
General-purpose contactless payments continue to struggle on US transit systems — Digital Transactions — “The Salt Lake City-based Utah Transit Authority, a pioneer in contactless fare payments, has discontinued acceptance of general-purpose contactless mobile wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. The UTA also no longer accepts contactless general-purpose payment cards, though such cards aren’t yet common in the United States. Only 112 riders on average used those forms of payment — far less than 1% of UTA’s average of 147,728 weekday boardings as of last December, according to a spokesperson.”
Moscow Credit Bank issues NFC payment rings
Non-contact payment ring of the Moscow Credit Bank — Moscow Credit Bank (translation) — “Visa payment card of the Moscow Credit Bank with support for NFC technology allows you to pay for purchases with one stroke of your hand… To pay for a purchase, it is enough to touch the ring to a terminal that accepts contactless payments. The payment ring is made of impact-resistant waterproof ceramics, so it will become indispensable for athletes and active lifestyle lovers.”
Paris Metro begins NFC ticketing pilot
Bus tickets and Navigo passes are available on smartphones in Ile-de-France — RTL (translation) — “RATP has begun pilot testing a service that makes it possible to buy and store a metro ticket directly on a smartphone. This first pilot is being conducted with around one hundred users, selected from RATP and SNCF employees. The system will be extended to include the Navigo Pass in November and extended to all operators in the summer of 2019.”
Samsung Pay adds funds trading service in Korea
Samsung Pay begins funds trading service — Yonhap News — “Fund Online Korea Co said Tuesday it launched services for the trading of investment funds via Samsung Pay, the country’s top mobile payment tool. The service allowed users to shop for a variety of funds at the Samsung Pay platform after a simple process of opening accounts, according to the firm. ‘We are aiming at offering an easy, convenient and accessible investment channel,’ said company official Kim Seung-hyun.”
Singapore Airlines adds boarding passes to Google Pay
SIA introduces seamless access to mobile boarding passes via Google Pay — Singapore Airlines — “Customers travelling with Singapore Airlines (SIA) can now have the added flexibility of saving their mobile boarding pass on Google Pay, the digital wallet platform and online payment system developed by Google. This is the first time an airline in the Asia-Pacific region has such a capability on Google Pay.”
Diesel launches touchscreen smartwatch with NFC payments — and support for Alipay in China
Diesel takes wearables to new heights by introducing next generation touchscreen smartwatch — Diesel — “New features include heart rate tracking, NFC payment capabilities, and GPS tracking… Make purchases via your NFC-enabled smartwatch using Google Pay. Alipay available in China.”
Mastercard comes under fire for sharing transaction data with Google
Google and Mastercard cut a secret ad deal to track retail sales — Bloomberg — “For the past year, select Google advertisers have had access to a potent new tool to track whether the ads they ran online led to a sale at a physical store in the US. That insight came thanks in part to a stockpile of Mastercard transactions that Google paid for… Google paid Mastercard millions of dollars for the data, according to two people who worked on the deal.”
Google rolls out Titan Security Keys with NFC
Titan Security Keys: Now available on the Google Store — Google — “In July, we announced Titan Security Keys, Fido security keys built with a hardware chip that includes firmware engineered by Google to verify the keys’ integrity. Starting today, Titan Security Keys are available for purchase on the Google Store… Security keys can be used to authenticate to Google as well as Dropbox, Facebook, GitHub, Salesforce, Stripe, Twitter, and other services that support Fido standards.”
Xiaomi to launch Mi Pay mobile payments in India?
Chinese firm awaiting RBI approval to start India operations — The Hindu BusinessLine — “According to sources, Chinese mobile smartphone maker Xiaomi is ready to launch its payment service, Mi Pay, in the growing Indian payments market. Xiaomi, currently India’s second-largest smartphone seller, has already conducted trials and testing of the UPI service, and is awaiting RBI approval for the launch, said two sources.”
Wear OS update lets smartwatch users make faster NFC payments
Google’s redesigned Wear OS might make smartwatches worth buying again — Mashable — “Previously, if you wanted to use Google Pay on your smartwatch, you’d need to launch the app, which was a multi-tap process. Now, you can make a payment much quicker. It’s not as quick as double-pressing the side button on the Apple Watch to fire up Apple Pay, but it’s way faster than the old way.”
Trimble adds NFC to commercial driver tracking system
Trimble enhances FieldMaster Logs with Tap & Go technology to improve driver experience with ELDs — Trimble — “With our new Tap & Go technology, drivers will be able to leverage secure near field communication (NFC) technology to streamline the login process. With just the tap of a compatible keychain, sticker or ID card, they are able to log in to their in-cab tablet, making it easy and quick to access and start their ELD [Electronic Logging Device] workflow. This will ensure that drivers no longer need to spend valuable time manually typing in lengthy usernames and passwords which can cause frustration. With a simple tap, they are into the system and can focus on getting their work done.”
Samsung Pay adds support for discount vouchers in the UAE
Samsung Pay Vouchers launched in UAE — TradeArabia — “Starting August 29, Samsung Pay users can purchase vouchers offering 50% off in more than 200 locations across the UAE… To redeem Samsung Pay vouchers, just select the voucher in the Samsung Pay app and click ‘Use’. Pass the phone to the cashier to enter the Merchant PIN, which will display the voucher code. Show the code to the retailer and enjoy 50% off in a convenient, one-step process.”
Skagen includes NFC payments in Falster 2 smartwatch
Announcing Falster 2, Skagen’s next generation of touchscreen smartwatch — Skagen — “Falster 2 features integrated NFC technology, allowing users to make hands-free payments via Google Pay and access participating public transit systems using their device.”
Google adds bank loans to Google Pay in India
Google teams with HDFC Bank, ICICI, others for instant loans — Livemint — “Google Pay users will be able to access customised loans from HDFC Bank Ltd, ICICI Bank Ltd, Federal Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd with minimal paperwork… Once users holding accounts with these banks accept the bank’s terms, the money will be transferred to their accounts.”
Google rebrands its Tez mobile wallet to Google Pay
Building services for every Indian, in their language — Google India — “Since launching our India-first payments app Tez last September, over 22 million people and businesses have used Tez to make over 750m transactions that are collectively worth over $30bn annually. We believe that many of the innovations and features we have pioneered with Tez will work in other countries. To take Tez beyond India, we will be unifying all of Google’s payment offerings globally. As a first step, Tez will now be called Google Pay.”
PayPal updates mobile app for P2P payments
Fast, simple and secure – Introducing the improved PayPal app — PayPal — “We’ve streamlined the app design to make it easier for customers to view their balance, get notifications, and move money from nearly wherever they are. We’ve moved the Send and Receive money buttons, so they’re always at customers fingertips on the home screen. Also, when sending and requesting money, we’ve made it simpler for customers to add their photo and personalize their contact list, so they can feel more confident they’re sending money to the right person.”