Google has begun rolling out Android 9 ‘Pie’, the latest version of its mobile operating system which includes support for GlobalPlatform’s Open Mobile API, a new BiometricPrompt API, and added NFC and Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) security techniques... More
Microsoft Pay is now available with Masterpass — Microsoft — “US-based consumers using the latest Microsoft Edge browser on Windows 10 devices can sign in to their Microsoft account and use Microsoft Pay to make secure purchases wherever Masterpass is accepted online. More broadly, Microsoft Pay allows for a seamless and convenient consumer experience within the Microsoft ecosystem, including paying bills in Outlook, and buying goods or services in apps or bots.”
Fossil unveils its most tech-packed touchscreen smartwatch to date — Fossil — “Exclusively compatible with Google Pay (transit and pay currently available in select countries), NFC prevents users from having to pull out their card every time they need to complete a transaction. With a few taps, your card is ready on watch to streamline any checkout experience. Security is an obvious consideration, and users set up a unique lock code on their watch to help protect from any identity or data theft.”
Why Apple Pay is the highest-rated mobile P2P payment service — Consumer Reports — “In our first-ever test-based ratings of P2P mobile services, CR rated Apple Pay the highest overall, with excellent or very good marks in the key consumer-protection measures of payment authentication and data privacy. Apple’s overall rating was significantly higher than for the other services we tested: Venmo, Square’s Cash App, Facebook P2P Payments in Messenger, and Zelle.”
Intercontinental Exchange announces Bakkt, a global platform and ecosystem for digital assets — Intercontinental Exchange — “Starbucks will play a pivotal role in developing practical, trusted and regulated applications for consumers to convert their digital assets into US dollars for use at Starbucks,” said Maria Smith, vice president, partnerships and payments for Starbucks. “As a leader in Mobile Pay to our more than 15 million Starbucks Rewards members, Starbucks is committed to innovation for expanding payment options for our customers.”
Sneaker Con bets NFC will keep fakes off its new shoe-selling app — Engadget — “Every time you buy a pair from the Sneaker Con application, it’ll come with a physical tag attached to the shoes that features NFC. This Legit Tag comes loaded with information about the sneaker you’re getting (including the model name, size, condition and SKU number). To see that, all you have to do is open the Sneaker Con app and tap the authentication tab.”
Adidas celebrates Atlanta and the 2018 Major League Soccer All-Star Game presented by Target with speciality Speedfactory AM4MLS lifestyle shoe — Adidas — “The AM4MLS shoe will be the first of its kind to bring the sound of the city to life through an embedded NFC chip enabling the owner to access a Spotify playlist curated by Rich The Kid. Deeply rooted in Atlanta’s culture, the 21 songs aim to pay tribute to the city’s rich music history and its influence in artists across the country.”
Chase expands cardless access to 15,000 ATMs nationwide — Chase — “Chase today announced that customers can now get cash through their phone’s mobile wallet at nearly all of its 16,000 ATMs nationwide, as well as access to all ATM vestibules outside of the branch… Customers no longer need a physical debit card or access code for authentication and can simply ‘tap’ their smartphone on the ATM to easily and securely access money on the go.”
Google Pay comes to Croatia — The Dubrovnik Times — “Croatia is the first country in the Adriatic region offering Google Pay for payment in stores and on all Google platforms as of August 1, Google Adriatic said on Wednesday… Google is unveiling the service in cooperation with PBZ (Privredna Banka Zagreb), and at launch the service will be supported by PBZ online banking and the Visa Inspire card. There are plans to cooperate with other Croatian banks as well.”
PARTNER PROFILE: Ginstr’s SaaS platform provides companies looking to efficiently manage their field staff or their assets with a quick and simple to deploy cloud-based solution that comes with over 80 pre-developed applications and can be fully branded and tailored to meet each customer’s specific needs... More
Introducing Bancomat Pay: New digital payment services for 37 million Italians — SIA — “Bancomat Pay will integrate the Jiffy service, allowing PagoBancomat cardholders to pay, in stores and online, and to send and receive money in real time from their smartphone. Counting on the strength of the Bancomat brand, a watchword for security and simplicity, and on its widespread distribution, with about 37 million PagoBancomat cardholders and over 440 banks using its services, Bancomat SpA aims to develop the potential of the new digital payment service far beyond its current market penetration.”
Sparkassen launches mobile payments via smartphone — Deutscher Sparkassen- und Giroverband (translation) — “We have 45m girocards in circulation — and all of them can be used for mobile payments. This makes us a pioneer in Germany in terms of availability and distribution of a mobile payment solution,” says Helmut Schleweis, president of the German Savings Banks and Giro Association (DSGV). In Germany, around 75% of the card terminals are equipped with the corresponding interface for contactless payment, with millions of terminals available worldwide.”
Earnings call: Apple financial results — Q3 2018 — Apple — “Apple Pay continues to expand with well over 1bn transactions last quarter, triple the amount from just a year ago, with growth accelerating from the March quarter. To put that tremendous growth into perspective, this past quarter, we completed more total transactions than great companies like Square and more mobile transactions than PayPal. Apple Pay is now live in 24 markets worldwide with over 4,900 bank partners and we look forward to adding Germany later this year.”
KDDI and Hitachi pilot finger vein biometrics for redeeming coupons in stores — KDDI (translation) — “The user can authenticate himself by holding the finger registered on the authentication infrastructure, so it is not necessary to present the coupon at the store, and the coupon can be used even without the smartphone… Since coupon usage information recorded in the blockchain is extremely difficult to tamper with, it is easy to share coupon usage history securely and reliably between KDDI and affiliated stores, and payment according to the number of coupon users is highly accurate.”
Contactless payments to represent 1 in 3 in-store transactions globally by 2020 — Juniper Research — “Juniper forecasts that OEM Pay wallets will enable over $300 billion in transactions by 2020, representing 15% of the total contactless in-store transactions… OEM Pay wallet users will reach 450 million by 2020, with Apple accounting for one in two OEM Pay users globally… ‘We believe that growth over the next five years will continue to be dominated by offerings from the major OEM players.'”
Chat app Line plots finance ‘revolution’ with mobile payments — Nikkei Asian Review — “Line, the operator of Japan’s leading chat app, is pushing hard into the banking sphere with plans to aggressively expand in mobile payments, aiming to get its 75 million users hooked on transactions without the fees imposed by conventional banks… Line is rolling out a version of its app that will let small and midsize merchants accept QR code-based payments via Line Pay. Transaction surcharges will be waived for the first three years, and the system costs nothing to set up.”
Central bank to develop settlement service to expand mobile cash card payment — Yonhap News — “The South Korean central bank said Tuesday that it will adopt a new mobile cash card settlement service starting next year in a bid to expand simplified mobile payments in the country. A council on financial information by the Bank of Korea (BOK) and local banks decided to develop technological standards and a mobile application for the new service that enables sellers to receive money directly from the buyer’s bank account.”
Rambus brings secure mobile ticketing to Scotland’s railway — Rambus — PARTNER NEWS — “Rambus’ HCE Ticket Wallet Service leverages technology proven in the payments industry to create a virtual smartcard that securely stores tickets on mobile devices. The solution integrates with existing software and station infrastructure, allowing transport operators to manage both smartcard and mobile tickets in a single system, reducing integration costs and deployment time.”
Wirecard partners with EZ-Link and Cheers to establish a tailor-made contactless card solution in Singapore reducing the usage of loose change in the country — Wirecard — “Through this partnership, users are able to convert their loose change directly into stored value on EZ-Link cards and EZ-Charms — Singapore’s most widely used contactless solution for commute on buses and trains, as well as lifestyle purchases island-wide… When making purchases with cash at select Cheers outlets, consumers just need to inform the cashier to top-up their EZ-Link directly with the change they receive. This minimizes any inconvenience and time needed to count the coins. No transaction fees are required to use the service.”
One millions taps — Tap to Pay hits a milestone — TransLink — “It’s been two months since we launched Tap to Pay and we are happy to share our customers have embraced this new payment option in a big way. To date, there have been 160,000 unique users who have tapped their contactless credit cards and mobile wallets… Customers can tap card readers with a contactless Visa or Mastercard credit card, or a device with an Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay wallet.”