The Niuron banking consortium will develop a platform to verify the digital identity of clients — Europa Press (translation) — “For banks, the benefits of this platform translate into an increase in speed, cost savings, reduction of fraud, reduction of operational risk and improvement of the prevention of money laundering. The client, on the other hand, decreases the time necessary during a registration process and has control and sovereignty over their personal data, thus improving their experience.”
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Garmin adds NFC payments to Fenix smartwatches
Garmin debuts the Fenix 5 Plus, adds maps, music, Garmin Pay and wrist-based Pulse Ox to its popular multisport GPS watch series — Garmin — “Garmin International Inc, a unit of Garmin Ltd, today announced the Fenix 5 Plus series, its next generation of GPS multisport watches with built-in routable topographical maps, storage for music playlists, Garmin Pay contactless payment solution and wrist-based Pulse Oximeter 1 for altitude acclimation awareness.”
JCB expands Apple Pay support to Taiwan
Apple Pay coming to JCB’s customers in Taiwan — JCB — “Support for Apple Pay will start with E.Sun Bank and Union Bank of Taiwan and continue to be phased in for other JCB brand payment product issuers… Taiwan is the first market after Japan where JCB is supporting Apple Pay.”
Apple Pay goes live in Poland with the support of eight banks
Official: Apple Pay available in Poland with eight banks — Thinkapple (translation) — “The official list of banks supporting Apple Pay in Poland: BGZ BNP Paribas, Bank Zachodni WBK, Alior Bank, Raiffeisen Polbank, Nest Bank, mBank, Bank Pekao, Getin Bank. It is worth adding that Apple Pay is also available to T-Mobile Banking Services users (they are provided by Alior Bank)… PKO BP announced that Apple Pay will be available in the third quarter of this year.”
EBA issues opinion on strong customer authentication requirements under PSD2
Opinion of the European Banking Authority on the implementation of the RTS on SCA and CSC — European Banking Authority — “The regulatory technical standards (RTS) on strong customer authentication (SCA) and common and secure communication (CSC) underpin the new security requirements under PSD2… The EBA has decided to issue an opinion in order to respond to a number of the numerous queries the EBA and competent authorities have received from market participants and aims to provide clarity on the implementation of certain aspects of the RTS that were published.”
Eurosmart reports rise in smartphones with embedded secure elements
Eurosmart’s secure element shipment forecasts confirm a global market increase in all main market sectors — Eurosmart — “Trends for device manufacturers, mainly composed of high end smartphone manufacturers, became significant in 2017 with 400m embedded secure elements. The growth is important and equal to +21.2% compared with 2016 (330m of units) and 470m units are expected in 2018.”
Mastercard unveils smart mirror that lets shoppers make payments in the fitting room
Mastercard to shake up shopping with new Smart Mirror with payment function — The Industry — “The mirror recognises products as they enter the fitting room, creating a virtual shopping basket and a multi-sensory shopping experience. It allows shoppers to change lighting and language, view/request size and colour variations, seek out further recommended items, request garments to be brought directly to the fitting room and finally, pay seamlessly and instantly by tapping the mirror with a card, payment device or through the app.”
WhatsApp tests mobile payments with one million consumers in India
Almost one million people ‘testing’ WhatsApp payments service in India — PTI/Economic Times — “Today, almost one million people are testing WhatsApp payments in India. The feedback has been very positive, and people enjoy the convenience of sending money as simple and securely as sending messages,” a WhatsApp spokesperson told PTI… WhatsApp is working closely with the Indian government, National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and multiple banks, including payment service providers, to expand the feature to more people.”
Popularity of contactless payments pushes debit cards ahead of cash in the UK
Convenience of debit card payments puts cash in second place — UK Finance — “The popularity of contactless payments among UK consumers is a key driver of debit card growth. In total, across both debit and credit cards, the number of contactless payments increased by 97% during 2017 to 5.6bn. Almost two thirds (63%) of people in the UK now use contactless payments, and no age group or region falls below 50% usage.”
Chase lets customers make payments with Fitbit and Garmin wearables
Chase goes on the run with fitness wearables — JP Morgan Chase — “Now, eligible Chase Visa credit and debit cards can be used with Fitbit Pay, and on Garmin Pay — adding convenience and freedom to pay from your wrist, in addition to your smartphone or wallet.”
Transport for London adds in-app contactless journey tracking
Contactless journeys now available to view on the go via free TfL app — Transport for London — “Customers using contactless payment cards in London can now view their journey history on the go following the latest update to the free TfL Oyster and contactless app. Half of all Tube and rail ‘pay as you go’ journeys in London are now regularly made using contactless payment cards or mobile devices.”
Amazon to pilot sound-based payments for cash on delivery service in India
Amazon backs Indian startup to replace cash with contactless payments — Bloomberg — “Amazon.com Inc wants to pilot contactless payments to boost the adoption of its payment processing service, Amazon Pay, for offline transactions in India, two people privy to the development told BloombergQuint… Amazon is looking to roll out contactless payments in the next two to three months, one of the persons quoted above said. It may start with offering the service for its Prime subscription members.”
US merchants increase support for NFC in stores, cut back on Apple Pay and Google Pay online
New survey finds fewer merchants accepting Apple Pay — Kount — “Support is up across the board for near field communication (up from 29% to 37%) and other mobile payments at the physical point-of-sale… Online merchant support for Apple Pay has gone down from 48% to 35%, Google Pay (previously Android Pay), is down from 38% to 25%, support for PayPal increased (from 48% to 64%) while 10% accept AliPay and 10% accept other e-wallets. The share of merchants who accept Samsung Pay, Visa Checkout, MasterPass, and Chase Pay all stayed constant from last year.”
Apple Pay runs ‘Lose your wallet’ promotion in New York City
Lose your wallet — Apple — “Use Apple Pay to get exclusive offers for a limited time in Greenwich Village, Nolita, Park Slope, and Williamsburg.”
Norway’s central bank reports on the potential of issuing a digital currency
KNOWLEDGE CENTRE: A report presenting the results of an in-depth investigation by Norway’s central bank into the potential of a central bank-issued digital currency is now available to download from the NFC World Knowledge Centre... More
NatWest reports strong consumer uptake for direct alternative to card-based mobile payments
NatWest trials new way to pay for online shopping — RBS — “The service removes the need to input long card numbers by providing customers with the option to press a NatWest button at the end of the purchase process which will take them through to their mobile app. Then the customer will login with Touch ID or their standard password before the process will complete automatically… Customers will immediately see their balance, updated in real time… In the initial trial, over half of customers chose to make their payment using the NatWest service, rather than use their card.”
US financial institutions pilot dynamic CVV cards
Worldpay tests dynamic CVV cards in anticipation of broader availability — Digital Transactions — “Worldpay is testing the Motion Code-enabled credit and debit cards with two undisclosed credit unions and a bank before broader availability, expected later this year. The hope is to make online shopping more secure… A dynamic CVV means a criminal may obtain the card number, but will be unable to verify the CVV because it will have changed.”
Visa cuts transaction fees in India by up to 95%
Visa slashes fee on debit card payments, wants more small merchants on board — Economic Times — “In a note circulated among member banks recently, Visa said it would cut rates on debit card transactions by up to 95%… The largest quantum of decrease will apply to transactions under Rs 2,000 (US$29.57)… ‘Effectively, merchants and banks pay nothing for small value transactions. With this move, it should become more attractive for banks to deploy terminals at small shops and encourage debit card payments,’ said a senior banker.”
HID Global to support rollout of student IDs on iPhone and Apple Watch
Assa Abloy helps enable contactless student IDs in Apple Wallet — HID Global — PARTNER NEWS — “Assa Abloy, the global leader in door opening solutions, today announced the company is working to support mobile access capabilities for student IDs with Apple Wallet… Assa Abloy’s reader technology, combined with embedded HID technology in Assa Abloy locks, will be part of a broader technology solution that unlocks the possibilities for mobile student IDs on university campuses.”
Blackboard to implement student IDs on iPhone and Apple Watch
Blackboard bringing contactless student IDs to Apple Wallet for campuses nationwide — Blackboard — “With Blackboard Mobile Credentials, student credentials in Apple Wallet offer secure access to facilities, residence halls and more, as well as payments for dining, laundry, vending and retail… The ability to add student IDs to Wallet will launch with Duke University, the University of Alabama, and the University of Oklahoma this fall. Johns Hopkins University, Santa Clara University and Temple University will bring the capability by end of year and it will expand to additional campuses in the future.”