The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is to launch the country’s first national domestic card scheme (DCS) in order to promote the use of digital payments and enhance financial inclusion... More
UAE to launch national domestic card scheme
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Global purchase volumes hit US$42.7tn in 2022 as payment card spending worldwide increases by 1%
Total card purchase volume worldwide reached US$42.7tn in 2022 with global credit card volumes increasing by 7% and prepaid card volumes by 9%, according to research from RBR... More
China rolls out regional digital yuan giveaways to drive contactless cash adoption
Regions across China have launched a series of digital yuan voucher giveaways to drive adoption of the country’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) and encourage consumer spending using the digital currency during the Asian Games and the Mid-Autumn and National Day festivals... More
Moscow Metro adds support for concessionary fares to biometric payments system
Moscow Metro is testing an upgrade to its FacePay face biometric fare payment service that lets passengers entitled to concessionary fares link their Muscovite personal social card to their biometric details so they no longer need to use the card itself to prove their eligibility for a reduced-price ticket... More
Google lets Pixel 8 users authorise NFC payments with their face
Purchasers of Google’s new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones will be able to make NFC payments using Google Wallet and access other compatible banking and payments apps with their face. ... More
Samsung Wallet to roll out digital driving licences and IDs in Iowa and Arizona
Samsung users in Iowa and Arizona will be the first in the US to be able to add and store digital versions of their driving licence and state ID documents to Samsung Wallet on their Galaxy smartphone... More
Universal to roll out facial recognition at Orlando theme parks
Visitors to four Florida theme parks operated by entertainment giant Universal could soon be able to gain access to individual rides, events and different areas of each park using their face rather than showing their ticket... More
Singapore’s Changi Airport to let passengers travel passport free
Passengers travelling from Changi Airport in Singapore will soon be able to pass through automated touchpoints on their journey through the airport without needing to present their physical passport, boarding card or other travel documents... More
Transport for Wales to pilot contactless EMV card payments on rail services
Passengers travelling on selected rail services in Wales will soon be able to make contactless fare payments by tapping their physical or digital contactless EMV card on validators on station platforms or at ticket barriers at the beginning and end of each journey... More
South African taxis pilot fare payments acceptance on standard smartphones
Minibus-taxi drivers in Cape Town in South Africa can now accept contactless payments on their smartphones using Visa’s Tap to Phone software point of sale (softPOS) solution... More
Apple Wallet adds support for open banking APIs
Apple iPhone users in the UK can now check their current account balance, the remaining credit on their credit card and their debit and credit card transaction history directly in Apple Wallet... More
China lets foreign visitors use credit cards to fund a central bank digital currency wallet
Tourists and other foreigners visiting China can now upload digital yuan to the country’s prototype central bank digital currency (CBDC) digital wallet using their Mastercard or Visa credit card... More
Samsung partners with American Express and Korea’s KB Kookmin to develop trackable payment cards
Samsung has signed a memorandum of understanding with South Korea-based KB Kookmin Card and American Express to develop an Internet of Things (IoT) credit card that will enable cardholders to connect their card to a Galaxy smartphone and verify its location using Samsung’s Bluetooth Low Energy-enabled SmartThings Find platform... More
Mercedes goes live with in-vehicle biometric payments in Germany
Drivers of some Mercedes vehicles can now make contactless in-car payments for fuel at more than 3,600 service stations in Germany and authorise them using a fingerprint sensor in their vehicle’s dashboard. More
European Payments Initiative to launch pan-European digital wallet under Wero brand name
The European Payments Initiative (EPI) will launch its pan-European digital wallet for use on both iOS and Android devices under the commercial name of Wero, the initiative has revealed... More
Alaska Airlines leverages NFC to let passengers create a digital passport they can store on their smartphone
Passengers with a US or Canadian passport travelling on international flights operated by Alaska Airlines can now verify their passport is valid for travel before they reach the airport and without needing to show it to an airline customer service agent using a digital identity stored on their smartphone... More
Hyundai to launch contactless in-vehicle payments
Drivers in the US who buy the 2024 Hyundai Kona electric car will be able to find, reserve and pay for parking spaces at 6,000 locations around the country from their dashboard touchscreen using the Hyundai Pay in-vehicle payments platform... More
Czech Republic to roll out digital IDs compatible with EU Digital Identity Wallet
The Czech government has passed an amendment to the country’s legislation on the Right to Digital Services that will enable citizens of the Czech Republic to store and use a digital version of their national identity card in a wallet on their smartphone... More
Samsung lets Galaxy foldable phone users customise their device using NFC
Users of selected Samsung Galaxy foldable smartphones including the Galaxy Z Flip 5 can now customise their phone screen with an NFC-enabled insert that enables them to coordinate the on-screen design with accessories in Samsung’s Eco-Friends range... More
National Payments Corporation of India launches NFC-enabled QR codes and contactless voice payments on UPI
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has unveiled a suite of United Payments Interface (UPI) services that includes UPI Tap & Pay NFC-enabled QR codes, QR code-enabled ATM withdrawals, the addition of support for offline NFC payments to the UPI Lite X digital wallet, and Hello... More
