The Universal Stylus Initiative (USI) has incorporated the NFC Forum’s Wireless Charging Specification (WLC) in the newly released version 2.0 of its active stylus specification (USI 2.0), enabling rechargeable styluses to be wirelessly charged with a compatible smartphone or other NFC charging device at a power transfer rate of up to one watt... More
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Contactless card purchases to exceed 522bn globally by 2026
The number of contactless card purchases made worldwide will increase by an average of 23% a year and reach a total of more than 522bn by 2026, up by more than 370bn on the 149bn recorded in 2020, according to a forecast by Retail Banking Research (RBR)... More
Santa Maria gets mobility app for contactless fare payments and trip planning
Santa Maria Regional Transit (SMRT) in the US has launched a mobility app that enables passengers on the Californian city’s public transport network to make contactless payments for all available fare options and validate their ticket or pass by scanning a QR code at an on-board validator... More
Taiwan to complete central bank digital currency pilot by September
The Central Bank of Taiwan (CBT) has accelerated its research into the development of a Taiwanese central bank digital currency (CBDC) and expects to complete the second phase of its pilot programme by September this year... More
Researchers develop miniature batteryless ‘flying microchips’ with NFC
Researchers based at Northwestern University in the US have developed ‘flying microchips’ or microfliers the size of a grain of sand that incorporate micro-sensors and use NFC to harvest ambient energy and transfer data to a smartphone, tablet or computer... More
Queensland to launch digital driving licence in 2023
Motorists in the Australian state of Queensland will be able to store and display a digital version of their driving licence and other proof of identity cards on their mobile device from 2023... More
Swedish challenger bank rolls out biometric payment cards
Customers of Swedish challenger bank Rocker can now apply for a biometric payment card that allows them to authenticate payments of any amount with their fingerprint rather than using a PIN... More
Global shipments of biometric payment cards to grow by 850% and reach 173m in 2026
Shipments of biometric payment cards with embedded fingerprint sensors will grow by almost 850% and reach a total of 173m worldwide by 2026, according to a forecast by Juniper Research... More
Ukraine calls on Visa and Mastercard to stop servicing cards issued by Russian banks
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has called on Visa and Mastercard to stop servicing payments cards issued by Russian banks following the Russian invasion of Ukraine... More
Spain sees highest growth rate in contactless payments in Europe
The total number of contactless card payments made in Spain increased by 10% during 2021, the highest growth rate recorded in Europe, according to payment services provider Minsait Payments... More
Digital Identity Working Group lays out principles for interoperable digital identity systems
The Digital Identity Working Group (DIWG), made up of digital identity specialists from eight Digital Government Exchange (DGX) member states across the world, has identified 11 core principles to support international collaboration on the development of mutually recognised and interoperable digital identity systems and infrastructure... More
Genoa trials open loop contactless fare payments with group ticketing and fare capping
Passengers travelling on public transport services in the Italian city of Genoa can now use their physical debit or credit card or a digital version stored in an NFC wallet to make contactless fare payments for bus journeys on its urban network and on Volabus and Airlink airport bus services... More
NFC Forum certifies Cilab for CR13 testing
PARTNER NEWS: Cilab has received NFC Forum CR13 certification and is to release a testing suite for its ci230 high-speed tester that will enable developers and manufacturers to check and verify that their NFC devices meet the specification requirements laid out in the CR13 product certification program... More
More than one in three in-person payments in Latin America and the Caribbean are now contactless
More than a third of in-person payments made using Visa credentials across Latin America and the Caribbean in December 2021 were contactless (“close to 35%”), a two-fold increase on the same period in 2020, according to Visa Consulting and Analytics (VCA)... More
Covid-19 pandemic drives mobile room key and contactless check-in adoption across hospitality industry
Nearly two thirds of branded and independent hotels will be offering mobile room keys (64.1%) and more than three quarters will have implemented self-service check-in options including contactless kiosks and mobile check-in (75.4%) by the end of 2022, according to a survey by New York University (NYU)... More
Budapest launches Mobility-as-a-Service app with citywide and regional transit ticketing
Budapesti Közlekedési Központ (BKK) transit authority has launched a new Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) app that enables public transport users in the Hungarian capital of Budapest to plan their journeys, purchase digital tickets and transit passes and receive real-time information about traffic-related changes to transport services... More
Paris to add support for NFC transit ticketing on Apple devices ‘by 2024’
Apple users travelling on public transport services in the greater Paris region will be able to store a digital version of their Navigo transit card on their iPhone or Apple Watch, as well as purchase tickets and passes and validate them using their Apple device, “by 2024”, according to a tweet posted by the Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM) transit authority... More
BIS finds consumers worldwide are switching to digital and contactless payments at ‘unprecedented rate’
Consumers in key markets around the world have switched from physical cash to digital and contactless payment methods at “a rate unprecedented” since the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) launched its Red Book of payment and settlement statistics in 2004, BIS says... More
IMF reports on digital currencies
Around 100 countries are now exploring the potential development and issuance of a central bank digital currency (CBDC), and the challenges and opportunities identified by these research projects reveal a need for “increased international information-sharing of insights learned”, according to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) report... More
EMVCo reveals plans to extend specifications and testing programmes
EMVCo is to launch an initiative to evaluate the role of wireless technologies not yet covered in its specifications — including Wi-Fi, ultra wideband (UWB), Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and mobile data — in creating “flexible and convenient payment experiences”, the technical body’s annual report reveals... More