Swedish developers have demonstrated how an NFC chip implanted in a user’s hand or arm can be used to store a digital version of their Covid vaccination or test certificate... More
Author archive:
Moscow Metro rolls out virtual Troika transit card
Moscow Metro has officially launched the digital version of its Troika transit card, enabling Android users to pay their fares on public transport services across the Russian capital by tapping their smartphone at a turnstile or validator... More
NFC Forum adds certification for Car Connectivity Consortium digital car keys and wireless charging
The NFC Forum has added certification for digital car keys that let users unlock and start their vehicle with an NFC-enabled smartphone — even when the smartphone battery is dead — to its newly released CR13 product certification program... More
French government investigates fake Covid-19 vaccination certificates
As many as 110,000 fake digital and paper-based Covid-19 vaccination and test certificates are in circulation in France and more than 400 separate investigations into the generation of fraudulent ‘pass sanitaire’ health passes are underway, France’s Ministry of the Interior has revealed... More
MTA to pilot weekly fare capping for Omny contactless ticketing
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York has confirmed that it is to pilot weekly fare capping for passengers using the Omny open loop ticketing system on its subway, bus and Staten Island Railway services... More
Survey reveals ‘sharp difference’ between consumer attitudes to CBDCs in emerging and developed markets
More than nine in 10 consumers in Nigeria (91%) and six in 10 consumers in Indonesia (60%) would be likely to use a central bank digital currency (CBDC) compared with less than 24% in the US and 14% in Germany, according to a report by Giesecke+Devrient and the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF)... More
JCB demos offline machine-to-machine payments using NFC
Japanese payments network JCB has demonstrated a machine-to-machine payments infrastructure that enables merchants to conditionally accept NFC payments even when both purchaser and merchant are offline... More
Israeli supermarket chain to roll out scan-free self-checkout ‘smart carts’
Customers at Machsanei Hashuk supermarkets across Israel will soon be able to select and place items they want to buy in a self-checkout “smart cart”, receive personalised recommendations, product information and promotions via an on-cart screen, and pay for their purchases without needing to scan them or use a checkout... More
New York Mets to roll out contactless facial ticketing and access control at Citi Field ballpark
Fans of the New York Mets baseball team in the US will soon be able to gain entry to the team’s Citi Field stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York City, by verifying their identity with their face and without needing to show a paper ticket or their smartphone... More
Developers unveil ultra-thin NFC-powered paper piano
Developers in Austria have produced an ultra-thin paper piano with a miniature NFC chip that connects the device to a companion mobile app, enabling a user to play a tune on it via their smartphone... More
Apple digital room keys go live at Hyatt hotels
Apple users staying at six Hyatt hotels in the US can now use a digital key stored in Wallet to unlock their room and gain access to lifts, gyms, pools and other secured areas with a tap of their iPhone or Apple Watch and without needing to open an app or handle a plastic key card... More
JR East launches contactless coffee shop with AI-powered robot barista
Rail passengers at Tokyo and Yokohama stations in Japan can now order, collect and pay for coffee made by a six-armed AI-powered robot barista — known as Ella — at a fully automated contactless coffee shop... More
Apple files patent applications for sharing passes, accounts and credentials between devices
Apple has filed a series of patent applications relating to the sharing and use of secure credentials such as tickets, passes, accounts and payments card information that includes proposed methods and systems for provisioning such credentials to second user devices... More
More than half of Asia Pacific consumers make digital payments at least once a week
Nine in 10 consumers in the Asia Pacific region have used mobile payment apps at least once during the past 12 months, while more than half have used digital payment methods at least once a week and a sixth have made a digital payment for the first time since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic (15%), according to research published by Kaspersky... More
Majority of Europeans would be happy with contactless transaction limits of up to €150
The majority of European consumers would feel comfortable with contactless transaction limits of up to €150 (US$169), three times the current European Union limit of €50 (US$56), according to Payments Europe research... More
Santander lets UK customers set own contactless transaction limit
Customers of Santander bank in the UK can now set their own contactless transaction limit lower than the maximum of £100 (US$132) introduced by the UK government in October... More
Singapore rewards transit users for open loop contactless fare payments
Passengers travelling on public transport services in Singapore can now participate in a game to earn reward points for making open loop contactless fare payments by tapping their bank card or mobile wallet on an onboard reader or station gate... More
JFK International Airport gets contactless grab-and-go convenience store
Passengers using Terminal 4 at New York’s JFK International Airport in New York can now purchase food and beverages from a contactless grab-and-go convenience store without needing to scan their purchases or use a checkout... More
Google Pay goes live in Israel
Google Pay has launched in Israel with support for cards issued by the country’s major banks and payments card issuers... More
Eurostar begins biometric ticketing pilot
Passengers travelling on Eurostar rail services from London’s St Pancras International station to continental Europe will be able to complete pre-departure ticket and passport checks before they arrive at the terminus via biometric face recognition technology, enabling them to board the train using face verification alone... More