NFC labels attached to disposable insulin pens are enabling diabetes patients who self-administer regular insulin injections to ensure that they adhere to their therapy plans as well as receiving interactive guidance and assistance with their treatment... More
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Visa reports 1bn extra contactless transactions in Europe since payment limit rises
Visa has processed 1bn additional PIN-less, touch-free payments since 29 countries across Europe increased contactless transaction limits in response to the Covid-19 pandemic last year, the card network reports... More
US Army looks to replace plastic ID cards with biometric authentication
The US Army is aiming to introduce a biometric identification and access control system at military facilities to replace its current smartcard-based Common Access Card (CAC) and reduce the risk of transmitting Covid-19 through the handling of physical cards... More
NFC-enabled smart bandage aids healing, could detect Covid-19 symptoms, researchers say
Researchers at the University of Glasgow have developed a smart bandage incorporating wireless sensors and an NFC tag that can monitor a patient’s temperature and skin strain level, apply pressure to help a wound heal and transmit data to healthcare providers via a smartphone app... More
More than 100m Americans to make an in-store mobile payment in 2021
The number of American consumers using their smartphone to make in-store mobile payments will reach 101.2 million in 2021 following a 29% increase in usage during 2020, according to an eMarketer forecast... More
East Caribbean Central Bank launches digital currency
Residents of Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Saint Lucia and St Kitts and Nevis can now pay for goods and services and make peer-to-peer money transfers from their smartphones using the East Caribbean Central Bank’s DCash central bank digital currency (CBDC)... More
Developers adopt NFC tags to encourage plastic recycling
Consumers may soon be able to collect rewards at smart recycling points and kerbside collections for recycling plastic bottles and other reusable packaging fitted with NFC labels that uniquely identify each item... More
Chinese banks roll out digital yuan wallets
Customers of all six state-owned Chinese banks can now apply for test versions of the banks’ digital yuan wallets as the country rolls out the next phase of its central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot programme in the city of Changsha... More
GSMA reports ‘dramatic acceleration’ in mobile money transactions
The number of registered mobile money accounts globally grew by 13% in 2020 to reach a total of more than 1.2bn, according to research by the GSMA... More
Thai and Vietnamese central banks roll out cross-border QR payments
The Bank of Thailand and the State Bank of Vietnam have launched an interoperable cross-border payments system that will enable Thai visitors to Vietnam and Vietnamese visitors to Thailand to make QR code-based payments for goods and services using their mobile banking app... More
Afterpay launches virtual card for ‘buy now, pay later’ in-store purchases
Consumers in Australia can now make payments for in-store purchases using a digital card issued by buy now, pay later (BNPL) service Afterpay that lets them automatically pay for their purchases in four equal instalments... More
Visa settles first transaction in digital currency
Visa has become the first major payments network to settle a transaction with an issuing or acquiring partner by exchanging funds in digital currency rather than in traditional fiat currency... More
Apple Pay goes live in South Africa
Apple Pay has rolled out in South Africa with support for Visa cards issued by Absa and Discovery Bank and for Visa, Mastercard and American Express cards issued by Nedbank... More
Sydney integrates digital Opal card with rideshare services
Commuters in Sydney, Australia, will soon be able to use a digital version of their Opal transit card to pay for taxi fares and rideshare services and earn credit towards the cost of public transportation services they then transfer to... More
European Central Bank reports growth in demand for cash during pandemic
The total value of euro banknotes in circulation rose during the Covid-19 pandemic from €1.3tn (US$1.5tn) at the end of 2019 to €1.4tn (US$1.7tn) at the end of 2020, the European Central Bank (ECB) reports... More
Delhi Metro lets passengers top up their transit cards at fare gates
Passengers travelling on Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) services in India can now top up their contactless AutoPe DMRC transit cards at the network’s automatic fare collection gates... More
Disney pilots face recognition for entry to Magic Kingdom theme park
Visitors to the Magic Kingdom theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida can now test a contactless biometric system that enables them to gain entry to the attraction by verifying their identity with their face... More
Apple to use iris biometrics for virtual reality payments?
Apple may incorporate iris scanning functionality in a forthcoming head-mounted display (HMD) mixed-reality headset that will enable users to authenticate their identity when using Apple Pay to make payments via the “mostly virtual reality device”, according to MacRumors... More
US city leverages QR codes for contactless Easter egg hunt
Children in Texarkana on the Texas-Arkansas border in the USA can now take part in a contactless Easter egg hunt by looking for special eggs with scannable QR codes that have been hidden in parks, family-friendly businesses and public locations across the city... More
Google launches Android Ready SE Alliance to drive adoption of digital credentials
Google has joined with secure element (SE) vendors to launch the Android Ready SE Alliance to accelerate the adoption of new use cases for Android devices including digital car keys and mobile IDs... More