Audi drivers in North America will soon be able to use a factory-installed RFID module to make in-vehicle toll payments across the country... More
Audi to integrate in-vehicle toll payments into ‘nearly all’ its US 2021 models
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Apple files digital identity credentials patent
Apple has filed a patent application with the US Patent and Trademark Office for a digital identity credential system that would enable users to securely store and present documents such as their passport or driving licence digitally on their electronic and mobile devices... More
Central banks set out ground rules for digital currencies
A working group set up by seven central banks and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has laid out a set of ground rules for the successful issuance of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs)... More
PBOC distributes digital currency to consumers via red envelope lottery
Consumers in the city of Shenzhen are being offered the opportunity to win one of 50,000 ‘red envelopes’ containing 200 digital yuan (US$29.65) that they can spend at any of more than 3,000 retail outlets in the city that now accept China’s central bank digital currency (CBDC)... More
Garanti BBVA launches mobile-first credit card
Customers of Turkish bank Garanti BBVA can now apply for a mobile-first credit card which combines a mobile wallet that supports QR and mobile payments with a ‘blank’ physical card that comes without a printed credit card number, expiration date or CVC code printed on it... More
Bank of Korea to test central bank digital currency
The Bank of Korea (BOK) is to issue and circulate a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in 2021 to test its viability as an alternative to cash and other forms of transaction... More
Krispy Kreme pilots contactless doughnut vending machine
Krispy Kreme customers in Charlotte, South Carolina in the US, can now use their mobile device to buy selected variety packs of doughnuts from an automated cash-free vending machine that is in operation 24 hours a day... More
Ann Arbor transit authority joins regional mobile ticketing service
Passengers using public transport in the greater Ann Arbor area of Michigan in the USA can now buy tickets and passes on services operated by TheRide area transportation authority using the EZfare mobile ticketing app... More
S&P reports on the mobile payments market in China
While Alipay and WeChat Pay have by far the largest number of mobile payments users in China overall, younger and more affluent consumers are more likely to use less well known services such as Du Xiaoman Pay and QQ Wallet, an in-depth market analysis by S&P Global has found... More
Digital wallet user base to increase to 4bn by 2024
The number of digital wallet users globally will increase from 2.3bn in 2019 to 4bn in 2024 and global non-cash transactions will grow to nearly 1.1tn in 2023 from 708.5bn in 2019, according to the World Payments Report 2020... More
ECB launches feasibility study into instant cross-currency merchant payments in Europe
Swedish consumers could be able to make and receive low-cost instant cross-currency transactions to and from any euro area country via the Target Instant Payment Settlement (TIPS) platform once the Swedish kronor joins the platform in May 2022... More
PBOC reports results of central bank digital currency pilot
More than 113,000 Chinese consumers have now used a digital wallet supporting “multiple payment methods, including barcode, facial recognition and tap-and-go transactions” to conduct a transaction using China’s new central bank digital currency, the People’s Bank of China has revealed. More
Chick-fil-A adds NFC check-ins at university campus locations
Students using Chick-fil-A’s mobile ordering service at the fast-food chain’s on-campus outlets at 15 universities in the USA can now check-in to pick up their order by tapping an NFC tag installed on posters inside the restaurant... More
Pasmo adds support for Apple Pay Express Transit in Japan
Pasmo transportation card holders in Japan can now use Apple Pay Express Transit to pay for their transit fares and other Pasmo-supported transactions using their iPhone or Apple Watch... More
Collectable coin grading service combats counterfeiting with NFC
Collectors, investors and dealers in rare and valuable coins, banknotes, medals and tokens can now verify the authenticity of items certified by the US-based Professional Coin Grading Service by tapping an NFC chip embedded in PCGS holders with their smartphone... More
Renfe to roll out contactless ticketing across Spain’s suburban rail network
Passengers using suburban rail services in Spain’s 12 largest metropolitan areas will soon be able to use their physical or digital contactless bank card to pay for their fares on EMV readers installed in station turnstiles... More
Venmo combines contactless and QR payments on a single credit card
Users of PayPal-owned P2P payments app Venmo can now apply for a credit card that includes both a contactless payments chip and a printed QR code that they can use to receive P2P payments and share bills with friends... More
Walmart redesigns its stores for contactless shopping
US retail giant Walmart has unveiled a new store design that leverages mobile wayfinding and self-checkout kiosks to create “a digitally enabled shopping experience”... More
German cooperative bank pilots NFC kiosks that turn branches into one-stop service points
Customers of Volksbank Raiffeisenbank in Germany are taking part in the pilot of a self-service terminal designed to drive new revenue streams by making a wide range of additional services available in bank branches... More
European Central Bank sets out case for a digital euro
The introduction of a digital euro “would support Europe’s drive towards continued innovation”, “strengthen the international role of the euro” and provide consumers with “free access to a simple, universally accepted, risk-free and trusted means of payment”, according to a new report published by the European Central Bank (ECB)... More