WeChat Pay operator Tencent is working with China UnionPay on the adoption of a common QR code that will allow merchants to use the same code to accept payments from both companies’ mobile payment services, Caixin Global reports... More
- New York City bans cashless stores
- China publishes face recognition payments guidelines
- India requires banks to let cardholders opt in to contactless payments
- Huawei Pay expands to Pakistan
- One million Brits now use open banking
CIMB lets merchants accept payments on standard Android NFC phones
Merchants in Malaysia can now use an off-the-shelf Android NFC smartphone and an app developed by CIMB Bank to accept debit card payments valued at up to RM250 (US$61.08) — with no additional hardware required. More
Central bank pilots digital currency in the Bahamas
The Central Bank of The Bahamas has begun pilot testing a digital version of the Bahamian dollar that uses QR codes to let users make payments and transfer funds using their smartphones... More
ExxonMobil to let drivers use Alexa to pay for fuel at gas stations across the US
Drivers pulling into any of more than 11,500 Exxon and Mobil gas stations across the US will be able to pay for their fuel from their vehicles from later this year, by simply saying “Alexa, pay for gas”... More
Koho issues metal contactless cards in Canada
Canadian neobank Koho has introduced a limited edition metal card that includes both contact and contactless functionality... More
Westpac begins Apple Pay rollout
Westpac, the last of the major Australian banks to hold out against the introduction of Apple Pay, has switched on support for the mobile payments service for customers of three of its smaller brands and has announced it will roll out support to its main customer base by June 2020. More
Deutsche Bank issues dynamic CVV cards in Spain
Customers of Deutsche Bank in Spain can now apply for a card that replaces the traditional, printed CVV number with a small screen integrated into the back of the card that displays a new CVV every four hours... More
EBA Clearing publishes pan-European request to pay specs
EBA Clearing delivers specifications for a pan-European request to pay infrastructure solution — EBA Clearing — “A pan-European request to pay approach is seen as the missing piece of the puzzle for market players to create innovative payment products and services for their customers that leverage real-time messaging, the SEPA schemes and existing cost-efficient payment infrastructures, and that can be used across Europe.”
Sweden’s central bank to test digital currency
Riksbank develops an e-krona in a test environment — Riksbank — “During the first year of the e-krona pilot project, a technical platform will be developed with a user interface that enables, for instance, payment with the e-krona from a mobile phone, a card and a watch. The platform will also contain simulations of payment service providers, retail outlets and other parts of the Swedish payment system.”
Juniper forecasts 161m contactless POS terminals by 2024
Contactless point of sale installed base to exceed 161m by 2024 — Juniper Research — “New data from Juniper Research forecasts that the installed base of contactless-enabled POS (Point of Sale) devices will exceed 161m by 2024; growing from 78m in 2019. Contactless POS devices will then be 94% of all POS devices in use.”
Chinese fraudsters turn to QR codes to spread Trojans and viruses
QR code scams rise in China, putting e-payment security in spotlight — South China Morning Post — “By replacing legitimate merchants’ codes with malevolent copies, fraudsters can gain access to consumers’ data and even raid their bank accounts… According to one senior official and technology expert, almost a quarter of Trojans — malicious programs disguised as benign software – and other viruses are transmitted though QR codes.”
Report: US retailers must pay a premium for Apple Card transactions
Retailers don’t like paying the fees for your Apple Card — Bloomberg — “The card, marketed by Apple and backed by Goldman Sachs Group Inc, is designated ‘elite’, which allows it to levy significantly higher interchange fees on each swipe or tap… The cards have long irked retailers. They have no choice but to pay the higher fees for elite plastic if they want to accept any of a network’s credit cards.”
German savings banks switch on support for Apple Pay
Savings banks introduce Apple Pay — Der Spiegel (translation) — “After much hesitation, the savings banks and additional German banks are now offering the Apple Pay mobile payment service… 371 out of a total of 379 German savings banks have now introduced the digital payment service. More than 50 million people can use the service immediately.”
Interflora lets customers use Alexa to order and pay for flowers
‘Alexa, send flowers’: Order a bouquet in time for Christmas using only your voice — Interflora — “Global flower delivery company Interflora has become the first UK retail brand to launch a complete end-to-end ‘V-commerce’ service, with just one simple voice-based transaction making it possible to send flowers via Alexa and check out with Amazon Pay, all without lifting a finger.”
Mastercard pilots decentralized digital identities
Mastercard brings digital identity to real world tests — Mastercard — “The pilot will test a new way for people to prove their identity without having to carry multiple documents. Instead, the model allows the data to sit with its rightful owner — the user. It will activate a distributed model that blends information stored on an individual’s mobile device and verified by additional reference points, such as an individual’s bank or participating government agencies.”
PicWicToys lets shoppers skip the checkout lines
Toy retailer PicWicToys, which took over the French stores of Toys ’R’ Us last year, has introduced a mobile self-checkout solution designed to ease the strain of shopping with children, by letting customers avoid waiting in a queue to check out and pay for their purchases... More
Chinese banks and carriers to pilot central bank digital currency
China’s central bank likely to pilot digital currency in cities of Shenzhen and Suzhou — Coindesk — “The People’s Bank of China is said to be preparing to launch pilots for its digital currency in at least two major cities. The tests are likely to include the participation of state-owned partners. These comprise the ‘Big Four’ commercial banks — the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of China, China Construction Bank and the Agricultural Bank of China — and three telcos: China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom.”
Danish office workers pilot face recognition payments
Nets trials face payments in Copenhagen — Nets — “Around 1,000 people — all working at Vibenshuset, an office community of 25 companies in Copenhagen — can sign up to participate in the pilot. By linking their face with their employee ID card, they can now pay for their lunch using their face at Kokkenes Køkken’s cafeteria.”
Canadian credit unions add Google Pay support for domestic debit cards
Canadian credit unions expand mobile payments with Interac Debit on Google Pay — Canadian Credit Union Association — “The Canadian Credit Union Association (CCUA) announced today that Access Credit Union (MB), Affinity Credit Union (SK), Assiniboine Credit Union (MB), Innovation Credit Union (SK), Prospera Credit Union (BC), Servus Credit Union (AB) and Steinbach Credit Union (MB) are the first credit unions in Canada to launch Interac Debit on Google Pay.”
One in three Canadians make mobile contactless payments ‘on a regular basis’
Canadians rapidly adopting new payments channels — Payments Canada — “Contactless payments grew 30% year over year from 2017-2018 with a total of 4.1bn contactless payments (card and mobile) worth CA$129.9bn (US$98.58bn) at the point of sale (POS)… Mobile devices were used by nearly 35% of Canadians for contactless payments on a regular basis in 2018.”
