Shipments of NFC-ready POS terminals reached 47.8m units globally in 2019, bringing the total to 100.4m worldwide, according to Berg Insight... More
Berg Insight releases contactless POS terminal market stats
Brazil
Brazil to launch national instant payments system
Brazil’s central bank will turn on a national instant payments network in November that will allow consumers to make payments and transfers “in a few seconds, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including between accounts of different institutions” using QR codes, NFC, their mobile phone number, email address or taxpayer ID... More
Sao Paulo to roll out contactless payments across bus network
All buses in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo will accept payments via Mastercard and Visa contactless cards, Samsung Pay, Apple Pay and Google Pay by the end of this year, local business magazine Exame reports... More
eMarketer identifies top countries for mobile payments adoption
China remains the country with by far the highest mobile payments adoption rate, with 81.1% of smartphone owners making use of the technology, eMarketer reports... More
Nissan to build RFID payments into all cars sold in Brazil
All Nissan vehicles manufactured in Brazil are to come factory-installed with Sem Parar RFID tags, enabling them to be used to make in-vehicle payments for electronic tolls, car parking, fuel and retail transactions — including at McDonald’s drive-thrus across the country... More
Lojas Americanas opens checkout-free automated convenience stores in Brazil
Lojas Americanas, Brazil’s largest retailer, has opened the first of a series of Ame Go convenience stores that use a combination of smart shelf sensors, overhead cameras and QR-enabled entry and exit barriers to remove the need to install physical checkout stations... More
Visa sets out payments innovation plans for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
Visa sets sights on a ‘Cashless Japan’ with one year to go to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 — Visa — “At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Visa offered a payment-enabled ring to its Team Visa athletes. At the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, Visa commercially sold wearable products, such as gloves and lapel pins, enabled to make payments over contactless payment readers. For Tokyo 2020, Visa is exploring payment innovations ranging from biometric payment authentication and wearables to new mobile applications which will include digitally-issued cards.”
Samsung Pay reports 80% increase in registered users in Brazil
Samsung Pay celebrates three years in Brazil with great results — Samsung (translation) — “The excellent results of the last 12 months indicate growth of 50% and increase of more than 100% in registered cards. In addition, the monthly number of active users increased by 80% and the number of transactions grew by more than 260% in the same period.”
MetroRio launches contactless transit ticketing payments in Brazil
Brazilian transit operator MetroRio, which runs the Rio de Janeiro Metro, has begun the rollout of contactless payments in partnership with Visa, Banco do Brasil, Bradesco and Cielo, becoming the first transit operator in the world to use the new Visa Secure Access Module (SAM) technology as part of the project... More
Itaú Unibanco unveils low cost instant QR payments service in Brazil
Brazil’s Itau Unibanco to launch new payments app using QR code — Reuters — “Merchants using Iti will pay a fee of 1% per transaction and will receive payments instantly… The app also does not require merchants to buy or rent card reader machines… Itaú is also considering offering investments, loans and insurance products through the new app.”
WhatsApp Payments to launch in UK, Mexico and Brazil?
WhatsApp Payments reportedly coming to Mexico, Brazil, UK next — NDTV — “According to WABetaInfo, a prolific tipster of upcoming WhatsApp features, three countries — Brazil, Mexico, and [the] UK — will be getting WhatsApp Payments next… The service was introduced in beta in India last year but is yet to roll out to all users in the country because of regulatory hurdles.”
Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to launch Brics Pay mobile payment service
Five-currency basket: Brics countries create a single payment service — Izvestia (translation) — “One of the likely scenarios for the project is the creation of a special online wallet that will unite the payment systems of all the Brics countries… The common wallet will work in the same way as existing payment services, such as Apple Pay or Samsung Pay. To this end, a separate cloud platform will be created that will connect the national payment systems of the five countries.”
Visa’s SAM makes metro turnstiles contactless
Visa and payments hardware specialist Planeta Informatica have come up with an easy way to add contactless payments at public transit turnstiles... More
Apple Pay goes live in Brazil
Apple Pay arrives in Brazil, partnering with Itaú Unibanco — Reuters — “Apple Inc’s mobile payment platform Apple Pay arrived in Brazil on Wednesday with an exclusive partnership with Itaú Unibanco Holding SA, the country’s largest private lender. The bank said Apple Pay will be available during the 90-day exclusive period to Itaú’s roughly 1.2 million card holders who also own an iPhone 6 or higher. Under the terms of the partnership, Brazilian retailers such as GPA SA will offer discounts on purchases using Apple Pay.”
Apple Pay to launch in Brazil ‘soon’
Apple Pay expanding to Brazil soon — MacRumors — “Apple Pay is set to expand to Brazil later this year, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed in today’s first quarter earnings call. While Apple didn’t provide an exact date for the launch of Apple Pay in Brazil, Cook did say it would come soon… Apple Pay grew 50% year-over-year, and it is now accepted at more than half of all retail locations in the United States, and at two-thirds of the country’s top retailers. Global Apple Pay purchase volume was also up.”
Apple Pay about to go live in Brazil?
Bank documentation hints at Brazilian Apple Pay launch — AppleInsider — “Documentation seen by Itau Unibanco customers on Monday suggest Apple is on the verge of launching Apple Pay in Brazil, which was first rumored to gain access to the mobile payments service nearly two years ago.”
Brazil to introduce multifunction driver’s licenses that can be read with an NFC phone
New Brazilian driving licence adopts Cipurse specification from OSPT Alliance — OSPT Alliance — “The technology on the new card has many benefits including allowing law enforcement officers to read the data on the card via an NFC smartphone app, in any location, and quickly coordinate with other agencies across related systems. Additionally, banks can use fingerprint authentication to grant access to services and credit, and local public transportation solutions can also be implemented on the card.”
Android Pay goes live in Czech Republic and Brazil
Android Pay goes local in Ukraine, Czech Republic, Brazil and Slovakia — Google — “A few weeks ago, we launched Android Pay in Ukraine. Today, it’s available in Czech Republic and Brazil, and soon it’ll be live in Slovakia, too.”
Brazilian fintech Trigg offers wearable payments bracelet to cardholders
Trigg launches a bracelet that works like a credit card — Visa Brazil (Translation) — “The bracelet is elastic silicone, waterproof and was designed for an audience that wants a payment method that speeds up the shopping process and can be used during sports activities, while enjoying a swim on the beach, paying for a manicure or even while enjoying a show, without worrying about needing a physical wallet.”
Banco Bradesco customers get mobile-only banking
Customers of Brazil’s Banco Bradesco can now open new accounts, send money, split payments with friends, keep track of their spending and manage their finances directly on their mobile phones using a new digital platform that the bank has launched with the aim of introducing a “more intuitive and transparent experience to younger, hyper-connected customers”... More