Square has bought Kili Technology, the Canada-based mPOS startup that acquired NFC-on-microSD pioneer DeviceFidelity in November 2014... More
Canada
MasterCard reports on HCE payments tests in 15 countries
MasterCard is currently conducting more than 25 host card emulation (HCE) projects in 15 countries, the payments network has announced, with multiple issuers now moving close to commercial deployments... More
Nintendo sells 5.7m NFC figurines
The US and Canada accounted for 63% of a total 5.7m NFC-enabled Nintendo Amiibo figurines sold at the end of 2014, followed by Europe in second place with 23%, Japan with 11% and Australia with 3%... More
Evaluating NFC security strategies webinar: See it now on NFC World+
NFC World’s “Evaluating NFC security strategies: The role of the secure element in the evolving NFC landscape” webinar is now available to view online... More
Apple Pay set to go live in Canada?
Apple Pay could be available in Canada within the next two months and the company is already in talks with partners to launch the mobile payment service in the country, 9to5mac reports... More
OnStar to deliver offers to drivers on the move
OnStar, a General Motors subsidiary that provides subscription-based in car communications, security, navigation and remote diagnostics throughout the US, Canada and China, is to roll out an extension to its platform that will enable retailers to send drivers coupons tied to their specific destinations. More
RBC adds HCE to mobile payments app
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has added support for host card emulation (HCE) to its RBC mobile app, “allowing Canadians to pay with most Android mobile phones without worrying about being on the right mobile network or having the right SIM card.”... More
Join NFC World for a free webinar on NFC security strategies
The next event in NFC World’s free educational webinar series will be held at 15:00 GMT on Tuesday 20 January and will focus on how to select the right security strategy for your NFC service... More
TD Bank partners with Moven
Toronto-Dominion Bank is expected to announce a partnership with New York based banking app maker Moven to help its customers use their smartphones to keep track of every purchase they make, The Globe and Mail reports... More
Scotiabank adds smartwatch app
Canada’s Scotiabank has launched a Quick Balance app for the Samsung Gear 2 and Samsung Gear S smartwatches that lets customers check their account balance with a swipe of the screen... More
Swirl reports positive consumer feedback on in-store beacon offers
Six in ten (60%) shoppers who receive a beacon-triggered message while shopping in a store open and engage with the content and 30% redeem beacon-triggered offers at the point of sale, analysis by Bluetooth beacon offers platform Swirl has found... More
Ugo launches open NFC payments and rewards wallet in Canada
Ugo, an open NFC mobile wallet developed by Canadian banks President’s Choice Financial and TD Bank Group, is now available to customers of all three major Canadian carriers who own one of a range of supported BlackBerry 10 and Android NFC devices... More
65% of Canadians plan to make mobile payments
Almost seven in ten Canadian smartphone owners (68%) are aware of NFC or QR codes and 65% are likely to make NFC or QR payments over the next six months, research by Visa Canada has revealed... More
Canada plans new mobile payment regs
The Canadian government is preparing to give merchants the ability to refuse to accept a particular NFC payment service if it attracts higher than usual fees — should that situation ever arise in the future, a document obtained by the WSJ reveals... More
40% of North Americans use mobile payments
40% of US and Canadian consumers have now used their smartphone to make a payment at a merchant location, up from 16% two years ago, according to Accenture’s 2014 North America Consumer Payments Survey... More
Canadian banks pilot biometric wristband payments
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), MasterCard and other Canadian issuing banks have begun pilot testing an NFC version of Nymi, a biometrically authenticated wristband that uses the wearer’s unique cardiac rhythm to verify their identity. More
23% of Canadians have made a mobile payment
Almost a quarter of Canadians (23%) have now made a mobile payment in-store with nearly a third (29%) having used their device to make an online purchase, new research from PayPal Canada has found... More
Hailo reports on BLE payments in taxis
Pay with Hailo, a service that uses Apple’s iBeacon technology to let users of the Hailo taxi hailing app pay drivers with their smartphone, is experiencing “steady growth”, Naoise Irwin, the company’s VP of strategic initiatives, has told NFC World+ — and Hailo now plans to roll out the service across its growing international network... More
RBC expands cloud-based NFC wallet to BlackBerry and Virgin
Royal Bank of Canada’s cloud-based NFC wallet is now available to Virgin Mobile subscribers and to customers with a BlackBerry Z10 or Z30 mobile phone, the bank has announced... More
Desjardins launches NFC payments in Canada
An NFC mobile payments service is now available to customers of Quebec-based financial institution Desjardins Group... More