Android Pay will be rolled out to a number of additional countries including Brazil, Canada, Russia, Spain and Taiwan over the “coming months”, Google’s director of engineering for payment products Varouj Chitilian has revealed... More
- Bank of China lets taxi drivers accept central bank digital currency payments on NFC mobile phones
- Juniper forecasts 25% increase in POS terminal transaction values by 2028
- STMicroelectronics launches NFC tag chip with elliptic curve cryptography
- NFC Forum survey finds majority of consumers now prefer making payments with their mobile phone
- Hello, NFCW readers!
Govt eyes private sector access to national facial recognition service
Govt eyes private sector access to national facial recognition service — Computerworld Australia — “Within the Attorney-General’s Department there’s a view that private sector access to the government’s national facial recognition system would represent a ‘natural progression’ of its development. Andrew Rice, AGD assistant secretary, Cyber and Identity Security Branch, today said that there would be proof of concept opportunities for private sector access to the system in FY17-18.”
Android O will focus on ‘vitals’ like battery life and speed, first beta launches today
Android O will focus on ‘vitals’ like battery life and speed, first beta launches today — The Verge — “For security, Google is introducing a new feature called Google Play Protect. Google already scans apps in the Play Store to make sure they aren’t malicious, but now it’s going to make that more visible by showing that your phone’s apps have recently been scanned when you’re in the Store.”
Google to let users make in-app and online payments with any stored card and add P2P payments to digital assistant
Google has unveiled a new payment API that will allow customers to make payments through third party mobile apps, websites and the company’s voice-based Google Assistant using “any credit or debit card stored in their Google account” from across a range of services including Android Pay, Google Play and Google Chrome. The API will also let customers use a stored card to complete transactions via a new peer-to-peer (P2P) payments feature that will be added to the digital assistant. More
Square will replace meters in Washington taxis
Square will replace meters in Washington taxis — Bloomberg — “The overhaul of the city’s cab system will help drivers compete with Uber… By the end of August, all of the taxis in Washington have to tear out their traditional meters and start using smartphones or tablets, in what the city government has been describing as a complete reimagining of how the cab system works.”
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Safaricom, Vodacom deal clears the path for M-Pesa growth
Safaricom, Vodacom deal clears the path for M-Pesa growth — Business Daily Africa — “The African subsidiary of British multinational Vodafone is set to take over 35 per cent ownership of Safaricom in a share swap deal that could pave the way for a more rapid spread of M-Pesa across the continent.”
Sprint to support next generation IoT devices across its nationwide network
Sprint to support next generation IoT devices across its nationwide network — Sprint — “LTE Cat 1 is designed to support low-power applications on the Sprint network such as vehicle telematics and industrial IoT applications. LTE Cat M1 and LTE Cat NB1 are designed to support numerous other applications requiring ultra-low throughput and power consumption such as industrial sensors, asset trackers, or wearables.”
NXP links Android Things IoT platform to the Google Cloud
NXP has announced that its Android Things platform now supports the new Google Cloud IoT Core, enabling enterprise and city developers to use NXP’s platform “to help create a smart, interconnected system of devices that are securely managed and provisioned through the Google Cloud”. More
Rambus to demonstrate CryptoManager IoT Device Management with STMicroelectronics
Rambus to demonstrate CryptoManager IoT Device Management with STMicroelectronics — PARTNER NEWS — “Joint demonstration at IoT World showcases secure IoT device connectivity, monitoring and provisioning… Rambus and STMicroelectronics are working together to greatly simplify provisioning and device management for IoT OEMs and service providers.”
No need to schlep wallet, keys at Universal’s new water park
No need to schlep wallet, keys at Universal’s new water park — The Associated Press — “Universal is debuting a new wristband that can pay for food, open lockers, trigger special effects, set spending limits on the kids and, most importantly, eliminate waiting in lines by sending alerts when it’s your turn for a ride… Unlike Disney’s wristbands, Universal’s Tapu Tapu wristbands have screens on which visitors can get text alerts or see images, and they also vibrate.”
Disconnected experiences put customer loyalty at risk
Disconnected experiences put customer loyalty at risk — MuleSoft — “Nearly half of UK consumers (48 per cent) would be happy for banks to share their banking transaction history with a trusted third-party if it gave them a more personalised banking experience… Nearly a third (30 per cent) of UK respondents would consider using Amazon, Google, Facebook or Apple for banking services if it was offered, rather than using their standard bank.”
Apple Pay launches in Italy with support from UniCredit and Carrefour Banca
Apple Pay has begun rolling out across Italy with support for Mastercard and Visa cards issued by Carrefour Banca and UniCredit, with American Express, CartaBCC, ExpendiaSmart, Fineco Bank, Hype, Banca Mediolanum, N26 and Widiba listed as “coming this year”. The launch takes Apple Pay to a total of 16 markets globally. More
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Mastercard is becoming the ticket to ride in more than 80 global cities
Mastercard is becoming the ticket to ride in more than 80 global cities — Mastercard — “With a Mastercard in their wallet, more and more people have a go-to transit pass for the city they’re in,” said Ian Slater, senior vice president, enterprise partnerships, Mastercard. “In today’s connected world, having to figure out a new ticketing system every time people visit a new city is the opposite of a seamless experience.”
China’s biggest mobile payment service launches in Toronto
China’s biggest mobile payment service launches in Toronto — Tourism Toronto — “Tourism Toronto announced today a new strategic partnership with OTT Financial Group that introduces the Chinese mobile payment service, WeChat Pay, into local tourism businesses to boost travel and shopping consumption by Chinese travellers.”
Capital One forays into digital ID, aiming to leverage KYC know-how
Capital One forays into digital ID, aiming to leverage KYC know-how — American Banker — “Capital One is one of the first in the US to test if businesses will pay banks to check users’ identities, and if consumers will sign into websites through their banks the way they use social media accounts.”
Tikkie passes half a million users
Tikkie passes half a million users — ABN Amro — “Less than a year after it was first introduced, pay-back app Tikkie has reached and passed the landmark of half a million users. This makes Tikkie the fastest-growing payment app in the Netherlands.”
Seat and Saba promote the creation of the connected car ecosystem
Seat and Saba promote the creation of the connected car ecosystem — Seat — “The partners are studying the way to offer a mobile reservation and payment system for parking spaces… The collaboration lays the foundation for projects like Parkfinder 2.0, which will enable both companies to offer drivers real-time information on which parking spaces are available and recommend a car park according [to] the real needs of each client.”
Delta is testing facial recognition technology, plans first biometric-based self-service bag drop in US
Delta is testing facial recognition technology, plans first biometric-based self-service bag drop in US — Delta — “Delta is introducing four self-service bag drop machines at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport this summer… One machine will be equipped to test facial recognition technology to match customers with their passport photos through identification verification, a first for US carriers.”
In cashless Sweden, even God now takes collection via an app
In cashless Sweden, even God now takes collection via an app — Bloomberg — “A growing number of Swedish parishes have started taking donations via mobile apps… Most of the country’s bank branches have stopped handling cash; some shops and museums now only accept plastic; and even Stockholm’s homeless have started accepting cards as payment for their magazine.”
Samsung Pay goes live in the UK with iris scan authentication and faster transit payments
Samsung Pay is now available in the UK for customers of three financial institutions — MBNA, Nationwide and Santander — with “more on the way”. The service supports iris scan authentication as well as PIN and fingerprint authentication for Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ owners and offers a ‘transport card’ option designed to speed up transactions on busy Transport for London (TfL) services. More