What's New in Payments

Taiwanese banks sign up for NFC

Twenty seven banks have signed up to use an NFC payments hub being introduced by Taiwan Mobile Payment Co (TWMP), a joint venture formed in July 2014 by three Taiwanese banking groups that will work with local carriers to enable the banks to securely provision customers’ card details to their NFC phones... More



NFC World

MIT researchers unveil NFC sensors that detect hazardous chemicals

MIT's NFC-based chemical sensor

MIT chemists have devised a way to detect hazardous gases and environmental pollutants using an NFC-enabled sensor and a smartphone. The low cost of the sensors means the technology could be widely deployed as a way to monitor food spoilage as well as to detect the presence of other hazards such as explosives, the researchers suggest. More


Emirates banks move towards mobile wallets

The UAE Banks Federation has announced the completion of the pre-implementation phase of a project to develop a mobile wallet platform that all its 51 member banks will be able to use to offer P2P, mobile payments and loyalty programs to their customers... More



Westpac adds fingerprint access

Westpac customers with an Apple iPhone, Samsung Galaxy S5 or Note 4 incorporating a fingerprint sensor will be able to use the technology to log into their mobile banking app from January 2015, the Australian bank has announced... More



Starbucks eyes iBeacon

Starbucks is to use Bluetooth beacon technology in the first of its new Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room locations in the Capitol Hill neighbourhood of Seattle in the coming year... More


Outspoken texts offers to wallets

Mobile messaging provider Outspoken has added support for Google Wallet to its digital wallet delivery solution, enabling marketers to distribute offers to a user’s mobile wallet via a text message... More


Bluetooth 4.2 to increase speed and security of Smart devices

Bluetooth

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has adopted version 4.2 of the Bluetooth core specification, introducing security improvements that mean Bluetooth beacons are now unable to engage with smartphones without permission from the user and making it harder for eavesdroppers to track a device via its Bluetooth connection. More



NFC World

Broadcom IoT SDK adds NFC

Chip maker Broadcom has integrated NFC into its Wireless Internet Connectivity for Embedded Devices (Wiced) software development kit with the aim of making it easier for developers to build smart homes and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions that combine NFC, WiFi and Bluetooth Smart functionality... More


What's New in Payments

One in ten US iPhone 6 owners have now used Apple Pay

Apple Pay

Apple Pay is yet to gain widespread adoption among iPhone 6 owners due to poor awareness of which stores accept the NFC payments technology and a lack of understanding of how the service works, a survey conducted by InfoScout has found. Those who have used it, however, compare it highly favourably to using a traditional plastic card. More