The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has successfully tested an end-to-end digital ID proof-of-concept (PoC) that enables air travellers to use biometric digital credentials to verify their identity at every stage of their journey – from purchasing a ticket to arriving at their destination... 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!
Google Wallet users can now make contactless fare payments in more than 500 cities worldwide
The number of cities worldwide where Google Wallet users can now store digital transit tickets or make open loop or closed loop contactless fare payments with a credit, debit or prepaid transit card stored on their Android device has topped 500, Google has revealed in a blog post... More
QR code transit ticketing transaction values to hit US$17.7bn globally by 2028
Total transaction values for contactless transit fare payments made using a QR code will almost triple and reach US$17.7bn worldwide by 2028, according to a forecast by Juniper Research... More
Ford files patent for contactless vehicle access card with integrated e-ink display
Vehicle manufacturing giant Ford has filed a patent application for a contactless vehicle access card with an integrated display that would use RFID or NFC to enable users both to unlock and start their vehicle and to also receive updated information about its status, location and other features... More
Australian university tests central bank digital currency for cash disbursements in emergency situations
The Australia and New Zealand Bank (ANZ) has completed an eight-week pilot programme with Southern Cross University in New South Wales that has shown how organisations such as universities could provide immediate financial support using a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in emergency situations when ATMs and other payments technologies are unusable... More
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Total number of digital ID wallets in use globally to top 1.5bn by 2029
More than 1.5bn digital identity wallets will be in use worldwide by 2029, storing approximately 30% of all digital credentials issued by government and commercial entities, according to a Goode Intelligence forecast. More
Open Identity Exchange lays out role for governments in digital wallet issuance
Governments should create robust trust frameworks that support the issuance and use of digital identity wallets created by private sector providers such as Apple and Google, but not issue wallets directly to end users themselves, according to the Open Identity Exchange (OIX). More
European Central Bank launches next phase of digital euro project
The European Central Bank (ECB) has completed the initial two-year investigation phase of its digital euro project and will now implement a two-year preparation phase that will cover the finalisation of a digital euro rulebook, the selection of providers to develop a digital euro platform and infrastructure, as well as testing and experimentation across a range of use cases for the central bank digital currency (CBDC)... More
Google Wallet lets users store digital IDs and driving licences on Android smartphones in Arizona, Colorado and Georgia
Residents of Arizona, Colorado and Georgia in the US can now add digital versions of their state-issued identity card and driving licence to Google Wallet on their Android NFC smartphone and use it to verify their identity at select Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints... More
X9 to upgrade wireless financial services standards for NFC, contactless and mobile payments technologies
The Accredited Standards Committee X9 is to upgrade the ANSI X9.112 Wireless Management and Security standard to address new and future vulnerabilities and risks to technologies – including NFC, RFID, WiFi and Bluetooth – that are used in devices supporting contactless and mobile payments such as payment cards, smartphones, point-of-sale (POS) terminals and ATMs. More
China offers financial incentives for companies moving into Shenzhen’s digital yuan zone
Industrial enterprises, fintechs, commercial banks, start-ups and other businesses relocating to China’s newly opened digital yuan industrial park in the city of Shenzhen will receive incentives including settlement payments of between 500,000 and 50m yuan (US$6.8m), free rent for up to three years and loans with favourable interest rates. More
Samsung adds NFC to Galaxy SmartTags to help users track lost belongings
Samsung has added an NFC-enabled Lost Mode to its upgraded Galaxy SmartTags that enables users to upload a message containing their contact information that anyone finding their tagged belongings when they have been lost or misplaced can scan in order to return them... More
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Spanish banks find that digital euro can run on existing payment rails
A working group of 30 Spanish banks and payment services providers, including BBVA, Banco Sabadell, Banco Santander, CaixaBank and Iberpay, have completed a proof of concept (PoC) trial for digital euro transactions and recommended that the proposed central bank digital currency (CBDC) is designed to leverage existing payments infrastructure... More
Australian Treasury proposes draft legislation to regulate digital wallet providers
The Australian Treasury has released draft legislation for public consultation that would give the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) regulatory powers over digital wallet providers including Apple Pay and Google Wallet. More
Apple lets US iPhone users check Discover Card balances and transaction history in Wallet
Apple iPhone users in the US with a Discover credit card will soon be able to opt in to a Connected Cards feature that enables them to check their card account balance and transaction history directly in Apple Wallet... More
UAE to launch national domestic card scheme
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is to launch the country’s first national domestic card scheme (DCS) in order to promote the use of digital payments and enhance financial inclusion... More
Global purchase volumes hit US$42.7tn in 2022 as payment card spending worldwide increases by 1%
Total card purchase volume worldwide reached US$42.7tn in 2022 with global credit card volumes increasing by 7% and prepaid card volumes by 9%, according to research from RBR... More
China rolls out regional digital yuan giveaways to drive contactless cash adoption
Regions across China have launched a series of digital yuan voucher giveaways to drive adoption of the country’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) and encourage consumer spending using the digital currency during the Asian Games and the Mid-Autumn and National Day festivals. More
Moscow Metro adds support for concessionary fares to biometric payments system
Moscow Metro is testing an upgrade to its FacePay face biometric fare payment service that lets passengers entitled to concessionary fares link their Muscovite personal social card to their biometric details so they no longer need to use the card itself to prove their eligibility for a reduced-price ticket... More
Google lets Pixel 8 users authorise NFC payments with their face
Purchasers of Google’s new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones will be able to make NFC payments using Google Wallet and access other compatible banking and payments apps with their face. ... More