Apple Pay Belarus rollout begins today with BPS-Sberbank — 9to5Mac — “The Apple Pay Belarus rollout began today with the announcement of support by BPS-Sberbank… The bank says that both Visa and Mastercard are supported.”
- 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!
Manchester to offer early bird tram fare discounts to contactless payments users
New Metrolink fares unveiled — Transport for Greater Manchester — “The new early bird offer will utilise Metrolink’s new contactless payment system, which has been used to make more than 1 million journeys following its introduction on 15 July… A survey from last year’s Early Bird pilot showed 53% of customers who had used an early bird ticket had shifted either their journey time (28%), their mode (9%) or both. 48% of customers who changed mode shifted from car and 24% from bus.”
Survey finds US consumers would switch to mobile payments to save money
Ibotta Holiday Shopping and Mobile Payments Study — Ibotta — “Of the 61% of survey respondents who have used their phones to make an in-store purchase, 63% are motivated by payment methods that offer rewards, rebates and cash back, while 55% would be inclined to adopt mobile payments if the solutions saved them money… More than half (52%) of these shoppers say they feel overwhelmed by the large number of mobile payments and rewards programmes.”
ABN Amro to shutter Android wallet app
Wallet app to be discontinued — ABN Amro — “Why will the Wallet app be discontinued? As it stands, the Wallet app is being used by less than 5% of our clients with an Android smartphone. That’s why we’re discontinuing the app.”
Ireland seeks replacement for Leap transit card system
Plans put forward for new transport ticketing — The Irish Examiner — “The National Transport Authority (NTA) has issued a market consultation notice to engage with potential service providers as part of its plans to advance the implementation of an Account Based Ticketing (ABT) system across the bus, rail, and light-rail network. It will allow passengers to pay for their journey through mobile phones, bank cards, or official ID card or passport, removing the need to carry a special card for commuting.”
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Google offers $1m Titan M secure element bug bounty
Expanding the Android Security Rewards Program — Google — “The Android Security Rewards (ASR) program was created in 2015 to reward researchers who find and report security issues to help keep the Android ecosystem safe… Today, we’re expanding the program and increasing reward amounts. We are introducing a top prize of $1 million for a full chain remote code execution exploit with persistence which compromises the Titan M secure element on Pixel devices.”
MTA to expand Omny open loop ticketing to all New York bus services and subway stations
New York’s Omny contactless fare system is to undergo “a blitz phase of installations that will bring the popular new contactless fare payment system to all 472 stations as well as all MTA bus routes by the end of next year,” the city’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has announced... More
Bank of America adds face recognition to mobile banking app
Bank of America updates Android app to support Pixel 4 face unlock — 9to5Google — “Release notes for version 8.3.11 of Bank of America for Android prominently mentions the ‘Ability to sign in with face unlock (Pixel 4 only)’… After updating, you’ll need to enter your password one more time, and select the ‘Set up biometric sign-in’ checkbox. After completing BofA’s process, Pixel 4 face unlock will work on all subsequent sign-in attempts.”
GlobalPlatform reports secure element shipment numbers
More than 6.2bn GlobalPlatform-compliant secure elements were deployed in 2018, an increase of over 750m from the previous year, the standards organisation has revealed... More
Google details its plan to offer free US bank accounts via Google Pay
US consumers will be able to start signing up for checking accounts from within Google Pay in mid-2020, Google has told the Credit Union National Association (CUNA). More
Germany passes law forcing Apple to open up Apple Pay
Apple warns of risks from German law to open up mobile payments — Reuters — “A German parliamentary committee unexpectedly voted in a late-night session on Wednesday to force the tech giant to open up Apple Pay to rival providers in Germany… The legislation, which did not name Apple specifically, will force operators of electronic money infrastructure to offer access to rivals for a reasonable fee.”
Golden Goose adds NFC tags to limited edition sneakers
Upmarket sneaker brand Golden Goose is including NFC tags in its new Yeah sneakers, to provide buyers with the ability to validate the authenticity of their €410 purchase... More
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TfL reports on mobile payments adoption on London’s transport network
One in five contactless payments on London’s public transportation network are now made using a mobile phone or other non-card device, Transport for London (TfL) has revealed... More
Samsung adds Promoted Cards to Samsung Pay in Australia
Samsung has teamed up with financial services comparison site Finder to add a credit card shopping feature to Samsung Pay, “enabling everyday Australians to discover compelling credit card offers from participating financial institutions” from within its mobile wallet... More
Madeira to pilot fingerprint biometric cards for decentralized digital IDs
The Government of Madeira is to issue biometric cards containing an in-built fingerprint sensor to 3,400 of its citizens for the pilot test of Smart Island, a decentralized digital identity project encompassing 12 education, healthcare, port security, transport, payments, tourism and government services... More
Google to offer bank accounts?
Google is to begin offering checking accounts to consumers from next year, in partnership with banks and credit unions, according to The Wall Street Journal... More
Nestlé pilots face recognition payments in Barcelona
Food giant Nestlé is testing face recognition payments at Nestlé Market, a concept supermarket in Barcelona, Spain, that stocks the company’s established brands as well as the latest additions to its range... More
Facebook Pay launches on Facebook and Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp to follow
Facebook has unveiled a unified payments service designed to provide “a convenient, secure and consistent payment experience across Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp”... More
Suncorp Stadium reports on NFC event ticketing adoption rates
Fifteen thousand fans have now made use of the NFC-based mobile ticketing system which went live at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia, in May 2019, venue management company ASM Global has revealed... More
NXP combines NFC and UWB for mobile car keys
PARTNER NEWS: NXP has launched a new ultra-wideband chip designed to work together with Bluetooth, NFC and secure element technologies to enable “true secure hands-free smart access” to vehicles... More