Antitrust: Commission confirms unannounced inspections concerning access to bank account information by competing services — European Commission — “The European Commission can confirm that on 3 October 2017 its officials carried out unannounced inspections in a few Member States concerning online access to bank account information by competing service providers… These alleged anti-competitive practices are aimed at excluding non-bank owned providers of financial services by preventing them from gaining access to bank customers’ account data, despite the fact that the respective customers have given their consent to such access.”
European Commission
EU agency calls for action on IoT security
The EU Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) is calling on the European Commission to define a policy framework ensuring minimal requirements for the security of Internet of Things (IoT) devices along with the development of mandatory staged requirements for security and privacy to give stakeholders a “level playing field” in implementing trust into connected devices and IoT systems. More
Graphene NFC antennas pave way for cheaper, stronger connected wearables
Fully flexible NFC antennas made from graphene could match the performance of conventional metallic antennas, making connected wearable devices cheaper and more energy-efficient, a consortium backed by the European Commission says... More
European Commission approves Visa’s acquisition of Visa Europe
The European Commission has approved the proposed acquisition of Visa Europe by Visa... More
Visa amends financial details of Visa Europe acquisition
Visa has reached a preliminary agreement to amend the transaction details of its Visa Europe acquisition in response to feedback from the European Commission... More
Carriers get green light to launch NFC in the UK
The European Commission has given its unconditional approval for the UK’s three largest mobile network operators to form a joint venture company to introduce NFC mobile payments and promotional services in the UK. More
EU set to approve Project Oscar UK NFC venture
The European Commission is set to green light the creation of a joint venture company to bring NFC to market in the UK, according to the Financial Times... More
EC extends Oscar deadline
The European Commission has prolonged the deadline for a decision on whether to give the go ahead to the UK carrier-led ‘Project Oscar’ NFC joint venture, Bloomberg reports... More
O2 Wallet launches in the UK: NFC to be added “in time”
Amid on-going delays for the UK mobile network operators’ Project Oscar NFC joint venture, O2 has moved ahead with the launch of a mobile wallet that offers a suite of payments and marketing services to any mobile phone user, regardless of the carrier they get their mobile service from — with NFC to arrive later. More
EC consults on IoT
The European Commission (EC) has started a public consultation to find out what framework is needed to unleash the potential benefits of the coming ‘internet of things’... More
European regulators put brakes on UK NFC joint venture
The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation into the planned NFC joint venture between Everything Everywhere, Telefónica and Vodafone UK which will delay launch until after the London Olympics and casts doubts over the timetable for the introduction of similar projects in a number of other European countries. More
Orange aims at 3m NFC phones
Orange plans to provide three million SIM-based NFC devices to customers based in the European Union in 2012, according to Stéphane Richard, chairman and CEO of France Telecom-Orange... More
UK NFC JV files with Brussels
The NFC joint venture between three UK mobile network operators has now filed for approval with the EU to go ahead with the scheme, code named ‘Project Oscar’, the Guardian reports, despite on-going objections from excluded carrier Three... More
UK NFC JV heads to Brussels
Everything Everywhere, Vodafone and O2 will be submitting their plans for a UK-based NFC joint venture to regulators in Brussels next week, the Financial Times reports... More
UK NFC joint venture prepares to seek EU approval
The UK NFC joint venture announced last year by mobile network operators Vodafone, O2 and Everything Everywhere is expected to seek the official go ahead for the scheme, dubbed Project Oscar, in the next two weeks, according to a report in The Telegraph... More
EU calls for comment on future of payments
The European Commission has published a green paper assessing the current card, internet and mobile payments landscape and is asking stakeholders to contribute their thoughts on how to ensure a modern, integrated payments environment can be implemented across Europe. More
Dutch banks and carriers to launch NFC in 2013
Mobile network operators KPN and Vodafone have signed a cooperation agreement with bankers ABN Amro, ING and Rabobank — but T-Mobile has pulled out of the ‘Sixpack’ partnership and will follow its own route to market. More
EU raises m-payments concerns
The lack of a “concrete European framework” for mobile payments means “the largest and most promising global m-payment initiatives are currently launched outside Europe,” according to a European Commission document that Bloomberg News has obtained... More
Three takes fight against UK NFC joint venture to Europe
The planned joint venture between the UK’s three leading mobile network operators is “anti-competitive and akin to a joint selling arrangement,” says Three UK, which was not invited to take part in establishing the new NFC service provider. More
EU invests €3.41m in project to make self-service terminals more accessible
The APSIS4All project plans to use cutting edge technologies including NFC to make it easier for the elderly and the disabled to make use of ticket vending machines, public information kiosks, cash dispensers and other self-service terminals. More