UnionPay International launches the UnionPay app in Hong Kong and Macau to enhance the local customers’ mobile payment experience — UnionPay International — “From today, consumers in Hong Kong and Macau can bind their locally issued UnionPay cards to the UnionPay app and enjoy mobile payment service both in and outside Hong Kong and Macau… So far, UnionPay is accepted at almost all ATMs and POS terminals in Hong Kong and Macau, and a total of about 19m UnionPay cards are issued in Hong Kong and Macau.”
App
PayPal updates mobile app for P2P payments
Fast, simple and secure – Introducing the improved PayPal app — PayPal — “We’ve streamlined the app design to make it easier for customers to view their balance, get notifications, and move money from nearly wherever they are. We’ve moved the Send and Receive money buttons, so they’re always at customers fingertips on the home screen. Also, when sending and requesting money, we’ve made it simpler for customers to add their photo and personalize their contact list, so they can feel more confident they’re sending money to the right person.”
United flyers can now save boarding passes in Google Pay
Passengers flying with the world’s third largest airline can now store their boarding passes in the Google Pay mobile wallet app on their smartphones... More
Pernod Ricard unveils connected cocktail glass that uses NFC to place orders in bars
Pernod Ricard launches a connected glass with Havana Club — Pernod Ricard — “The glass is equipped with an NFC chip that allows the consumer to order a cocktail in a bar… At home, the same technology gives the user access to the ‘Cocktail Club’ web app to find ideas for cocktails, recipes, shopping list based on the ingredients the user already has at home and the number of guests, etc.”
Sainsbury’s lets UK supermarket shoppers check out from their mobile phones
Skip the queue, scan and go: Sainsbury’s launches till-free shopping — Sainsbury’s — “In a UK supermarket first, Sainsbury’s is trialling new scan, pay and go technology that will enable customers in one of its busy London convenience stores to pay for products in-store using their smartphone… Using the latest version of the SmartShop app, customers visiting the Clapham North Station Local can use their smartphones to scan their shopping as they go and then pay for it through the app, from anywhere in the store, using Apple Pay.”
General Motors lets Buick drivers pay for fuel from their dashboard
Buick delivers peace of mind at the gas pump — General Motors — “A new update to Marketplace brings ExxonMobil’s pay for fuel functionality right to the infotainment screen of eligible Buick vehicles… The platform also automatically syncs drivers to their ExxonMobil Speedpass+ app account, and drivers accumulate rewards points with each purchase. The new service is available at more than 11,000 Exxon or Mobil stations across the United States.”
NFC workforce and asset management platform provider Ginstr joins the NFC World Partner Program
PARTNER PROFILE: Ginstr’s SaaS platform provides companies looking to efficiently manage their field staff or their assets with a quick and simple to deploy cloud-based solution that comes with over 80 pre-developed applications and can be fully branded and tailored to meet each customer’s specific needs... More
Line sets out plans to roll out mobile payments in Japan
Chat app Line plots finance ‘revolution’ with mobile payments — Nikkei Asian Review — “Line, the operator of Japan’s leading chat app, is pushing hard into the banking sphere with plans to aggressively expand in mobile payments, aiming to get its 75 million users hooked on transactions without the fees imposed by conventional banks… Line is rolling out a version of its app that will let small and midsize merchants accept QR code-based payments via Line Pay. Transaction surcharges will be waived for the first three years, and the system costs nothing to set up.”
Korea’s central bank to build bank account-based mobile payments settlement system
Central bank to develop settlement service to expand mobile cash card payment — Yonhap News — “The South Korean central bank said Tuesday that it will adopt a new mobile cash card settlement service starting next year in a bid to expand simplified mobile payments in the country. A council on financial information by the Bank of Korea (BOK) and local banks decided to develop technological standards and a mobile application for the new service that enables sellers to receive money directly from the buyer’s bank account.”
Singapore Airlines rolls out blockchain digital wallet that lets customers spend loyalty points in retail stores
KrisFlyer launches innovative miles-based digital wallet, KrisPay — Singapore Airlines — “The SIA Group’s KrisFlyer frequent-flyer programme today launched KrisPay, the miles-based digital wallet which enables members to convert KrisFlyer miles into KrisPay miles instantly for everyday spending at partner merchants… Members can easily turn their KrisFlyer miles into KrisPay miles using the app’s instant top-up function… To pay for purchases, members simply need to scan the KrisPay QR code at the merchant, and key in the amount they wish to pay with their KrisPay miles.”
NFC mobile payments roll out in Saudi Arabia
Visa and Saudi Mada partner to launch new mobile-based application, Mada Pay — Zawya — “Mada Pay is an Android-based mobile application that enables cardholders to make fast, easy and secure contactless mobile payments at NFC-enabled merchants throughout Saudi and abroad with KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia]-issued Visa cards (credit and prepaid). Visa and Mada co-badged (debit and prepaid) cards can also be used with Mada Pay.”
Mastercard and Worldpay to let merchants accept payments direct from customers’ bank accounts
Worldpay and Mastercard to enter new global partnership focused on innovating payments — Worldpay — “Under the partnership, Worldpay will offer the ‘Pay by Bank’ app — a new way to pay — to merchants in the UK starting in early 2019. Created by Mastercard’s Vocalink business, the ‘Pay by Bank’ app enables customers of UK businesses to make online payments for goods and services via their banking app, and directly from their bank account.”
Grab unveils plan to turn its mobile wallet into a platform
Grab unveils open platform strategy to build Southeast Asia’s first everyday superapp — Grab — “Grab today announced GrabPlatform, as part of its open platform strategy to build Southeast Asia’s first everyday superapp. Grab will add more highly used everyday services to the Grab app, together with best-in-class partners, who can use GrabPlatform to integrate their services with Grab. … In the span of five months (Jan-May 2018), Grab Financial’s total payment volume more than doubled. It is now the leading mobile payments platform in Southeast Asia.”
DART opens up its transit ticketing app to private transportation operators
Dallas transit embraces Uber, Lyft and other mobility options — GovTech.com — “Dallas transit riders can do much more than purchase bus or train tickets with the region’s GoPass app. Riders can now use it to book a ride with Uber or Lyft, and will soon be able to schedule other modes of getting around, such as renting a bike on one of the city’s five bike-share apps.”
Moscow Metro adds loyalty program to Troika transit ticketing card
Public transport users in Moscow can now earn loyalty rewards as they travel and transact around the Russian capital... More
300 German savings banks to roll out their own NFC mobile payments app at the end of July
Mobile payment: Sparkassen app to be available at the end of July — Heise Online (translation) — “A beta version is currently available in the Android Play Store. However, this only works with the accounts of selected savings banks whose employees and customers are putting the system through its paces. At the launch date at the end of July, around 300 savings banks will be there, a spokesman for the savings bank subsidiary S-Payment told Heise Online… Because the savings banks are following their own plans for mobile payment, their customers can not use their credit cards with Google Pay.”
Line Pay aims to convert 1m Japanese merchants to QR payments with free transactions for three years
Japan’s Line Pay throws down gauntlet to Alipay — Nikkei Asian Review — “Line has sought to minimize the hassle for retailers by allowing the retailer to use the service by simply downloading a free app on a smartphone… Retailers can also send messages to individual shoppers later, such as sales promotions. The service can be used free of charge for the next three years… There are also incentives for customers, offering them loyalty points valued at 3% to 5% of every purchase they make with Line Pay.”
JPMorgan Chase to reward mobile-only bank account customers for using key features
JPMorgan Chase takes smartphone account ‘Finn’ nationwide — Reuters — “JPMorgan is offering $100 to people who open accounts and complete 10 transactions of certain types, such as sending money to another person or paying a bill. The incentive is designed to make customers familiar with using the app, said Melissa Feldsher, head of Finn. She believes customers will stick with the accounts after seeing they can automatically make deposits to their savings accounts, such as moving $2 from their checking account every time they spend $5 with the app at a Starbucks coffee shop.”
Canadian banks and carriers to roll out digital ID platform
Canadian mobile digital identity service to launch this fall — IT World Canada — “A long-awaited Canadian mobile digital identity validation service supported by Canada’s biggest banks and telcos will launch this fall… Called Verified.Me, the service installs an app on a mobile device that confirms a user’s identity, allowing businesses and governments to immediately do transactions without demanding proof of identity.”
PayPal takes its Venmo P2P service in-store with new debit card
Take your balance shopping with Venmo card — Venmo — “With the Venmo card, you can use your Venmo balance in more places… Low Venmo balance? We’ll use your linked funding source to reload your Venmo balance so you can make that card purchase… For those with Venmo notifications enabled, you’ll be notified on your phone with each swipe. And, we aim to alleviate the panic that comes with losing a card: just a few taps in the app, and boom — your card is disabled.”