The European Union’s Digital Covid Certificate is now live across the EU as well as in non-member states Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, enabling residents to be issued with a proof of their Covid-19 vaccination status, negative Covid test result or recovery from the illness that is recognised regionwide... More
Authentication
Eftpos rolls out secure digital identity exchange for Australian consumers
Australia’s Eftpos national debit card system has launched a digital identity exchange solution that enables consumers to share personal information held by trusted digital ID providers in a wide range of use cases, from opening an online account and making online payments to accessing government services or providing proof of age... More
US credit union to let customers authenticate banking transactions with mobile driving licence
Utah Community Credit Union (UCCU) is to become the first financial institution in the US state to let its customers use Utah’s mobile driving licence (mDL) as a legal form of identification for all banking transactions... More
Russian fast food chain rolls out biometric payments so customers can ‘pay with a glance’
Customers at Kio Kukhnya fast food outlets in the Russian city of St Petersburg can now pay for their food and beverages at payment terminals equipped with biometric pay-with-a-glance technology... More
Survey: more than six in ten US consumers say they would pay for a biometric card
Some 65.5% of US consumers would pay for a biometric credit card that has a built-in fingerprint reader for authenticating payments, according to a survey of American credit card users... More
China Construction Bank pilots biometric cards for digital currency payments
China Construction Bank (CCB) is piloting a biometric ‘hard wallet’ smart card that lets customers store digital yuan and authenticate payments made using the central bank digital currency (CBDC) with their fingerprint... More
BBVA launches biometric credit card in Mexico
Customers of BBVA Mexico can now apply for a ‘blank’ biometric credit card that enables them to authenticate payments with their fingerprint... More
Apple unveils support for digital keys and IDs in iOS 15
Apple iPhone users will soon be able to store digital versions of their identity documents and a wider range of digital keys in their Wallet app, enabling them to prove their identity and tap to unlock their home, garage, workplace or hotel room with their smartphone... More
Austrian Post adds NFC to blockchain postage stamp
Collectors and investors purchasing a limited edition “crypto stamp” issued by Austrian Post will soon be able to authenticate their purchase by scanning an NFC chip embedded in the packaging of the physical version of the postage stamp with their smartphone... More
Russian retail giant adds biometric payments to let customers ‘pay with a glance’
Customers at superstores, supermarkets and convenience and cosmetics stores owned by Russian retail group Magnit can now authenticate contactless payments at self-checkout devices using pay-with-a-glance technology... More
NFC Forum releases specifications for secure data transfer between NFC devices
The NFC Forum has released two specifications that set out a standardised cryptographic framework for enabling secure data transfer between NFC mobile devices and the development of applications using a secure communications channel between paired NFC devices... More
Amazon expands pay by palm technology to Whole Foods Market store
Customers at a Whole Foods Market store in Seattle in the USA can now gain access to the supermarket and pay for their purchases using Amazon’s contactless palm scanning device... More
Apple seeks NFC digital identity patent
Apple has applied for a patent for a user authentication framework that would allow users to store digital identity documents such as their passport, driving licence and national ID card and present them for verification on their NFC-enabled iPhone or other mobile device... More
Forecast: 1.4bn consumers will be using face recognition to authenticate payments by 2025
The number of consumers using software-based facial recognition to authenticate payments worldwide will reach 1.4 billion by 2025, up from 671 million in 2020, according to a forecast by Juniper Research... More
Patent shows how Apple Pay could automatically select a card based on the user’s location
Apple Pay users could be able to make contactless payments and other transactions with merchants or transit providers without having to manually select the correct payment, rewards or transit card or other digital credential from within their mobile wallet... More
Ypsomed leverages NFC to enable remote monitoring of insulin delivery compliance
NFC labels attached to disposable insulin pens are enabling diabetes patients who self-administer regular insulin injections to ensure that they adhere to their therapy plans as well as receiving interactive guidance and assistance with their treatment... More
US Army looks to replace plastic ID cards with biometric authentication
The US Army is aiming to introduce a biometric identification and access control system at military facilities to replace its current smartcard-based Common Access Card (CAC) and reduce the risk of transmitting Covid-19 through the handling of physical cards... More
Apple to use iris biometrics for virtual reality payments?
Apple may incorporate iris scanning functionality in a forthcoming head-mounted display (HMD) mixed-reality headset that will enable users to authenticate their identity when using Apple Pay to make payments via the “mostly virtual reality device”, according to MacRumors... More
Abu Dhabi theme parks roll out face recognition for access and payments
Visitors to Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island can now use their face to gain access to the resort island’s Ferrari World, Yas Waterworld and Warner Bros World theme parks and to make contactless payments at retail and dining outlets that support its face recognition technology... More
OCBC Bank adds facial recognition at ATMs in Singapore
Customers of OCBC Bank in Singapore can now make account balance enquiries at eight of the bank’s ATMs by verifying their identity using facial recognition technology... More