Engineers at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) in the US have used extended-range NFC to produce a battery-free smart fabric that could enable items of clothing to communicate with each other and with nearby electronic devices at distances of “more than four feet”... More
Cashless
US region to get blockchain-powered local digital currency
Consumers in the Berkshires region of western Massachusetts in the US will soon be able to make in-store and online purchases and carry out person-to-person transactions using a digital version of the BerkShares local currency... More
More than 700 UK railway stations to get contactless ticketing
Passengers travelling on train services in England will soon be able to make contactless fare payments with their debit or credit card at more than 700 railway stations across the North and Midlands... More
Hong Kong Monetary Authority lays out technical design options for digital HK dollar
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has published a white paper that explores potential technical and design options for issuing and distributing retail central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and proposes a two-tier system as “one possible design” for a digital HK dollar or e-HKD... More
EPI calls for public funding to support pan-European payments system
The European Payments Initiative (EPI) is seeking public funding to support its development of a unified payment system across Europe that would compete with US-based networks such as Visa and Mastercard, EPI chief executive Martina Weimert has said... More
Central Bank of Nigeria issues nearly 500,000 eNaira wallets since launching CBDC
More than 488,000 consumers in Nigeria have downloaded an eNaira digital wallet and conducted transactions worth a total of 62m naira (US$151,000) in the country’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) since its launch in October, according to a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) spokesman... More
In-vehicle payment transaction volumes to top 4.7bn globally by 2026
Global transaction volumes for in-vehicle payments made directly from vehicle systems without the use of a smartphone will exceed 4.7bn by 2026, up from 87m in 2021, according to a forecast by Juniper Research... More
Nine in ten transit agencies plan to introduce new smart ticketing options to aid post-pandemic recovery
More than nine in ten transit agencies (92%) are planning to introduce new mobile and contactless fare payment solutions to help support a return to pre-pandemic passenger levels, a survey has found... More
One in two UK consumers would consider a payments chip implant
Just over one in two (51%) UK consumers would consider making payments using a chip implanted in their hand provided it met certain criteria including medical safety and privacy protection, a new survey reveals... More
Boise rolls out transit wallet, smartcard and mobile app for fare-capped contactless ticketing
Passengers using bus services in the city of Boise and the Treasure Valley region of the US state of Idaho can now purchase and store tickets and passes in a preloaded transit wallet and then pay their fares by either tapping a contactless smartcard or scanning a QR code stored on their mobile device at an onboard validator... More
MTA to add fare capping to Omny contactless ticketing?
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York is to consider adding fare capping to its Omny open loop fare payment system so users making multiple journeys on subway and bus services during a week or month pay no more than the price of the equivalent unlimited travel pass... More
Number of digital yuan wallets issued in China reaches 140m
The total number of personal and corporate digital yuan wallets issued in China has risen from 24.5m in July to 140m as of October, an increase of nearly 600%, the People’s Bank of China’s Mu Changchun has revealed... More
Hudson launches automated contactless retail outlet at JFK International Airport
Passengers travelling from Terminal 4 at New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport in the US can now purchase a selection of goods from a range of global brands at a fully automated contactless retail outlet... More
Dublin coffee shop rolls out reusable contactless payments cup
Customers at a Bear Market Coffee outlet in Dublin in Ireland can now pay for their beverages and receive rewards by using a reusable contactless payments cup purchased from the coffee retailer... More
Digital wallet transaction volumes to top US$10tn globally by 2025
The global transaction volume of in-store and ecommerce digital wallet payments will exceed US$10tn by 2025, according to a forecast commissioned by Discover Global Network... More
German savings banks add buy now pay later service to mobile payments app
German savings banks in the Sparkasse group have launched a buy now pay later service in their mobile payments app, enabling customers to request a loan to pay for goods at the point of sale via their Android smartphone and arrange to repay it in instalments... More
Patent-holding company sues Apple over NFC technologies
Ireland-based patent-holding company Aire Technology has filed a lawsuit against Apple over alleged infringement of patents relating to NFC and digital wallet technologies with the US District Court for the Western District of Texas... More
Skånetrafiken enables Apple Pay Express Mode for contactless bus ticketing in southern Sweden
Apple Pay users travelling on buses operated by Skånetrafiken in the southern Swedish region of Skåne can now pay their fares by tapping their iPhone or Apple Watch without having to wake or unlock their device or authenticate their payment with Face ID or Touch ID... More
Mercedes-Benz and BP pilot in-truck fuel payments in the UK
Mercedes-Benz and BP have completed a trial of an app-based digital in-truck fuel payment system that allows haulage drivers to pay without leaving their vehicle or using a fuel payment card... More
Metrolinx adds support for debit card payments to contactless ticketing pilot in Toronto
Passengers travelling on Metrolinx’s Union Pearson (UP) Express airport rail link in the Canadian city of Toronto can now opt to pay their fares with their contactless debit card as part of the transport agency’s trial of its Presto open payment ticketing system... More