PARTNER NEWS: NFC testing innovator Cilab has added support for EMVCo 3.0b to its high speed tester, enabling POS terminal manufacturers to quickly and easily debug and conduct pre-certification testing of their devices ahead of the new EMVCo specification coming into force in mid-2021... More
Contactless
Transport for NSW begins digital Opal transit card pilot
Passengers using Transport for NSW public transport services in Australia can now apply to take part in a year-long pilot to test a digital version of the Opal transit card that enables them to pay fares from a digital wallet on their mobile phone or smartwatch... More
Carrefour introduces mobile self-checkout in UAE
Customers in Carrefour stores run by Majid Al Futtaim in the United Arab Emirates can now scan their purchases and pay for them in-store using the Mobile Scan&Go feature integrated into the retailer’s app... More
India increases contactless limit by 150%
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is to raise the limit for contactless card transactions from Rs2,000 (US$27) to Rs5,000 ($67.67) from 1 January 2021, an increase of 150%... More
Huawei Pay expands to South Africa
Consumers in South Africa with compatible smartphones can now use Huawei Pay to make mobile payments by scanning QR codes compatible with the Zapper scan-to-pay payments platform... More
7-Eleven launches mobile wallet that customers can load with cash in stores
Customers in 7-Eleven convenience stores across the USA can now make contactless payments at the checkout using a mobile wallet that the retail giant has added to its 7-Eleven app... More
Dutch regulator launches antitrust investigation into NFC payment apps
The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has opened an investigation into whether companies such as Apple are in breach of competition rules if they limit the access payments apps have to a smartphone’s NFC chip and restrict a user’s choice of contactless in-store payment method on that device... More
Apple Pay to go live in Mexico “very soon”
Apple Pay is due to roll out in Mexico “very soon”, according to the payments service’s Mexican website... More
Antelop launches secure customer authentication SDK
PARTNER NEWS: Antelop Solutions has launched a new SDK that lets banks quickly and easily provide their customers with a way to use their mobile phone as a trusted, multi-factor authentication device that complies with strong customer authentication (SCA) requirements under PSD2... More
Mastercard adds NFC payments to virtual corporate cards
Businesses in the US can now issue their employees with virtual corporate cards that can be loaded into a mobile wallet and used to make payments at contactless point-of-sale terminals... More
Octopus adds travel info and P2P NFC transfers to transit wallet
Octopus transit card holders in Hong Kong can now use their Octopus App to view travel information and transport services “at a glance” and transfer funds from one card to another via NFC... More
SBI Card integrates NFC payments into mobile app
SBI Card Mastercard holders in India can now make NFC payments at any contactless point-of-sale terminal from their mobile device after registering their credit card on the latest version of the payment service’s app... More
Japanese airline turns to mobile payments to boost revenues during Covid-19
Frequent flyers with All Nippon Airways (ANA) will soon be able to make in-store purchases and accumulate air miles by using a QR code-enabled mobile payments service that the Japanese airline is to launch “amid shrinking travel demand due to the coronavirus outbreak,” Japan Today reports... More
Ford lets commercial vehicle drivers process payments from their connected vehicle app
Food and beverage suppliers, mobile florists, couriers and other small business owners in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the UK can now use their FordPass Pro connected vehicle app to accept card payments from their customers... More
Digital greeting cards giant Evite adds contactless gifting
Senders of Evite digital greeting cards can now also send the recipient a gift card, via an integration with Blackhawk Network‘s eGift service... More
UBS launches sustainable credit card made from corn
Customers of Swiss bank UBS can now opt for an environmentally friendly credit card made from a corn-based plastic substitute — and will soon be able to apply for a digital-only card that they can start using immediately upon acceptance... More
Tyne and Wear Metro launches mobile ticketing on Android phones
Passengers on the Metro light railway network in Tyne and Wear in the north-east of England can now buy and store electronic tickets on their Android smartphone without needing a physical ticket or a smart transit card... More
OP Financial to pilot biometric payment card in Finland
Finland’s OP Financial Group is to pilot a biometric payment card that will allow users to authenticate payments over the contactless transaction limit with their fingerprint rather than with a PIN... More
Capital Metro pilots fare-capping service on transit app
Passengers on a low income using Capital Metro bus and rail services in the US city of Austin, Texas, can now apply to join a pilot scheme for a fare-capping service integrated with the transport operator’s CapMetro transit app... More
Maltese buses add contactless fare payments on busy routes
Bus passengers in Malta can now make on-board contactless payments for their fares on more of the island’s busier routes as Malta Public Transport moves towards implementing a fully integrated contactless system on all services in 2021... More