Guess, Mondaine, Timex, Kronaby, Suunto, Adexe and LBS have all signed deals with Barclaycard to embed the card issuer’s bPay wearable payments technology “in a variety of timepieces, sports trackers and watch straps.”... More
Contactless
Samsung Pay to launch in France ‘before the summer’
Groupe BPCE to become the first banking group to launch Samsung Pay in France for Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Epargne customers — Groupe BPCE — “Groupe BPCE is announcing the launch in France of the Samsung Pay mobile payment solution, before the summer and on an exclusive basis, for Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Epargne customers equipped with compatible Samsung smartphones… Customers will be able to make purchases with their smartphones wherever contactless Visa payments are accepted. Holders of the Apetiz meal voucher card will also soon be able to pay for their lunches directly with the Samsung smartphones.”
PCI updates payment device standard to support PIN entry on mobile phones and tablets
PCI Security Standards Council updates payment device standard to support software-based PIN entry on COTS — PCI Security Standards Council — “The updated device standard supports the development of PCI software-based PIN entry on COTS (SPoC) solutions for merchants that enable EMV contact and contactless transactions with PIN entry on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) devices, such as tablets and smartphones.”
Fitbit includes payments on special edition of new Versa smartwatch
Fitbit introduces Fitbit Versa, the smartwatch for all — Fitbit — “Leave your wallet at home and easily pay in any store where contactless payments are accepted… Now available with Fitbit Pay on Fitbit Versa Special Edition products; supported by nearly 40 banks in 14 countries, through eligible US American Express, Mastercard and Visa cards, with more countries and banks rolling out in 2018.”
Barclaycard reports rapid rise in mobile and wearable payments volumes
Next phase of contactless revolution sees rapid growth in mobile and wearable payments — Barclaycard — “The amount spent using Barclaycard’s Android Contactless Mobile facility has increased 365% year-on-year, while spending via bPay — a unique, flexible payments chip that can be embedded into a variety of products such as watches and jewellery — jumped 129%… Overall, contactless payments, including those made on a credit and debit card, have seen continued growth over the last 12 months, with a 79% uplift in spending.”
Mobile payments reach ‘tipping point’ in the UK
Tipping point for ‘tap and go’ as mobile payments top £975 million — Worldpay — “The number of in-store contactless transactions made via a mobile device totalled 126m last year, with the amount spent topping £975m (US$1.3bn). This marks a 328% year-on-year rise in in-store mobile spending… Accounting for 59% of all in-store mobile transactions, the supermarket sector has been an important driver in the uptake of digital wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, as time-poor shoppers grab groceries on the go. Pubs, bars and restaurants make up a further 12.5% of the total spend.”
One in four Europeans ready to make payments with a wearable device
Over 175 million Europeans ready to pay with wearable devices — Mastercard — “Overwhelming success of contactless cards peaks shopper demand for wearable payments… One quarter (24%) of Europeans expect to start using ‘tap and go’ contactless payments with a smartwatch, bracelet, keyring or other forms of wearable payments.”
Commonwealth Bank of Australia adds support for Samsung Pay
Samsung Pay now available for Commonwealth Bank customers — Commonwealth Bank of Australia — “Commonwealth Bank customers will now have access to Samsung’s contactless payments platform, Samsung Pay… Today’s announcement follows CBA’s partnership with Google in November to offer Android Pay on compatible devices at almost 800,000 stores across Australia. CBA customers have also been able to make payments on the go with Fitbit and Garmin’s new payment-enabled smartwatches.”
Australian iPhone users ‘more likely to bank with a provider if it supports Apple Pay’
Australian smartphone sales grow in 2017 as users lock into platforms — Telsyte — “The increasing adoption in mobile contactless payments is starting to influence Australian’s banking decisions… Around one in five (22%) iPhone users claim they are more likely to bank with a provider if it supports Apple Pay. This figure increases to 32% per cent for those who are also using an Apple Watch.”
eMarketer: Mobile payments adoption held back by ‘strong contactless card usage’ in Europe
Global proximity mobile payment users: eMarketer’s estimates for 2016–2021 — eMarketer — “In 2018, for the first time, more than one-third (34.9%) of smartphone users ages 14 and older will use a mobile phone to pay for a purchase at a physical point of sale (POS) at least once every six months… Adoption in parts of Western Europe has been held back by strong contactless card usage. Consumers appear less likely to tap and pay with their mobile phones when their credit and debit cards already offer a similar level of convenience.”
Mastercard issues timeline for contactless card and POS terminal mandates
Betting on contactless: Mastercard pushes chips to center of table — Mastercard — “After October 2018, all new acceptance terminals in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia Pacific will have EMV chip and contactless enabled; After April 2019, all new cards issued in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia Pacific will have EMV chip and contactless technology; and by April 2023, all merchant terminals in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America will be EMV chip and contactless enabled.”
GlobalPlatform explains the role of standards in an increasingly diversified payments landscape
The increasing diversity of devices, services and players in the mobile payments ecosystem has led to the need for standards and certification to manage fragmentation, prevent fraud and ensure consistent user experience, GlobalPlatform’s Gil Bernabeu explains in a new paper now available to download from the NFC World Knowledge Centre... More
Mobile payments drive 60% growth in demand for NFC phones in Russia
In Russia, booming sales of smartphones that support contactless payments — Vedomosti (translation) — “Demand for them is being driven by the emergence of payment systems from Apple, Samsung and Google. Sales of smartphones that support contactless payments using NFC technology (near field communication), in 2017 compared to 2016, grew by 60% in Russia… Over the past year in Russia, about 8.3m such devices were sold.”
UnionPay: NFC mobile payment volumes are ‘growing quickly’ in China
Apple Pay growing fast but still bit player in China: UnionPay — Caixin — “Two years after their launch in China, a group of third-party mobile payment services led by global giant Apple Inc make up only a small fraction of contactless payments in the country, but the number is growing quickly… About 20% of UnionPay’s 94tn yuan (US$14.2tn) in annual transaction volume now comes from near field communication (NFC) technology payments.”
PCI publishes specifications for PIN entry on mobile phones and tablets
PCI Security Standards Council publishes security requirements for software-based PIN entry on COTS devices — PCI Security Standards Council — “The PCI Software-Based Pin Entry on Cots (SPoC) standard provides requirements for developing secure solutions that enable EMV contact and contactless transactions with pin entry on the merchant’s consumer device using a secure pin entry application in combination with a Secure Card Reader for Pin (SCRP).”
Mastercard to mandate biometric security for online and mobile payments in Europe
Biometric identification must be made available for all Mastercard users by April 2019 — Mastercard — “All consumers will be able to identify themselves with biometrics such as fingerprints or facial recognition, when they shop and pay with Mastercard by April next year… Banks issuing Mastercard-branded cards will have to be able to offer biometric authentication for remote transactions, alongside existing PIN and password verification. It will also apply to all contactless transactions made at terminals with a mobile device.”
Paris church tests contactless donations
Tap and pray: Paris church introduces contactless contributions — France 24 — “On Sunday, the Saint-François de Molitor church in Paris’s 16th arrondissement launched an innovative new technology to transform the old-fashioned wicker basket into a contactless payment terminal… If the scheme is successful, it will be rolled out into more churches around Paris, said Christophe Rousselot, director of financial development in the Paris diocese.”
Wells Fargo adds support for Fitbit Pay
Wells Fargo announces support for Fitbit Pay — Wells Fargo — “Wells Fargo is partnering with Fitbit, the leading global wearables brand, to launch Fitbit Pay to its customers, giving them the ability to conveniently and securely make purchases at merchants whose payment terminals are set up to accept near-field communication (NFC) payments.”
Garmin unveils smartwatch for runners with built-in music and payments
Garmin introduces the Forerunner 645 Music – a GPS running watch with integrated music and Garmin Pay contactless payments — Garmin — “[Garmin] today announced the Forerunner 645 Music, a GPS running watch with integrated music that gives athletes the freedom to enjoy their favourite tunes on a run or during a workout without having to take a phone along. Additionally, when in need of a bottle of water or a quick bite to eat, Garmin Pay contactless payment solution lets users pay for purchases with their watch and keep on moving.”
Visa, Mastercard and JCB back payment card with built-in cell phone chip
Dynamics Inc, global banks, payments networks, and telecommunications carriers unveil Wallet Card — Dynamics — “With almost 200 internal components, this Internet of Things device incorporates a number of cutting-edge technologies including: A cell phone chip and cell phone antenna so data can be transferred between Wallet Card and the bank anywhere in the world and at any time of the day; A battery and organic recharging chip so that the card charges itself through normal operation. Wallet Card can last indefinitely without the need for the consumer to perform any physical action.”