The European Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation “to assess whether Apple’s conduct in connection with Apple Pay violates EU competition rules”... More
Covid-19
Russian grocery retailer uses cashierless shopping technology to create an automated store-within-a-store
Russian grocery retailer Azbuka Vkusa has converted an aisle within one of its Moscow supermarkets to a cashierless store-within-a store, enabling shoppers to use their mobile phone to check in at the entrance to the aisle, add their shopping to their basket and “simply exit when done”... More
ATM industry publishes plan to combat the decline of cash withdrawals
The ATM Industry Association (ATMIA) has published an ATM and Cash Revival Plan “for an ATM industry hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”... More
CaixaBank rolls out facial recognition ATMs across Spain
Spain’s CaixaBank is to deploy ATMs equipped with facial recognition technology nationwide “with the goal of offering a better user experience and greater security in transactions, particularly in the context of Covid-19”... More
Taiwan to issue stimulus credits to contactless cards and mobile phones
Taiwan is to introduce a Triple Stimulus voucher programme that will enable residents to buy NT$3,000 (US$100) worth of shopping vouchers for NT$1,000 (US$33.34) — or receive an equivalent cashback credit to their card or mobile wallet... More
MTA resumes Omny contactless ticketing installations
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has resumed work on the rollout of its Omny contactless payments infrastructure as part of the first phase of its reintroduction of normal services on the city’s subway and local bus services... More
South Korea to use QR track and trace apps to combat spread of Covid-19
A new system that requires high-risk locations such as bars and nightclubs to use QR codes to log all customers on entry so that they can be easily traced should the venue later be found to have been a Covid-19 hotspot is to be rolled out across South Korea from 10 June... More
Taipei light rail offers 50% discounts to mobile payment users
Passengers travelling on Taipei’s Danhai Light Rail service over the next three months will receive a 50% discount on the usual fare when they choose to pay with their mobile phone, operator New Taipei Metro Corporation (NTMC) has announced... More
Morocco boosts contactless transaction limit by 100%
Morocco’s bank-owned payment acquirer, Centre Monétique Interbancaire (CMI), has raised the contactless transaction limit in the country from 200 to 400 dirhams (US$40) in response to the coronavirus crisis... More
Dejamobile launches white label solution for contactless payments acceptance on standard NFC devices
PARTNER NEWS: Dejamobile has launched a white label solution that enables merchants to be provided with the ability to accept EMV contactless and digital payments on standard NFC phones and tablets — with no additional hardware required... More
Paachn adds NFC tags to face masks
Connected apparel brand Paachn has included an NFC tag in a limited-edition, machine-washable face mask featuring artwork by Tokyo-based artist Campbell La Pun... More
Financial Conduct Authority to add new protections for consumers’ funds
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is to tighten up its regulations “to ensure payments firms are adequately protecting customer funds” amid concerns that the impact of Covid-19 will affect their financial viability... More
Interac reports surge in digital payments adoption
Since mid-March, first-time users of Interac’s e-Transfer service have increased by 43% and the average number of transactions has increased by 9% compared to the same time last year, the Canadian domestic debit card network provider has revealed... More
Bitkom reports major switch in German attitudes to contactless payments
Seven in ten German consumers would now like to have more opportunities to use contactless payments and 75% are trying to avoid cash payments “as often as possible”, a new survey has found... More
PayPal rolls out QR payments to 28 countries around the world
PayPal users in 28 countries across the world are now able to use their PayPal app to make QR code-based mobile payments in stores — and standard seller transaction fees are being waived “for a limited time” for merchants using the new functionality... More
Transact rolls out Android NFC student IDs at 16 US universities
Campus card solutions provider Transact has rolled out support for Android NFC student IDs, integrated with Google Pay, to 16 US universities... More
ABI: An extra 110m contactless cards will now be issued in 2020
An additional 110m contactless payment cards will be issued in 2020 compared with pre-Covid-19 forecast expectations, ABI Research predicts, bringing the total in circulation to more than 2bn... More
Israel to increase contactless payments limit by 50%
The contactless payment limit is to be increased from ILS 200 (US$56.35) to ILS 300 (US$84.52) “by the end of 2020”, the Bank of Israel has announced, “in order to improve dealing with the coronavirus pandemic”... More
Three in ten US consumers to use contactless and mobile payments post-pandemic
A new survey has found that 45% of US consumers are now using “a mobile wallet of some type”, 16% are using paper-based currency less than before the pandemic and 31% say will use contactless or mobile wallet payments instead of cash and cheques in the aftermath of Covid-19... More
Bangalore buses to go cashless post-lockdown
Buses will no longer accept cash payments once current curbs on public transportation are eased, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has announced... More