PARTNER NEWS: Rambus has unveiled a mobile payments platform that will allow retailers to launch mobile payment and loyalty services that securely store and manage a variety of payment cards, as well as gift cards and loyalty points, to enable consumers to pay with credit, points and coupons in a single transaction at the point of sale... More
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Crédit Mutuel Arkéa launches HCE mobile payments developed with Antelop
PARTNER NEWS: Customers of French bank Crédit Mutuel Arkéa can now make host card emulation (HCE) based mobile payments using the bank’s Paylib mobile app and authorise payments at the point of sale with a scan of their fingerprint, making it the “first bank offering a fingerprint-supported HCE solution in France”... More
Bank of China brings Apple Pay to UnionPay credit cards
Bank of China has become the first bank in Hong Kong to offer Apple Pay with UnionPay credit cards... More
EMV card shipments grow less than 1% in 2016
Global EMV payment card shipments increased by less than 1% year-on-year in 2016, reaching nearly 3bn, ABI Research says... More
Jaguar brings in-car fuel payments to Shell service stations
Luxury car maker Jaguar has begun integrating a mobile payments system into its vehicles, allowing drivers to use PayPal or Apple Pay to pay for fuel at Shell service stations using an app and the touchscreen found inside their vehicle... More
Citi and Wells Fargo cards ‘not supported’ by Android Wear
Credit cards provided by US banks Citi and Wells Fargo are not supported by Android Wear 2.0, Google’s new version of its wearables operating system which brings host card emulation (HCE) based NFC payments to smartwatches... More
Australian banks drop Apple Pay fee request to focus on iPhone NFC access
The group of Australian banks arguing for the right to collectively negotiate with Apple over the introduction of Apple Pay in the country have dropped their request to jointly arrange how to “pass-through” additional fees Apple imposes on its mobile payment service, and will now focus solely on gaining access to the NFC functionality within the iPhone... More
Singapore’s Nets network moves to mobile payments
Singapore electronic payments network Nets is to go “digital and contactless” within the coming weeks... More
Smart Benches offer Londoners chance to make contactless charity donations
Ten Smart Benches have been installed across London to enable passersby to donate £2 (US$3) to Cancer Research UK with a tap of their contactless debit or credit card. The Smart Bench network is currently being piloted in two boroughs in the city, with a further 90 benches to be permanently rolled out later this year. More
Liverpool gets own currency built with blockchain
The UK city of Liverpool has launched its own digital currency using blockchain technology supplied by Tel-Aviv-based digital wallet provider Colu... More
France to increase contactless limit to €30
The contactless spending limit in France will increase from €20 (US$21) to €30 (US$32) at the end of this year... More
Apple Pay in Australia ‘will encourage credit card competition’
Apple Pay could encourage competition between banks on credit cards in Australia, prompting more promotions and discounts, according to Apple’s latest submission to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)... More
Apple Pay records 50% growth in 2016, as mobile apps and websites prove most popular
The number of monthly US Apple Pay credit card transactions conducted in-app, online and at the in-store point of sale grew by 50% between December 2015 and December 2016, research released by consumer spending analytics portal TXN reveals, with mobile apps and websites attracting the highest proportion of transactions... More
Target to launch mobile payment service this year
US retail giant Target is to introduce its own mobile payment service to “one or more of its own apps” later this year, the company’s Michael McNamara has told Recode... More
Free Galaxy S7 offer for Samsung Pay’s UAE launch
Free Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphones preloaded with Samsung Pay are being offered to new credit card customers of Mashreq Bank in the UAE, as the mobile payments service launches there through an early access programme with the bank... More
25% of UK card payments now contactless
A quarter of all UK card transactions in November 2016 were made using contactless debit and credit cards, The UK Cards Association reveals... More
Carnival unveils NFC and BLE wearable for cruise ship passengers
Holidaymakers aboard Carnival Corporation cruise ships will soon be given an NFC and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) enabled wearable device, designed by the man behind Disney’s MagicBand, that will let them access a range of next generation services including boarding without checking in, unlocking rooms, accessing personalised entertainment, ordering food and making payments. More
Samsung lets smart fridge owners use voice commands to order groceries
US consumers will soon be able to use their voice to order groceries directly from their fridge with the latest edition of Samsung’s smart connected fridge platform and an updated version of the Groceries by Mastercard mobile app... More
Volkswagen targets mobile payments business with parking service deal
Volkswagen Financial Services AG, the financial services division of German vehicle manufacturer Volkswagen Group, has bought mobile payment platform PayByPhone to “highly increase” its involvement in mobile payments around the world and to establish a “separate business field around the theme of parking”... More
Malaysia bank launches HCE mobile payments
Customers of Malaysia’s CIMB Bank can make host card emulation (HCE) mobile payments using CIMB Pay — a new service that supports Mastercard and Visa credit and debit cards... More