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
Digital payments
Starbucks and Amazon open joint checkout-free outlet in New York
Customers using a combined Starbucks Pickup and Amazon Go outlet in Manhattan, New York City, can now collect beverages purchased via the Starbucks app and then opt to enter a checkout-free “contactless market” and lounge area by scanning an “in-store code” in their Amazon Shopping app or their credit card... 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
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
Mercedes to let drivers authenticate in-vehicle payments for goods and services with their fingerprint
Mercedes drivers in the UK and Germany will soon be able to authorise in-car payments for goods and services using a fingerprint sensor in their vehicle’s dashboard... More
Sri Lanka launches national QR code mobile payments solution
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has begun a nationwide rollout of the LankaQR digital payments solution that enables consumers to make payments to merchants and service providers directly from their bank account by scanning a QR code with their mobile device... 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
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
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
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
China puts pressure on McDonald’s, Visa and Nike to accept digital yuan
The Chinese government is reportedly putting pressure on US-based companies including McDonald’s, Visa and Nike to accept payments in digital yuan before the start of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics... More
Schools in Scotland let students make contactless meal payments with their face
Students at secondary schools in North Ayrshire in Scotland can now opt to make contactless payments for their school meals and snacks by authenticating their identity using biometric face recognition technology... More
Jakarta transport networks trial transit card and mobile app for multimodal contactless ticketing
Passengers using public transport services in the greater Jakarta metropolitan area of Indonesia can now sign up to trial a transit card and a smartphone app that enable them to make contactless fare payments on bus and rail services in the region... More
Apple Pay goes live in Bahrain
Apple Pay has rolled out in Bahrain with support for Mastercard and Visa cards issued by the National Bank of Bahrain (NBB), Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK) and ila digital bank... More
Bio-compatible NFC implant lets consumers make contactless payments with their hand
Consumers in the European Union and the UK can now make contactless payments using an NFC implant in their hand that is compliant with ISO 10993 biocompatibility standards... More
Three in four UK consumers want to set their own contactless spending limit
Nearly three-quarters of UK consumers (73.1%) want the option to set their own contactless spending limit rather than it being set automatically when the country increases that limit to £100 (US$136) in October, according to a survey by KIS Finance... More