Poste Italiane adds QR code payments to Postepay app
Italy’s national postal service provider has added QR code-based payments to its mobile payments app, to support the country’s transition from cash to digital payments... More
Geolocation
Sicilian farmers use NFC to let consumers verify the authenticity of premium blood oranges
Consumers purchasing premium Sicilian blood oranges will be able to track the provenance of the product using a new system that combines NFC tags and sensors placed on each box of oranges with a blockchain-based tracking system... More
NXP combines NFC and UWB for mobile car keys
PARTNER NEWS: NXP has launched a new ultra-wideband chip designed to work together with Bluetooth, NFC and secure element technologies to enable “true secure hands-free smart access” to vehicles... More
Swish pilots Bluetooth boxes for mobile payments in Swedish stores
Swedish P2P and online payments app Swish is moving into in-store payments with a pilot test of a Bluetooth box that can be added to merchants’ existing POS terminals to deliver “an NFC-like ‘tap and pay’ experience”... More
Tourism Australia adds visitor card to Alipay
Tourism Australia, Alipay partner on new geotargeted Sydney City mobile app — CMO — “Chinese tourists will be able to access recommendations on what to see, where to shop and how to get around, all within an app they are familiar with and while being offered their preferred payment method… The Sydney City Card is built into the Alipay app, so no opt-in is required.”
US consumers ready to share purchasing data with financial services AIs
NTT Data study finds Alexa and Siri will drive the digital customer experience of the future for financial services firms — NTT Data — “Consumers are comfortable providing FSIs [Financial Services Institutions] with access to a wide range of data if it enables them to provide advice on spending, insurance products or coverages, or targeted financing options to meet their financial goals. 68% would share online retail purchase information, 61% would share geolocation information, 49% would share Uber, Lyft and OpenTable information, 42% would share Facebook and Twitter information.”
US Bank to use phone location data to authorize transactions
US Bank adds opt-in location services to mobile app, making life on the go more flexible during the holidays — US Bank — “US Bank has added location services to the US Bank Mobile App, offering US Bank Visa credit and debit card customers technology that uses their phones’ location to help verify whether their mobile devices and credit or debit card are in the same location. By using the mobile device’s location in the authorization decision, US Bank can help give consumers the confidence that their transactions will be approved, minimizing disruptions and further reducing the risk of fraud.”
Drones relay RFID signals for inventory control
Drones relay RFID signals for inventory control — MIT — “MIT researchers have now developed a system that enables small, safe, aerial drones to read RFID tags from tens of meters away while identifying the tags’ locations with an average error of about 19 centimeters. The researchers envision that the system could be used in large warehouses for both continuous monitoring, to prevent inventory mismatches, and location of individual items, so that employees can rapidly and reliably meet customer requests.”
Bank issues primary school kids with NFC smartwatches that let them make payments and track pocket money
Singapore’s POSB bank has provided 6,000 primary school children with smartwatches equipped with fitness tracking and mobile payments capabilities in a bid to “teach students how to save and spend wisely by helping them track their savings and spending habits digitally.”... More
New BBVA Wallet release provides enhanced functionality and convenience
New BBVA Wallet release provides enhanced functionality and convenience — BBVA Compass — “MLC uses geolocation information being transmitted by a customer’s mobile device as a means of approving debit card transactions for customers when they travel. When a customer enrolls in MLC, the bank is able to know at the time of purchase whether the cardholder’s device is nearby.”
MSC Cruises passengers to get onboard mobile payments and tailored holidays with NFC, beacons and biometrics
Holidaymakers aboard ships belonging to MSC Cruises will soon be able to make onboard payments, tailor their individual holiday preferences and access features such as a digital personal advisor through facial recognition technology, NFC and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons, plus a mobile app and interactive cabin TV screens... 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
Bluetooth rail ticketing service to include biometrics?
Fingerprint and iris scanning technology “could eventually” be incorporated into a Bluetooth and geolocation-based ticketing service to be piloted by UK rail firm Chiltern Railways in July 2017... More
Rail passengers pilot Bluetooth and geolocation service for ticket-free travel
Passengers on UK rail company Chiltern Railways will soon be able to travel without tickets using a service integrating a mobile app with Bluetooth and geolocation services, which will track commuters throughout their journey, give them access through ticket barriers and automatically charge them the best price for the route taken... More
Europeans keen to use biometric authentication for payments, says Visa
More than two thirds (68%) of European consumers want to use biometrics as a method of payment authentication, research from Visa reveals, and 73% see two-factor authentication as a secure way to confirm an account holder’s identity. More
Android Pay preps new features
Android Pay is set to launch streamlined loyalty programme signups, Transport for London (TfL) ticket purchase integration and a function that allows users to discover which nearby stores accept the mobile payment service, a code analysis of the latest version of the mobile app by Android Police has revealed... More
Jiffy payments launches in-store in Milan and Bergamo
Italian consumers are now piloting in-store mobile payments using Jiffy, the person-to-person (P2P) payment service launched by payment processor SIA in October 2014. The service makes use of QR codes at the point of sale. More
Android Pay to expand into Europe ‘soon’
Google is actively working towards launching Android Pay in Europe, director of emerging platforms Spencer Spinnell has revealed at Money20/20 Europe... More
FreeCharge adds chat payments to mobile wallet app
Indian consumers can now make payments to merchants and to friends and family using Chat and Pay, a messaging service built into the main FreeCharge mobile wallet app... More
BBVA reports more than 1m downloads of HCE mobile wallet app
More than one million consumers have downloaded BBVA’s host card emulation (HCE) mobile wallet since it launched in June 2014... More
