Apple Pay has launched in Armenia with support for Mastercard and Visa cards issued by Acba Bank, Ardshinbank, Ameriabank, Converse Bank, Inecobank and Unibank... More
Apple Pay goes live in Armenia
Mobile payments
Apple Pay to launch in Argentina and Peru ‘soon’
Apple Pay is due to roll out in Argentina and Peru “soon”, according to the payments service’s Latin American website... More
One in four consumers expect to switch to being cashless within two years
One in four consumers globally expect to switch to making cashless payments only within the next two years (25%), while one in two say it will happen in the next 10 years (53%) and 16% say they already solely make digital payments, a survey of consumers and merchants in nine markets worldwide has found... More
Apple reports on mobile payments and ticketing adoption
Apple Pay is now available in 60 countries and regions worldwide, with support from nearly 9,000 partner banks, following the service’s expansion to nine new markets — including Colombia, Israel and Mexico — during 2021, Apple reports... More
Korean researchers develop gate-free contactless smart ticketing solution
Researchers at the Korea Railroad Research Institute (KRRI) in Uiwang-si are developing a “smart gate-free system” that will enable passengers using public transport services to automatically pay their fares from their mobile device by walking across a “smart block” in the floor... More
China launches digital currency app for Android and Apple users in 10 cities
Android and Apple users in 10 Chinese cities can now download a pilot version of the country’s digital yuan wallet app directly from the iOS and Android app stores that enables them to acquire, store and use China’s central bank digital currency (CBDC)... More
Cincinnati airport rolls out contactless retail delivery robots
Passengers travelling from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in the US can now order food, beverages and travel items sold at retail outlets in the airport’s Concourse B on their mobile device and have their purchases delivered directly to their location by an autonomous delivery robot... More
Santander lets UK customers set own contactless transaction limit
Customers of Santander bank in the UK can now set their own contactless transaction limit lower than the maximum of £100 (US$132) introduced by the UK government in October... More
Google Pay goes live in Israel
Google Pay has launched in Israel with support for cards issued by the country’s major banks and payments card issuers... More
Mobile contactless payments now account for one in three card transactions in Russia
Mobile contactless payments now account for just over a third of all card transactions (34%) and just under a third of total card transaction value (31%) in Russia compared with 25% of transactions and 23% of transaction value in 2019-2020, according to MTS Bank research... More
Sainsbury’s lets customers ‘just walk out’ of contactless store in London
Customers using a Sainsbury’s contactless convenience store in London can now take the products they want to purchase from the shelves and charge their purchases to their credit or debit card without needing to scan them with their smartphone or visit a checkout by using a new feature on the UK retailer’s SmartShop app... More
Paradies Lagardère expands mobile self-checkout to airport stores across the US and Canada
Customers at Paradies Lagardère retail outlets at 20 additional airports across the US and Canada can now scan and pay for the products they select with their own mobile device without needing to visit a checkout... More
US grocery stores trial AI-powered self-checkout shopping carts
Two US stores owned by retail giant Albertsons are trialling a self-checkout shopping trolley that enables customers to select and scan items while they shop, compare products and receive personalised recommendations via an on-cart screen, and pay for their purchases by inserting or tapping their payments card without visiting a checkout... More
US region to get blockchain-powered local digital currency
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
African payment apps to add ultrasonic authentication for contactless transactions
Consumers across Africa will soon be able to use Nigeria-based payment services provider Paga Group’s mobile apps to authenticate in-store and person-to-person contactless payments using ultrasonic data-over-sound proximity verification technology... More
One in two UK consumers would consider a payments chip implant
Just over one in two (51%) UK consumers would consider making payments using a chip implanted in their hand provided it met certain criteria including medical safety and privacy protection, a new survey reveals... 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
Boise rolls out transit wallet, smartcard and mobile app for fare-capped contactless ticketing
Passengers using bus services in the city of Boise and the Treasure Valley region of the US state of Idaho can now purchase and store tickets and passes in a preloaded transit wallet and then pay their fares by either tapping a contactless smartcard or scanning a QR code stored on their mobile device at an onboard validator... More
UK bank sees 50,000 customers opt to set their own contactless limit
Some 50,000 customers of Starling Bank have chosen to set their own contactless spending limit to a lower amount than the maximum of £100 (US$135) per contactless transaction that the UK government introduced in October... 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