A new mobile payments system is to begin undergoing tests in Azerbaijan this month, according to Azernews... More
Mobile payments
Facebook bots to enable Messenger commerce
Facebook has given some developers access to an as yet unannounced Chat SDK that allows them to build interactive experiences and “bots” in Messenger for shopping, booking travel and more, according to TechCrunch... More
Broadcom NFC controller offers faster HCE transactions
Broadcom has unveiled an NFC controller with a new capability called Virtual Execution Environment (VEE) that “reduces HCE transactions to half their time, improves security without the need for a secure element and can perform transactions with the host off so users can still make a transaction when their device is powered off.” The new BCM20797 controller also features a smaller footprint, making it suitable for both mobile devices and wearables, Broadcom says... More
E.Sun Bank introduces HCE mobile payments in Taiwan
Customers of Taiwan’s E.Sun Bank can now use the bank’s mobile wallet app to make host card emulation (HCE) based mobile payments at contactless terminals... More
MasterCard and Coin take NFC payments to wearable devices
Connected device maker Coin has partnered with MasterCard to enable NFC payments on a range of fitness bands, smartwatches and other wearable devices. Fitness wearable designers Atlas Wearables and Moov and smartwatch provider Omate are the first to implement the NFC payments technology into their products. More
Samsung Pay heads to Australia, Brazil and Singapore
Samsung is to launch its Samsung Pay mobile payment service in Australia, Brazil and Singapore, the company’s Tim Baxter has announced during a keynote at the CES show in Las Vegas. The service will also be available on the Samsung Gear S2 classic smartwatch from early this year, starting in the US. More
MasterCard and Samsung enable grocery payments at the fridge
US consumers will soon be able to place grocery orders with online grocer FreshDirect and supermarket chain ShopRite by entering the items they wish to purchase into a touchscreen built into Samsung’s new Family Hub refrigerator. More
Apple Pay adds almost 60 more US banks
Apple has added 58 banks and credit unions to its list of Apple Pay supporting financial institutions in the US... More
Mike Tyson puts weight behind Bitcoin
Boxing hero Mike Tyson has teamed up with Bitcoin Direct and BitPay to launch the Mike Tyson Digital Wallet... More
Yapi Kredi launches HCE mobile payments in Turkey
Customers of Turkish bank Yapi Kredi can now make host card emulation (HCE) based mobile payments using a Yapi Kredi Wallet that enables purchases to be made at any contactless terminal with a tap of an Android NFC device... More
Samsung Pay to add online payments
Samsung is to expand Samsung Pay to both online payments and down-range smartphones in the US this year, according to Reuters... More
NXP unveils NFC frontend for contactless payment readers
PARTNER NEWS: NXP has launched a new NFC frontend for contactless payment readers that simplifies the work needed to gain certification and delivers four times more output power than its previous model... More
UK contactless spending volumes rise sharply following increase in transaction limit
Contactless transaction volumes have risen sharply since the UK transaction limit increased from £20 (US$30) to £30 (US$46) in September 2015, research from Barclaycard reveals. Service stations, pubs and bars, supermarkets and fast food outlets have seen the biggest increases. More
One in ten UK card payments now contactless
Contactless card transactions now account for one in ten card payments made in the UK, research from The UK Cards Association shows... More
Gemalto recognised for mobile ticketing solutions
PARTNER NEWS: Three market research companies have named digital security giant Gemalto as the world’s number one supplier of contactless and mobile solutions for public transportation... More
More than 10m consumers sign up for PayPal One Touch
More than 10m consumers have now opted in to PayPal’s One Touch mobile payments solution... More
US shoppers back mobile gift cards
More than half of US online shoppers (56%) are interested in storing gift cards on their mobile phone, according to research from CashStar... More
Westpac launches money transfers via mobile
Customers of Australian bank Westpac can now transfer money to others using only their mobile phone number... More
One in three card transactions now EMV
One in three of all card-present transactions made globally between July 2014 and June 2015 used EMV chip technology, research from EMVCo shows... More