Residents of a small village in rural Finland now have access to an unstaffed automated contactless convenience store that uses RAIN RFID tags attached to each item to let shoppers quickly and easily self-checkout using a POS solution equipped with an RFID reader that automatically scans all the items in their basket. ... More
NFC Mobile Payments
Sixteen banks, payments and technology firms to pilot digital Hong Kong dollar
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has officially launched six first-round pilots of a digital Hong Kong dollar or e-HKD with support from 16 banks, payments and technology firms to test the prototype central bank digital currency (CBDC) across a range of use cases including in-store, online and offline payments... More
NatWest to let UK merchants accept contactless payments on Android smartphones
NatWest bank is launching a software-only point-of-sale (softPOS) solution that will enable merchants in the UK to accept in-person contactless payments on Android NFC smartphones... More
NFCW introduces Contactless World Congress Studio Days
NFCW readers can now quickly and easily share their knowledge with the world by joining us at a virtual Contactless World Congress Studio Day to record a conference presentation that we’ll then upload to the NFCW Knowledge Centre for any of our 13,000+ members to access... More
Celent analyst Zil Bareisis reports on what’s next in contactless payments
New form factors, value-added services, issuing business models and payment acceptance innovations such as softPOS solutions are the driving forces behind what’s next in the contactless card payments market, Bareisis explains in a presentation for Contactless World Congress. More
Public Transport Victoria to introduce open loop contactless payments across the region’s transport network
Passengers using bus, tram and train services across the Australian state of Victoria will soon be able to use their physical or digital debit or credit card to pay their transit fares using an open loop contactless ticketing system... More
City of Brighton boosts local economy with digital gift cards that can only be spent at local merchants
Consumers in the English city of Brighton will soon be able to purchase a prepaid digital gift card that can be stored on a smartphone and used to make in-store mobile payments for goods and services at local retailers, restaurants, leisure attractions and other businesses... More
Apple Pay goes live in Honduras and Panama
Apple Pay has launched in Honduras and Panama with support for Mastercard and Visa credit and debit cards issued by BAC Credomatic and Banco Promerica in both countries as well as by Banco Ficohsa in Honduras... More
Bank of Korea and Samsung to test offline CBDC payments using NFC
The Bank of Korea (BOK) and Samsung are to test using NFC to make offline central bank digital currency (CBDC) transactions with Galaxy smartphones and smart watches without needing an internet connection... More
Apple rolls out Tap to Pay on iPhone to merchants in Australia
Merchants in Australia can now accept in-store contactless payments on iPhones using Apple’s Tap to Pay software point of sale (softPOS) feature... More
Houzz lets home professionals accept contactless payments on standard iPhones
Building and design platform Houzz has added support for Apple’s Tap to Pay softPOS solution to its app, enabling residential contractors and design professionals linked to its service in the US to accept contactless payments from clients on their iPhones... More
Apple Pay launch drives Hyundai Card uptake in Korea
The number of new Hyundai Cards issued in South Korea since Apple Pay launched in the country has now reached 355,000, with nearly eight in ten of new cardholders being Millennials or belonging to Generation Z (79%)... More
Malaysian Islamic centre pilots softPOS technology for contactless charity donations
The Zakat Collection Centre of the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (PPZ-MAIWP) in Malaysia has begun piloting a software-only point-of-sale (softPOS) solution that enables designated collectors to accept contactless charitable donations on their Android NFC smartphone... More
Apple Pay goes live in El Salvador and Guatemala
Apple Pay has launched in El Salvador and Guatemala with support for Mastercard and Visa credit and debit cards issued by BAC Credomatic and Promerica banks in both countries as well as by Banco G&T and Banco Industrial in Guatemala... More
Four in ten US consumers prefer using Google Pay or Apple Pay for bar and restaurant payments
Nearly 40% of consumers in the US say they prefer to pay for their orders at bars and restaurants using mobile payments apps such as Apple Pay or Google Pay rather than a physical credit or debit card, according to a survey... More
University of Florida to launch contactless mobile student IDs
Students at the University of Florida in the US will soon be able to gain access to campus buildings, events and library services as well as authorise contactless payments for food, beverages and books using a digital student identity card stored on their Apple or Android NFC smartphone or smartwatch... More
Digital euro to support both NFC and QR payments in stores
The digital euro should be distributed via apps, digital and physical cards and other form factors that enable consumers to make both NFC and QR code in-store payments with the proposed central bank digital currency (CBDC), according to a European Central Bank (ECB) report... More
European Payments Initiative to pilot digital wallet for instant P2P payments in Germany and France
The European Payments Initiative (EPI) is to begin piloting a digital wallet that will enable users to make instant person-to-person (P2P) payments in Germany and France as a first step towards rolling out a unified payment system that will support “a comprehensive range of transaction types” across Europe... More
Swatch launches contactless payments on wearables in Thailand
Buyers of Swatch watches in Thailand can now opt to make contactless payments with their NFC wearable device using the Swiss-based company’s SwatchPay! contactless payments service. More
Ardshinbank lets merchants in Armenia accept contactless payments on standard Android NFC devices
Armenia’s Ardshinbank has launched a software-only point of sale (softPOS) solution that enables merchants to accept contactless payments on Android NFC smartphones, tablets and other devices. ... More