The NFC SIM card is losing its fight against embedded secure elements and host card emulation (HCE) technologies which are “continuing to gain momentum due to ongoing interest from banks, financial institutions and transportation authorities,” ABI Research says... More
NFC
Citi and Wells Fargo cards ‘not supported’ by Android Wear
Credit cards provided by US banks Citi and Wells Fargo are not supported by Android Wear 2.0, Google’s new version of its wearables operating system which brings host card emulation (HCE) based NFC payments to smartwatches... More
Finnish distiller adds NFC tags to gin bottles
Finnish distiller Northern Lights Spirits (NLS) is to include NFC tags on premium Kalevala Gin bottles, allowing it to “instantly deliver authentication messages, brand stories, promotional offers, product news and other relevant content” to customers... More
Jameson offers prizes with special NFC bottle
Drinkers of Jameson Irish Whiskey can access prizes and giveaways by tapping their phones against an NFC tag placed on a special edition bottle marking St Patrick’s Day in Ireland... More
Australian banks drop Apple Pay fee request to focus on iPhone NFC access
The group of Australian banks arguing for the right to collectively negotiate with Apple over the introduction of Apple Pay in the country have dropped their request to jointly arrange how to “pass-through” additional fees Apple imposes on its mobile payment service, and will now focus solely on gaining access to the NFC functionality within the iPhone... More
Australia’s retailers join the banks in their battle with Apple Pay
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has come out in support of the group of four Australian banks seeking stronger negotiation powers with Apple over the introduction of Apple Pay in the country, saying they believe access to the NFC functionality in the iPhone would allow retailers to provide “a richer and more convenient customer experience”... More
Bus operator reports QR and NFC adoption stats
Bus passengers in the UK county of West Yorkshire are using QR codes and NFC at bus stops 10,000 times every week to retrieve travel information... More
Google unveils Android Wear 2.0 and new watch with support for NFC mobile payments
Google has officially unveiled Android Wear 2.0, the new version of its operating system for smartwatches, and two new watches from LG — one of which comes with NFC to support HCE mobile payments using Android Pay... More
‘World first’ plastic NFC tag opens up new possibilities for NFC deployments
Global playing card and board game producer Cartamundi, nanoelectronics research centre Imec and Holst Centre — an initiative set up by Imec and Dutch research institute TNO — have unveiled a “world first” NFC tag made entirely out of plastic that offers the chance of “manufacturing chips in large volumes at low cost”... More
Apple accuses Australian banks of Apple Pay transaction fee ‘trojan horse’
Australian banks are using fees on Apple Pay transactions as a “trojan horse” to discourage the use of its mobile payments service and to condition consumers to accept transaction fees with the “longer term view to setting a precedent for charging for mobile payments on other digital wallets,” Apple claims in its latest submission to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)... More
Tostitos tortilla chip bags use NFC to order an Uber when consumers are too drunk to drive
US consumers can now order a discounted Uber ride by tapping their NFC smartphone against a bag of Tostitos tortilla chips when they have had too much to drink. The bag detects the presence of alcohol on a person’s breath and shows either a green or red steering wheel to alert the consumer of whether or not they are safe to drive home. More
Irish bank waives fees on contactless transactions
Allied Irish Banks (AIB) is waiving the transaction fee for all transactions made using contactless cards or NFC mobile devices... More
White paper sets out ‘game changer’ role for NFC in public transport ticketing
A 14-page white paper that aims to educate public transport operators, mobile network operators and handset manufacturers on how to implement NFC technology across transportation systems, while ensuring consistent, reliable and efficient performance between devices and mobile ticketing systems, is now available to download from the NFC World Knowledge Centre. More
NXP predicts ePassports will become virtual mobile identities
PARTNER NEWS: The electronic passport could soon become a “virtual mobile identity” that will allow owners to interact with and authenticate applications, as well as send credentials to other electronic devices using NFC smartphones and wearables, according to NXP... More
Facebook strengthens security with Fido-compliant authentication
Social media giant Facebook has added the Fido Alliance’s Universal Second Factor (U2F) specification to its platform to strengthen its range of two-factor authentication methods which have previously been offered through an SMS service or by a code generation feature inside the Facebook mobile app... More
Scottish commuters to pilot HCE ticketing across subway system
PARTNER NEWS: Commuters across western Scotland are to begin testing a host card emulation (HCE) based ticketing service in the second quarter of 2017, that will enable them to securely load a virtual smart card to their mobile phone and pay for journeys across the Glasgow Subway with a tap of their NFC device... More
Google brings HCE payments to Android Wear 2.0
Google is adding support for host card emulation (HCE) based NFC payments to smartwatches in Android Wear 2.0, the new version of its operating system for smartwatches which is scheduled to be released in early February 2017... More
Consumers to personalise makeup and perfume with electronic ink and NFC packaging
Beauty product buyers will soon be able to add their name to their makeup compact and perfume bottles, write personal messages to gift recipients, access information based on skin conditions, receive targeted advertisements and connect to social media campaigns through an electronic ink display, powered by NFC, on the product packaging... More
Singapore commuters to get NFC-enabled transport payment wearables
Commuters in Singapore will soon be able to pay for public transport using an NFC-enabled fitness tracker or smartwatch linked to their EZ-Link transit card... More
Mobile payments market worth $3,338bn by 2022
The global mobile payments market will reach US$3,388bn by 2022, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 33.4%, Allied Market Research predicts... More