Seven in ten consumers are confident with the security contactless cards/mobile wallets provide and 88% report a consistently positive user experience with NFC contactless technologies, a survey of consumers in nine countries around the world has found... More
Payments
JPMorgan begins digital currency test
JPMorgan Chase’s JPM Coin digital currency is now being used commercially for cross-border payments by “a large international technology company”, the US banking giant’s Takis Georgakopoulos has told CNBC... More
Russia launches public consultation on digital ruble
The Central Bank of Russia (CBR) has begun a public consultation on the launch of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) that would allow citizens to use “mobile devices and other media” to make payments using a digital ruble... More
India bans mobile payment providers from launching new proprietary QR codes
Payment system operators in India can no longer issue new proprietary QR codes for mobile payments, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced... More
Visa: Consumers have made an extra 500m touch-free payments in Europe since contactless limits were increased
Visa has processed 500m additional PIN-less, touch-free transactions since contactless payment limits were increased in 29 countries across Europe in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the card network reports... More
Transport for NSW to trial digital Opal card with 10,000 commuters
Passengers who use their Opal transit card to pay for transport fares in the Australian state of New South Wales are to take part in a pilot of a digital version of the card which is set to go live before the end of this year... More
Poppy appeal adds contactless donation boxes in Canada
Customers of HSBC Bank Canada can use their bank cards, mobile phones and wearables to make contactless donations to the Royal Canadian Legion’s National Poppy Campaign via tap-enabled donation boxes... More
Central bank launches digital currency in the Bahamas
Citizens of the Bahamas can now make payments and transfers from a digital wallet using the country’s Sand Dollar central bank digital currency (CBDC)... More
Visa lets merchants in 15 countries accept contactless payments on standard NFC phones
Merchants in more than 15 countries around the world are now able to use Android NFC smartphones and tablets to accept contactless payments with no additional hardware required, Visa has announced... More
Shenzhen residents spend nearly 9m digital yuan during CBDC pilot
China’s ‘red envelope’ lottery giveaway of digital yuan to 50,000 residents of Shenzhen resulted in 62,788 transactions with a total value of 8.764m yuan (US$1.32m) during the week-long central bank digital currency (CBDC) test in the city... More
Six in ten US merchants now accept contactless payments
The percentage of merchants in the USA that now accept contactless payments has risen to 58% from 40% last year, while those accepting mobile payments from digital wallets has gone up to 56% from last year’s 44%, according to research released by the National Retail Federation (NRF)... More
Kazakhstan to roll out face recognition transit ticketing in 2021
Passengers using public transport in the Kazakhstan capital of Nur-Sultan will be able to pay for their tickets by showing their face to an on-board camera from the beginning of next year... More
Pizza maker teams up with delivery service to let robots make and deliver orders to the door
Consumers will be able to use their mobile device to order a takeout pizza that is both made and delivered to their door entirely by robots using a fully automated, contactless system being developed in California... More
Estonian fuel station installs self-service payments system that replaces need for physical card readers
Drivers in Estonia can now order and pay for their fuel directly from their smartphone at a station equipped with a fully automated cloud-based self-service system... More
Pret A Manger pilots contactless charity donations in UK outlets
Customers of Pret A Manger sandwich shops across London and Manchester can now make cashless charitable donations in store using their contactless payment card or mobile device... More
Metro de Sevilla introduces tap-and-go ticketing payments
Passengers on Metro de Sevilla services in the Spanish city of Seville can now pay their fares using their contactless debit or credit cards or their mobile device without needing to buy or recharge a ticket from a ticket vending machine... More
Russia paves way for introduction of biometric payments
The Russian government is expected to adopt a law that will enable Russian consumers to use face and voice recognition to authenticate in-store payments in shops, cafes and other retail outlets by the end of 2020, Izvestia reports... More
ST reports on NFC use cases and market trends in the automotive industry
From digital keys to diagnostics data transmission, consumables monitoring, in-vehicle payments, infotainment connectivity and car sharing, NFC technology offers an array of opportunities for vehicle manufacturers to add value, STMicroelectronics’ Rene Wutte explains in a webinar hosted by NFCW’s Sarah Clark... More
Philippe Starck designs NFC payments ring
Iconic designer Philippe Starck has created a smart ring that can be used to store payment cards and transport passes, make contactless payments, and transfer business and ID information... More
Razer pilots prepaid card that lights up when used for contactless payments
Users of Razer Pay, a digital wallet operated by gaming lifestyle brand Razer in Singapore, are taking part in the beta test of a premium prepaid card that lights up whenever a contactless payment is made... More