Public transport users and motorists in Malaysia can now top up their physical Touch ’n Go prepaid contactless fare, toll and parking payments card directly from their NFC smartphone... More
Retail
Boston’s Fenway Park opens contactless food and drink stores
Fans attending baseball matches at Fenway Park in Boston in the USA can now purchase food and drink at two outlets in the Boston Red Sox stadium using AI-powered contactless point of sale technology... More
Moroccan bank launches biometric payment card
Customers of BMCI bank in Morocco can now apply for a biometric payment card that allows them to authenticate contactless payments with their fingerprint... More
US digital bank introduces contactless payments rings
Customers of US-based digital bank Quontic can now opt to order a contactless payments ring that they can link to their checking account and use to make purchases wherever contactless payments are accepted... More
American Airlines Center in Dallas gets contactless food and drink stores
The American Airlines Center in Dallas in the US has opened the first of two contactless food and drink outlets that enable fans attending sports and entertainment events at the arena to walk in, select the snacks and refreshments they wish to purchase and pay for them without needing to scan them or use a checkout... More
Riksbank completes digital currency payments pilot
Sweden’s central bank The Riksbank has completed the second phase of its e-krona central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot and demonstrated that the blockchain-based technical solution it is testing can be integrated into existing banking and payments infrastructure... More
National Bank of Iraq to trial biometric payment cards
The National Bank of Iraq is to pilot biometric payment cards that will allow users to authenticate contactless transactions with their fingerprints... More
Dubai merchants to let customers make payments with face biometrics
Consumers in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates will soon be able to make contactless payments with their face at branches of Costa Coffee, drinks retailer MMI, grocery chain Géant, the Cove Beach at Caesars Palace beach club and the Coca-Cola Arena Dubai... More
European Commission requests payments industry input on digital euro
The European Commission has launched a targeted consultation on the expected impact of a digital euro on key industries, institutions, consumers, merchants and other stakeholders in international trade... More
Jamaica begins central bank digital currency rollout
Residents of Jamaica can now open a digital wallet that supports the country’s Jam-Dex central bank digital currency (CBDC) as the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) prepares to launch the CBDC during the April to June quarter... More
Contactless P2P payments to drive adoption of digital euro, central bank survey finds
European consumers consider the ability to make instant contactless payments, including person-to-person transfers, to be a priority and “a very important selling point” for a digital euro, according to European Central Bank (ECB) research... More
Apple to enter payment processing market?
Apple has launched a project to develop its own payment processing technology and infrastructure for future financial products and services including buy now, pay later instalment payments for Apple Pay, credit checking and risk assessment, according to media reports... More
Automated kiosk lets customers order contactless burgers in New Jersey
Consumers in Newark, New Jersey, in the US can now purchase “contactless burgers” that have been cooked by a robot from an automated kiosk in the Newport Centre shopping mall... More
Bangladesh switches on support for contactless debit and prepaid cards
The central bank of Bangladesh has announced that it has added approval for contactless debit and prepaid card payments in a circular that also sets a PIN-free transaction limit of Tk3,000 (US$35) and requires card issuers to notify customers of each transaction via SMS... More
Iraqi bank to pilot biometric payment cards
Customers of Al-Mansour Bank in Iraq will be among the first in the country to be able to trial biometric payment cards that allow them to authenticate contactless payments with their fingerprints... More
Bank of Ghana lays out core design principles for CBDC pilot
The Bank of Ghana (BOG) is to pilot a two-tier token-based retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) that can be used with either a digital wallet app managed by a financial institution or a physical hardware wallet such as a contactless smart card that can be used offline and by unbanked consumers... More
First National Bank reports ‘surge’ in contactless payments from smart devices in South Africa
The total transaction values of contactless payments made using a smart device processed by retail and commercial clients of South Africa’s First National Bank (FNB) has increased from R640m (US$43m) in 2020 to “in excess” of R4.2bn (US$3bn) in 2021, the bank reports... More
Average UK contactless transaction value rises by 30%
The value of the average contactless payment made in the UK has risen by 30% since the country increased its contactless spending limit from £45 (US$59) to £100 (US$132) in October last year, according to figures from UK Finance... More
Seattle boutique opens contactless clothing rental store
Customers using Armoire clothing rental store in Seattle in the US can now collect and return fashion items by simply picking them up or leaving them on a table in the store... More
7-Eleven Japan trials holographic contactless self-checkout
Customers at six 7-Eleven convenience stores in Tokyo, Japan, can now make cashless payments for their purchases by interacting with a holographic screen projected from a contactless self-checkout kiosk... More