Penn State to roll out contactless mobile student IDs

Penn State contactless mobile student ID

Students at Penn State University in the US will soon be able to gain access to halls of residence and other campus facilities and to make contactless on-campus purchases using a digital student identity card stored on their Apple or Android NFC smartphone or smartwatch... More


France extends public pilot of digital health insurance card

France's digital health insurance card application on a smartphone

Residents of eight French departments will soon be able to verify their identity when accessing healthcare services and claim reimbursement for medical fees by scanning a digital version of their Carte Vitale health insurance card stored on their smartphone with an NFC reader or presenting a QR code to service providers... More




NFC World

Australia pilots NFC-enabled digital visa app

Australia's digital visa app lets travellers prove their identity by scanning their passport with an NFC phone.

Australia’s Department of Home Affairs is piloting an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) app that enables eligible travellers to apply for an electronic visa to enter the country and authenticate their identity credentials by scanning their passport with an NFC-enabled mobile device... More





Tatra Banka lets new customers verify their ID on their mobile phone

Customers save at least 70% time using Innovatrics digital onboarding — Innovatrics — “Users are first tasked to take a photo of both sides of their identification card. Afterwards, they are prompted to take a selfie to verify that the image is actually the same as the picture on the submitted ID. A ‘liveness test’ is performed for added security wherein the client has to follow with his or her eyes a randomly moving dot appearing on the mobile screen.”


NFC World

UK government to use NFC to verify residency status of EU citizens after Brexit

Brexit: Three ‘simple’ questions for EU citizens to stay in UK — BBC — “Applicants with Android phones will be able to download an app which can read the chip in their passport to verify their identity — and they will be able to take a ‘selfie’ that can be checked against Home Office records, said Mr Javid. But he said there was an ‘an issue at the moment’ with Apple device users, who will not be able to make use of this app, and instead will have to send in their passport to prove their identity… The home secretary said he had raised the issue with Apple on a recent visit to Silicon Valley and the company was ‘looking at it actively’.”



What's New in Payments

Vehicle vending machine lets drivers book, pay and drive away a test car from their mobile phone

Ford, Alibaba roll out test-drive services via ‘auto vending machine’ — China Automotive News — “Users can book a test drive via the Alibaba’s Taobao mobile app or the Tmall platform. Entering a key word of ‘super test drive’, users can follow the instructions from the interface to select the vehicles they want and the time to have the test drive. To schedule a test drive, users should submit their basic information and upload their selfies on the platform. Besides, they need to pay some test drive fees and the money for vehicle purchasing intention. After all these done, consumers can pick up their test vehicle via a facial recognition at the ‘super test drive center’ in Guangzhou to enjoy a three-day ride.”


What's New in Payments

Google to work with European banks on PSD2 opportunities

Google says it is looking to partner with banks, not be their rival — The Irish Times — “Florence Diss, head of commerce partnerships for Google in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), said the company is actively working with a number of banks to explore opportunities arising from the payments services directive 2 (PSD2)… Ms Diss’s comments come as Google joined with KBC Bank Ireland at Finovate to demonstrate the latter’s mobile app, which allows users to open a current account in less than five minutes using a selfie for identification purposes.”


Metro Bank lets customers open an account with a selfie

Bricks and clicks unite: Metro Bank takes the revolution nationwide with launch of current accounts online — Metro Bank — “The use of cutting-edge technology means identification documents, along with a selfie, are uploaded directly onto the application. With verification and authentication taking place in real-time, accounts can be opened in less than 10 minutes, including setting-up internet banking.”


HSBC uses face recognition to authenticate payments in China

Selfies are the latest way to pay — HSBC — “The customer simply blinks into their camera using the ‘selfie mode’. Their identity is then checked against a photo held on a database. If the pictures match, and the customer enters the correct passcode into their banking app, they can transfer up to RMB50,000 (about US$7,600) a day. Previously, they had to use a token device for authenticating and making transfers.”