USI to add NFC to active styluses
The Universal Stylus Initiative (USI) is to work with the NFC Forum to enable rechargeable styluses to be wirelessly charged with a smartphone, mobile computing device or other NFC-enabled device... More
Testing
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
Scotland to pilot digital identity platform
The Scottish Government is to pilot a national digital identity system that enables citizens to store their identity information in their own ‘Attribute Store’ and then “share these attributes with other public sector service providers as and when needed”... More
Bank of Japan to test central bank digital currency
The Bank of Japan is to begin the first phase of proof-of-concept testing of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in early 2021, according to a statement published by the bank... More
Bank of Korea to test central bank digital currency
The Bank of Korea (BOK) is to issue and circulate a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in 2021 to test its viability as an alternative to cash and other forms of transaction... More
Thailand tests NFC wristbands for tracking Covid-19 patients and at-risk groups
Staff in Thailand’s Department of Disease Control (DDC) are testing an NFC wristband that has been developed to track Covid-19 patients and people who are self-quarantining in a bid to control the spread of infection... More
NFC testing innovator Cilab opens NFCW Expo showcase
NFCW EXPO: NFC testing innovator Cilab is providing NFCW readers with early access to a showcase in the NFCW Expo hall that provides information on how its ci230 high speed NFC tester works, the benefits it offers to both engineers and to budget holders — and highlights the testimonials it has received from customers... More
UAE to launch national digital cash replacement platform that works for both banked and unbanked consumers
Both banked and unbanked residents of the UAE will soon be able to make instant cashless digital payments using a digital cash platform which they can either link directly to their bank accounts or add value to with cash at registered locations... More
Google Pay tests NFC card payments in India
Google Pay has begun testing tokenized NFC-based credit and debit card payments in India, enabling users of supported cards to add them to their payment options for NFC, QR and online payments... More
Real-time video shows Cilab’s high-speed NFC tester in action
PARTNER NEWS: A new video from Cilab shows how the company’s high-speed test equipment can be used to reduce the costs and complexity of NFC testing, by completing a full EMVCo PCD Level 1 approval test in just 42 minutes — a process that typically takes most of a full working day... More
Invenco picks Cilab to speed up EMV development and testing
PARTNER NEWS: Cilab’s ci230 high-speed testing suite has made it possible for self-service payments leader Invenco to significantly improve the time it takes to develop, test and bring to market EMV-compliant NFC payment terminals for its customers, chief engineer Chris Henry has told NFC World... More
NXP picks Cilab’s NFC tester to support customers developing EMV 3.0 POS terminals
PARTNER NEWS: Cilab’s new ci230 high-speed testing suite is “a tool that has been missing for years,” Renke Bienert, senior principal engineer at NXP’s worldwide customer application and support team in Hamburg, has told NFC World... More
NFC testing disruptor Cilab joins the NFC World Partner Program
PARTNER NEWS: Cilab’s ci230 high speed tester takes a whole new approach to NFC testing that makes it faster and easier to conduct pre-certification testing, makes the certification process quicker and cheaper, lets customers get a fast return on investment — and a competitive advantage from speeding up time to market... More
Facebook to launch WhatsApp mobile payments ‘in a number of other countries’ this year
Despite still being only in a test phase in India, mobile payments via Facebook’s WhatsApp instant messaging platform will launch in more markets this year, according to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg... More
NFC Forum launches tag certification program
NFC Forum adds NFC tag certification to certification program — NFC Forum — “Tag/inlay, NFC reader and handset manufacturers for the first time will be able to test and verify the performance and interoperability of all the key components in the NFC ecosystem. Certification will help ensure that NFC tags, readers and handsets provide consistent, compelling and connected user experiences.”
EMVCo publishes specification for merchant-presented QR code payments
Payments standards body EMVCo has added a specification for QR code payments in merchant-presented mode, following on from a spec for QR code payments in consumer-presented mode that it released in mid-July... More
English churches to trial contactless donations this summer ahead of wider roll out
Churchgoers in England will begin trialling contactless donations in 40 churches across the country this summer, as the Church of England announces plans to roll out contactless handheld terminals to process card payments for donations as a replacement for loose change... More
ABN Amro pilots wearable payments with select customers
A select group of ABN Amro customers has begun piloting payments using NFC-enabled rings supplied by Kerv and smartwatches... More
Chinese satellite relays a quantum signal between cities
Chinese satellite relays a quantum signal between cities — Wired — “This experiment was a crucial test for a budding technology called quantum cryptography, which uses quantum particles like photons to send secure information… Researchers like Lu and his colleagues think quantum cryptography could be the encryption tool of the future.”
Barclaycard trials shopping app that lets customers use their smartphone as ‘pocket checkout’
Employees at UK bank Barclays and Barclaycard’s London office have begun piloting a new payment concept that allows them to buy low-value goods in the staff restaurant by scanning the barcode on the items using their smartphone and completing the purchase “with a single click” without needing to visit the physical checkout. More
