What's New in Payments

POS terminals that support 23 different QR, contactless and NFC payments services roll out in Singapore

Unified cashless payment system rolled out at 500 hawker stalls across Singapore — The Straits Times — “The solution, provided by Nets, unifies payments from 23 providers, so dining customers can use different cashless payment options at a single payment terminal at a food outlet. This also saves hawkers the hassle of dealing with multiple e-payment firms. These include e-wallets like Singtel Dash and GrabPay, transport cards EZ-Link and Nets FlashPay, and credit cards such as Visa and Mastercard.”


Transit Ticketing Today

Singapore to roll out open loop payments on public transportation

New SimplyGo system to let bank cards double up as public transport travel cards — The Straits Times — “Commuters with Mastercard contactless bank cards can use it to pay for public transport rides under a new system to be launched on 4 April 2019. The SimplyGo platform will do away with the need to top up stored-value cards, with fares for rides reflected in commuters’ credit or debit card bills, just like their retail purchases. Visa card holders will get the same convenience later this year.”


Transit Ticketing Today

Asian ride hailing giant Grab to let users pay for public transit with its app

Bid to enable public transit payments via GrabPay — The Straits Times — “In future, the Grab app will give commuters a range of options — from a direct point-to-point method, using taxis or private hire cars, or through multiple modes including transfers on shuttle buses, cars and public transport. ‘You pay everything in a seamless way — cashless — through GrabPay.”


What's New in Payments

Maybank teams up with GrabPay for mobile payments in Malaysia

Grab partners Maybank to promote GrabPay in Malaysia — The Straits Times — “The tie-up brings the GrabPay mobile wallet to its second country after Singapore. Grab has plans to roll out the GrabPay service across all eight countries in South-east Asia this year… Maybank’s Malaysia customers will be able to use the GrabPay mobile wallet to conduct both payments at Maybank’s key merchants, and to top-up their mobile wallet directly from their bank accounts. Maybank customers who use GrabPay to pay for rides and other services on Grab will enjoy exclusive benefits and rewards.”


What's New in Payments

Nets to use taxi drivers to recruit new mobile payments merchants

Nets roping in 15,000 cabbies to nudge hawkers to go cashless — The Straits Times — “To coax hawkers to go cashless, e-payment giant Nets is going to enlist the help of an unconventional army: ComfortDelGro’s 15,000 cabbies. The cabbies will get a ‘monetary reward’ for every hawker they get to sign up to use the Nets QR code system… This Hawker Champion programme is now being tested by 100 cabbies, and will be rolled out to the full fleet in the next few months. The tie-up will help hasten the national effort to get more transactions to go cashless.”


What's New in Payments

Singapore banks begin rollout of NetsPay NFC and QR mobile wallet

NetsPay mobile wallet available for download — The Straits Times — “Nets users can now leave their physical ATM cards at home. They can also ditch multiple mobile apps that provide similar payment functions. The NetsPay mobile wallet — which can digitise the credit, debit and ATM cards of six banks here — is currently available for download…. The app lets users pay through their digital Nets cards with just a tap of their mobile phone, or by scanning a QR code at merchants that accept the service — without encumbering users with the need to download multiple mobile apps.”


What's New in Payments

Standard Chartered turns merchants into ATMs

No ATM needed: Standard Chartered partners startup SoCash on 400 cash withdrawal points — The Straits Times — “Instead of having to look for an ATM, Standard Chartered Bank customers now have the option of getting cash through SoCash, which has been integrated into the SC Mobile app… They simply key in the amount they want to withdraw and collect the cash from any outlet of a participating merchant. Withdrawals can range anywhere from S$20 (US$14.84) to a maximum of S$500 (US$371.09) daily.”


Transit Ticketing Today

Singapore to add mobile options to contactless transit payments trial

Parliament: Cashless trial for public transport to be extended to more payment types from next year — The Straits Times — “A trial system that allows commuters to pay their public transport fares using contactless credit or debit cards will be extended to more payment types including Visa and Nets 2.0 from next June (2018). Mobile payment modes — such as Android Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay — will also be available from the first quarter of next year as part of the trial.”


What's New in Payments

Ride-hailing app Grab launches e-payment and fund transfer system

Ride-hailing app Grab launches e-payment and fund transfer system — The Straits Times — “Users will be able to transfer GrabPay credits between themselves via its in-app mobile wallet… Grab also aims to work with more than 1,000 merchants in the retail, entertainment and food and beverage industries to accept mobile payments through GrabPay in the fourth quarter of 2017.”


What's New in Payments

Convenience store Cheers opens first unmanned, cashless outlet

Convenience store Cheers opens first unmanned, cashless outlet — The Straits Times — “The Cheers outlet at Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) looks like its normal store — with shelves and fridges stocked with food and drinks — except there is no cashier or assistant in sight… Customers use a QR code found on the free ‘Shop It Yourself’ mobile app to gain entry to the store… The store also features a unified self-checkout system that accepts various cashless payment modes, eliminating the need for multiple payment terminals.”