Mobile operator Du and card issuer Dubai First have begun distributing handsets to trial participants ahead of the launch in the next two weeks of the Middle East’s first NFC mobile payments pilot... More
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Chinese operator, banks to launch co-branded mobile payments services
A deal between Chinese bank card association China UnionPay (CUP) and mobile operator China Unicom is set to see the introduction of a series of co-branded mobile payments services... More
12.5m extra locations to accept contactless payments by 2013
The number of locations that accept contactless payments is set to increase by over 12.5 million by the end of 2013, according to the latest data from IMS Research... More
Rotterdam NFC payments service to cease operations in December
Payter’s NFC service in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, is to cease operations on 1 December because “there was insufficient scale to further develop existing services”. More
Paymotech launches prepaid ‘universal mobile wallet’
The international prepaid roaming card specialist’s customers can now use the funds stored in their account to pay for calls, to make transfers and cash withdrawals and to pay online and in store via a bank card, barcode, secure SMS or a mobile contactless sticker. More
Bling Nation signs up second Colorado bank, secures $20m funding
Park State Bank & Trust, based in Woodland Park, Colorado, has become the second bank to sign up for Bling Nation‘s mobile contactless-sticker based payments system... More
Bling Nation targets more Colorado banks
Following the successful launch of mobile contactless payments at The State Bank of La Junta, Bling Nation has appointed Rod Stambaugh as regional president for the company’s Colorado operations... More
Etisalat partners with Emirates NBD to launch NFC in the UAE
The largest mobile operator in the Middle East has partnered with the region’s largest bank for the launch of NFC-based mobile payments. More
Luottokunta begins Visa’s first NFC trial in Finland
A small scale near field communication trial has begun in Finland... More
National Bank, Zain and Visa to launch NFC trial in Kuwait
Five hundred National Bank of Kuwait customers will take part in a six month pilot at the country’s largest shopping mall. More
Russia looks to introduce mobile contactless in two to three years
The head of Russia’s largest bank briefed the country’s President Dmitry Medvedev on the concept of mobile contactless payments last week — and explained that he is looking to launch a non-contact mobile payments system by 2011/12. More
Brazil’s Bradesco bank seeks revenue sharing model for introduction of NFC
Brazilian bank Bradesco aims to bring NFC to market via a revenue sharing model, the bank’s President told delegates to Futurecom on Thursday, Brazilian publication TI Inside reports... More
Swedish Universities begin roll out of NFC payments system
Payments processor Payex is installing a mobile payments system at a number of Swedish universities with more than 100,000 students, initially using NFC stickers but later moving to NFC phones, expected to enrol over the next six months. More
62% of State Bank customers have already used their phones to make a purchase, in less than five months
The customers of The State Bank of La Junta in the US have enthusiastically adopted the new mobile contactless sticker-based Redi Pay Bling service since it launched in May — and local merchants have been quick to adopt the technology, too, with 23 switching their accounts to do so since the launch. More
Globul to launch mobile contactless service in Bulgaria?
Bulgarian telecoms operator Globul has launched a pilot of a new mobile wallet service, ahead of a commercial launch in 2010... More
American Express joins GlobalPlatform’s mobile contactless standardization efforts
American Express has become the latest Full Member of GlobalPlatform, the international smart card specifications body whose technical specifications for cards, devices and systems are used in more than 300 million smart cards and two billion SIM/USIM cards — with the aim of participating in the association’s mobile payments standardization efforts... More
GuestLogix brings contactless payments on board airlines
GuestLogix, the market leader in the supply of onboard retail solutions to airlines, is adding contactless payments acceptance to its point-of-service handheld devices and its retail transaction platform.... More
China Mobile to launch mobile contactless payments in October — using an RF SIM solution
The telecoms giant has opted for an RF SIM-based solution (using SIM cards embedded with a second, contactless chipset) for its new mobile payments service, not NFC, according to a report in Interfax-China (subscription required)... More
NACHA plans change to operating rules for mobile payments
The US electronic payments association has issued a Request for Comment concerning plans to change its operating rules to provide a framework for emerging mobile payments applications... More
Starbucks launches own mobile payment service
Starbucks has launched a new 2D barcode-based app that lets users make payments with their iPhone at 16 stores in the Seattle and Silicon Valley areas using a mobile version of their Starbucks Card... More