Bus operator Brighton & Hove Buses is to be the first in the UK to pilot a feature that enables passengers with Android devices to access their journey history, track their spending and check their progress towards daily or weekly fare caps directly in Google Wallet... More
Apple has offered to open up access to the iPhone’s NFC chip to rival mobile payments providers, “three people familiar with the matter” have told Reuters, “a move that could settle EU antitrust charges and stave off a possible hefty fine”... More
UK transport provider National Rail has adjusted ticketing prices for commuter journeys into and out of London as a step towards rolling out pay-as-you-go contactless fare payments at more than 50 stations across the south-east of England... More
International fashion house Balenciaga has released a limited edition collection of T-shirts and hoodies with an embedded NFC tag that enables purchasers to access an exclusive music track recorded by UK band Archive together with a curated playlist with a tap of their NFC smartphone... More
Big Issue magazine is enabling its street vendors in the UK to accept contactless payments for copies of the publication directly on NFC smartphones without needing an additional card reader... More
French brand Bastille Parfums has added RFID tags and QR codes to bottles of its luxury perfumes to enhance supply chain traceability, product tracking, fraud prevention and customer engagement by linking individual products to a unique cloud-based digital twin... More
UK consumers applying to open an account with Lloyds Bank via the bank’s mobile app can now verify their identity and upload key personal data to support their application by scanning the NFC chip embedded in their passport with their smartphone... More
Bangalore-based food delivery service Swiggy Instamart in India has launched a promotional drinks coaster equipped with NFC and a QR code that enables consumers to access a selection of snacks and beverages by tapping or scanning it with their mobile device... More
Drivers of Škoda ICE vehicles in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland can now make contactless in-car payments for fuel directly through their dashboard touchscreen using the vehicle manufacturer’s Pay to Fuel service... More
Nearly nine in 10 European consumers using a contactless payment ring say that it is their preferred method for making contactless payments (89%) compared with smartphone payments (49%) and payment cards (44%), according to a Mastercard survey... More
An average of around one in five Europeans would use the digital euro “several times a week” if the proposed central bank digital currency is introduced (15-21%) and just over one in four expect it to be used as a supplement to existing payment methods (26%), according to a BearingPoint survey... More
Luxembourg’s Ministry for Digitalisation and Government IT Centre (CTIE) are to test a digital identity system that allows multiple official documents to be stored and exchanged across four use cases as part of the European Union’s large-scale European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDIW) pilot programme... More
Students and staff at York University in the Canadian city of Toronto can now store a digital version of their ID card on their Apple or Android device and use it to access university buildings, access on-site services including libraries, events and exams and make purchases at on-campus retail outlets... More
Apple iPhone users with debit and credit cards issued by five additional banks and issuers in the UK can now check their current balance, the remaining credit on their credit card and their card transaction history directly in Apple Wallet... More
The UK’s Rail Delivery Group (RDG) — the industry body that represents the country’s train operating companies — is calling for expressions of interest from suppliers with a view to implementing regional and national pay-as-you-go contactless digital ticketing... More
The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) has launched a new standardised communication protocol with a common credential that promotes interoperability between mobile devices, wearables and access control readers that use technologies including NFC, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and ultra wideband (UWB)... More
Merchants across France can now accept contactless card and mobile payments on their Apple iPhone without needing any additional hardware... More
Eurasian Bank has launched a digital and physical debit card that enables holders to complete in-store and online transactions using Kazakhstan’s central bank digital currency (CBDC)... More
Residents of the US state of Colorado travelling through Denver International Airport can now verify their identity at a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint using a state-issued digital driving licence or identity card stored in Google Wallet on their Android smartphone... More
Alaska Airlines has become the first in the US to roll out support for Apple’s Tap to Pay on iPhone software point of sale feature, enabling passengers to pay for beverages and food during their flight by tapping a flight attendant’s iPhone with their physical or digital contactless payment card... More