New App Store guidelines crack down on iOS ‘virus scanners’, require alternatives to Face ID for under-13s — 9to5Mac — “Apple has updated its developer app review guidelines for the iPhone and iPad App Store this week with new clauses addressing the appropriate usage of Face ID, ARKit and more… Developers using the LocalAuthentication framework to enable Face ID unlock (in the same way apps can already use Touch ID authentication) must offer an alternate method of unlock for children under the age of 13 to use.”
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ING doubles charity donations with contactless collection box
No spare change? No excuse! — ING — “From March to July, a three-person team ran a pilot in the Netherlands for the box with 19 charity organisations… Not only was the overall process much quicker, the donor’s behaviour changed. The average donation doubled compared to the traditional cash-based collecting, from €1.50 (US$1.79) to €3.20 (US$3.82).”
CBA to support Garmin Pay wearable payments in Australia
Commonwealth Bank announces new ways to pay with Android Pay and Garmin Pay — Commonwealth Bank of Australia — “In June this year we saw weekly transactions across the CommBank app hit A$6.1bn (US$4.89bn) so we know customers love using their phones to make payments and do their banking. Since 2013 our customers have been able to use their smartphones to make payments. By offering customers the ability to pay with Android Pay and with their Garmin smartwatches we are combining choice and convenience.”
Apple to release Face ID security paper
Interview: Apple’s Craig Federighi answers some burning questions about Face ID — Techcrunch — “Federighi also noted on our call that Apple would be releasing a security white paper on Face ID closer to the release of the iPhone X. So if you’re a researcher or security wonk looking for more, he says it will have ‘extreme levels of detail’ about the security of the system.”
Google unveils iOS and Android mobile payments app for India
Tez: Money made simple — Google — “Send money home to your family, split a dinner bill with friends, or pay the neighbourhood chaiwala. Make all payments big or small, directly from your bank account with Tez, Google’s new digital payment app for India.”
Apple engineering chief answers Face ID queries
Apple’s Face ID feature works with most sunglasses, can be quickly disabled to thwart thieves — Macrumors — “‘If you don’t stare at the phone, it won’t unlock,’ he wrote. ‘Also, if you grip the buttons on both sides of the phone when [you] hand it over, it will temporarily disable Face ID.'”
Federal Trade Commission to investigate Equifax data breach
FTC probes Equifax, top Democrat likens it to Enron — Reuters — “The US Federal Trade Commission said on Thursday it was investigating Equifax Inc’s massive data breach, and a top Democrat suggested the credit monitoring company’s corporate leaders might need to resign… Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer compared Equifax to Enron, the US energy company that filed for bankruptcy in 2001 after revelations of a widespread accounting fraud.”
US Senator asks Apple CEO to clarify Face ID privacy concerns
Sen Franken presses Apple to address privacy concerns over iPhone X’s ‘Face ID’ technology — Senator Al Franken — “Substantial questions remain about how Face ID will impact iPhone users’ privacy and security, and whether the technology will perform equally well on different groups of people. To offer clarity to the millions of Americans who use your products, I ask that you provide more information on how the company has processed these issues internally, as well as any additional steps that it intends to take to protect its users.”
More than half of consumers in US, Canada and UK expect to abandon cash in next two years
Consumers to abandon cash by 2020 — Paysafe — “In Canada and the UK, contactless has paved the way for this new era of payments, with three out of five consumers regularly using it for purchases, 62% citing it as more convenient than cash, and 44% stating they preferred to shop in places that take contactless… However, it is America that is very much leading the way in new payment methods with nearly a third (31%) using mobile wallets and one in seven using cryptocurrencies.”
UBS backs Car eWallet project that lets vehicles make their own payments
Secure payments ‘on the go’ with blockchain technology from ZF, UBS and IBM — IBM — “Auto manufacturers, technology companies, suppliers and mobility service providers are all driving the development of driverless cars. To support autonomous driving, however, these vehicles require a digital agent that can independently carry out tasks and authorize payments without the owner or user having to be active themselves.”
Venmo moves into merchant payment processing
Venmo will allow users to pay at merchants like Williams-Sonoma — Recode — “Venmo oversaw US$8bn in transactions in Q2 of 2017, double what it did the year before, but has yet to find a way to monetize since the regular service is free. Merchant processing fees from partnerships like Williams-Sonoma would be the first step in making money from transactions… Earlier this year, Venmo started testing a physical debit card in which Venmo customers could use their balance toward purchases at all retailers.”
Carrier Blockchain Study Group demos cross-carrier blockchain payment platform
SoftBank, Sprint, Far EasTone and TBCASoft launch Blockchain consortium for telecom carriers — SoftBank — “SoftBank, Sprint and TBCASoft succeeded in demonstrating cross-carrier top-ups, mobile wallet roaming, international remittances and IoT payment on a cross-carrier payment platform system using TBCASoft’s blockchain technology.”
Google to enter mobile payments market in India
Google to launch payment app ‘Tez’ in India — The Ken — “Google is expected to partner ‘several large private banks in India’ for its payment product, Tez. Besides its own UPI-based service, Google is expected to integrate third-party payment wallets such as Paytm and MobiKwik among others on its platform.”
Rambus provides insight into the new EMVCo tokenization specifications
What EMV tokenization 2.0 means for the payments industry — Rambus — PARTNER NEWS — “One particularly positive development is the inclusion of a common set of definitions and terminology in the framework. This may sound simple, but it gives the ecosystem a way to communicate effectively and avoid confusion and delays. Players can now easily understand both the similarities and differences in supporting and implementing EMV tokenization with each of the international and domestic payment schemes.”
Apple Pay to launch in UAE with support of six banks
Pay with your iPhone in UAE before end of the year — Gulf News — “The American tech giant confirmed on Wednesday that Apple Pay is scheduled to roll out in the UAE before the end of the year and will be made available to debit and credit card customers of Emirates NBD, Mashreq, HSBC, RakBank, Standard Chartered and Emirates Islamic.”
Apple demos Face ID on iPhone X
The new, tenth anniversary iPhone X will not include support for Touch ID and owners will instead use a combination of face recognition and a double click of an enlarged side button to make Apple Pay purchases, the iPhone maker has revealed... More
Apple launches Watch Series 3 with electronic SIM and tap-to-connect GymKit support
The latest edition of the Apple Watch will come with a version that includes built-in support for cellular communications, enabled via a built-in “electronic SIM”, Apple COO Jeff Williams has revealed... More
Apple to ship iOS 11 with NFC tag reading support on 19 September
Apple has revealed that it will ship iOS 11 on 19 September 2017, bringing with it the ability for iPhones to read NFC tags for the first time... More
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.”
UK challenger bank unveils open banking marketplace
Starling Bank’s Marketplace goes live — Starling Bank — “The Starling Marketplace is a brand new concept in banking whereby products from other fintech providers — and in the future lifestyle products — can sit within an easily browsed ecosystem all from within the app. These partners integrate with Starling Bank using their Open Banking and PSD2 compliant APIs… Starling is the first bank to have fully open, PSD2-ready APIs that allow collaboration between fintech companies.”