Despite greater than ever use of smart devices for banking and payments and a desire for the latest technologies, Europeans are some of the most cautious adopters, according to a survey of 15,000 consumers in Europe, America and Australia... More
Italy
ST explores the role of NFC in cars
Q&A: The present and future of NFC in cars with ST — ST Microelectronics — PARTNER NEWS — “A couple of years ago, engineers needed to convince decision makers to use NFC in vehicles. Then Mercedes adopted our ST25R reader in their E-Class models. Now, decision makers want a reader because keyless entry and smartphone pairing are all the rage.”
Intesa Sanpaolo pilots contactless biometric payment card in Italy
Italy’s Intesa Sanpaolo bank has announced Europe’s first pilot test of a contactless biometric payment card... More
Google Pay goes live in Italy
Google Pay has arrived — Google Blog Italia (translation) — “Simply add a credit, debit or prepaid card (Maestro, MasterCard, Visa) issued by any of the supported banks and credit institutions to the Google Pay app — including Banca Mediolanum, Boon, Hype, Nexi, N26, Revolut, Widiba and, in the coming months, Iccrea Banca and Poste Italiane — to turn your Android smartphone into a wallet. Users can also activate the service directly in the mobile banking app of their bank.”
Italian debit card network Bancomat to provide mobile payments to 37m cardholders at 440 banks
Introducing Bancomat Pay: New digital payment services for 37 million Italians — SIA — “Bancomat Pay will integrate the Jiffy service, allowing PagoBancomat cardholders to pay, in stores and online, and to send and receive money in real time from their smartphone. Counting on the strength of the Bancomat brand, a watchword for security and simplicity, and on its widespread distribution, with about 37 million PagoBancomat cardholders and over 440 banks using its services, Bancomat SpA aims to develop the potential of the new digital payment service far beyond its current market penetration.”
Italian merchants to pilot PIN-on-mobile payments
Ingenico and Nexi test in Italy an innovative PIN-on-mobile solution compliant with Visa and Mastercard requirements — Ingenico — “With PIN-on-mobile, card owners manually enter their PIN on a non PCI-PTS device owned by a merchant, such as a smartphone or tablet. The transactions are considered as ‘card present’… This solution will be on a six-month trial period and the pilot project will include 1000+ secure card readers (SCR) to read EMV and contactless bank cards.”
Samsung Pay goes live in Italy
Samsung Pay continues global expansion with launch in Italy — Samsung — “Starting today, Samsung Pay is available to users in Italy with compatible Samsung devices, including wearables like the Samsung Gear S3 and Gear Sport, and the new Galaxy S9 and S9+… Several value-added features will be available exclusively to consumers in Italy. These include discounts up to 20% on popular brands, including Daybreak Hotel, EF Education, Leroy Merlin and Moleskin.”
Auchan lets Italian supermarket shoppers scan and pay on their mobile phone
Auchan launches mobile payment app In Italy — European Supermarket Magazine — “Through the use of the AuchanSpeedy app, customers can scan products in-store and pay for them on their phone. The service, available to the members of the retailer’s customer loyalty programme LaTua!, is in addition to the traditional and self-checkout systems, and aims to provide more payment solutions for shoppers.”
Insurance giant Allianz to offer mobile payments service with built-in cover for purchases
Allianz and Visa launch mobile payment and loyalty app — Allianz — “The mobile payment and loyalty app is the first of its kind in the insurance industry and enables customers to make fast, safe and easy payments with their mobile device online and in stores… Allianz Prime users also benefit from an attractive loyalty program, a smart spend tracker to simplify money management as well as Allianz Partners’ Digital Payments Protection… The Allianz Digital Payments Protection provides coverage against fraud, safeguards and supports customers in case of defective or damaged online purchases and provides financial compensation in case of a loss.”
Italian consumers can now make P2P payments in stores
Jiffy, the P2P payments service that lets 4.2 million Italian consumers send money from their bank account using just the contacts list on their smartphone, has begun rolling out to retail stores with an initial launch in 150 outlets in the cities of Milan, Rome and Turin... More
Apple Pay launches in Italy with support from UniCredit and Carrefour Banca
Apple Pay has begun rolling out across Italy with support for Mastercard and Visa cards issued by Carrefour Banca and UniCredit, with American Express, CartaBCC, ExpendiaSmart, Fineco Bank, Hype, Banca Mediolanum, N26 and Widiba listed as “coming this year”. The launch takes Apple Pay to a total of 16 markets globally. More
Apple Pay goes live in Taiwan with support from seven banks
Apple Pay has launched in Taiwan with support from Mastercard, Visa and seven banks including Taipei Fubon Commercial Bank, Cathay United Bank, E.Sun Commercial Bank, Taishin International Bank, CTBC Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and Union Bank of Taiwan. More
Vodafone Wallet adds PayPal in the Netherlands
Vodafone has added PayPal as a payment option to its NFC-based Vodafone Wallet mobile payment service in the Netherlands... More
Vodafone Germany offers mobile wallet support for PayPal and Visa
Vodafone Germany customers can now make NFC mobile payments using PayPal or a Visa credit card installed in the mobile network operator’s Vodafone Wallet... More
Supporting banks named ahead of Apple Pay’s Italy launch
Apple Pay is “arriving” in Italy with support from Mastercard, Visa, Carrefour Banca, UniCredit and German payment processor Wirecard’s Boon service, Apple’s website says... More
Apple Pay coming soon to Germany and Italy?
Apple Pay could soon be launching in Germany and Italy, after German and Italian language instructions on how to use the mobile payment service were discovered on Apple’s website by Polish website iMagazine... More
Alipay expands across Europe after deals with major banks and payment providers
Another 930,000 European merchants will soon accept Alipay mobile payments at the point of sale, following partnerships between the company and some of Europe’s largest financial institutions and payment service providers... More
Graphene NFC antennas pave way for cheaper, stronger connected wearables
Fully flexible NFC antennas made from graphene could match the performance of conventional metallic antennas, making connected wearable devices cheaper and more energy-efficient, a consortium backed by the European Commission says... More
Seqr launches P2P payments in 14 European countries
Swedish mobile payments specialist Seamless’ Seqr mobile payment platform has launched a P2P money transfer service that enables users to instantly transfer money to each other “regardless of where they are in the world”, the company says... More
Banca Intesa launches HCE mobile payments in Serbia
Customers of Serbia’s Banca Intesa — a subsidiary of Italian banking group Intesa Sanpaolo — have become the first in the Balkan country to be able to make host card emulation (HCE) based mobile payments, using their Visa debit cards at any contactless terminal... More