Asia is leading the way in the use and development of digital currencies and remains the world’s largest digital payments market, with China alone accounting for more than half of the total transaction value worldwide, according to a new research paper published by Singapore’s DBS Bank... More
USA
UMB Bank lets cardholders pay with points
UMB Bank customers in the US can now opt to use their rewards points balance to pay for any in-store purchases they make with their UMB Visa debit or credit card... More
MTA reports continued rise in Omny contactless payments usage on New York subway
The number of passengers using the Omny contactless payment service to pay for journeys on the New York City subway has risen by 168% since August 2019 and by 50% since May this year, New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) reports... More
Levi’s and Ganni add NFC to rental-only clothing range
Customers who rent upcycled denim clothing from Love Letter, the new rental-only collection from fashion brands Ganni and Levi’s, will be able to discover a garment’s history by tapping on an NFC-enabled patch on the clothes... More
Circle K to install autonomous checkout technology at US convenience store
Convenience store giant Circle K is to add support for cashierless shopping at one of its Phoenix, Arizona, outlets, “with other stores to follow”... More
Kroger pilots NFC payments in QFC grocery stores
Kroger, the US supermarket chain that has previously held out against the introduction of NFC payments, has begun piloting NFC-based contactless payments in 61 of its QFC grocery stores in Oregon and Washington states... More
CVS Pharmacy to accept PayPal QR payments in 8,000 US stores
PayPal has signed a deal with CVS Pharmacy to roll out its new QR code-based payments technology across more than 8,000 of the US retailer’s stores nationwide... More
Visa: One in two consumers are no longer willing to shop at stores that don’t offer a fully contactless payments process
A survey of merchants and consumers in eight countries around the world has found that the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in “a dramatic shift to digital commerce” with nearly half of consumers (48%) saying they would not now shop at a store that only offers payment methods that require contact with a cashier or a shared device... More
California merchants roll out facial verification payments system
Retail outlets and restaurants in the California city of Pasadena have adopted a hands-free payments service which enables consumers to make purchases and earn loyalty rewards using facial recognition technology... More
Samsung launches digital-first payment card in the UK
Samsung has announced the availability of a digital-first Samsung Pay Card designed to give customers in the UK “a better banking experience through their Samsung smartphone and smartwatch, whilst gaining the rewards they want along the way”... More
Three in four US consumers now prefer using contactless cards
A survey of 1,000 US consumers who are familiar with contactless payment cards has found that 75% now prefer using contactless cards as their primary payment method... More
Visa reports on contactless transit ticketing adoption
“Globally, Visa now has more than 500 active transit projects and has helped a number of cities launch tap to pay solutions over the course of the pandemic,” the payments network has revealed... More
LA Metro to let passengers add their TAP transit card to Apple Pay ‘this year’
Public transport users in Los Angeles will be able to add their TAP transit card to their iPhone or Apple Watch “this year”, LA Metro has announced... More
Visa moves into the instalment payments market
Visa is piloting an instalment payments service in Russia and is moving towards a commercial launch in the US, the payments network has announced... More
Amazon unveils self-checkout shopping trolleys
Amazon has unveiled Dash Cart, a smart shopping trolley that automatically tracks the items shoppers place in their trolley as they shop — and then lets them simply exit the store when they have completed their shopping, with no need to visit a physical checkout... More
Coca-Cola lets consumers dispense drinks with their mobile phones
Diners in fast food restaurants and convenience stores equipped with Coca-Cola Freestyle dispensers can now use their mobile phone to select their preferred drink and instruct the machine to pour it for them, enabling a completely contact-free experience... More
Afterpay lets US consumers pay by instalments with their NFC mobile phone
Australia-based buy now, pay later specialist Afterpay is launching a service that lets US consumers make NFC payments in stores — and then pay for their purchases in four equal instalments... More
US Bank lets companies instantly send a corporate card to employees’ mobile phones
Corporate customers of US Bank can now send a digital corporate card directly to an employee, contractor, volunteer or customer’s mobile phone, enabling them to instantly begin charging online and in-store purchases to the company — subject to a strict spending limit and expiration date... More
7-Eleven lets drivers pay at the pump with their voice
7-Eleven is running a pilot of a new mobile payments service that includes an option for iPhone owners to use Siri to pay for their fuel from their vehicle using only their voice... More
Google Pay to evolve into ‘one-stop portal’ for commerce?
Google is working on “a major overhaul” of Google Pay that will see the service expanding into “a one-stop portal for commerce”, The Information reports... More