Residents of India will soon be able to make mobile payments for goods and services when visiting Nepal from their smartphone’s digital wallet using an interoperable cross-border payments system to be implemented between the two countries... More
Google Wallet begins to roll out in Japan
Google Wallet has launched in Japan, enabling users to store and use their credit, debit, transit and loyalty cards, boarding passes, tickets and other digital credentials on their Android NFC smartphone or Wear OS smartwatch... More
Google Wallet goes live in Costa Rica
Google Wallet has launched in Costa Rica, enabling users to store and use their credit and debit cards, boarding passes, tickets and other digital credentials on their Android NFC smartphone, Wear OS smartwatch or Fitbit device... More
Google rolls out Android 14 developer preview with credentials manager and passkeys support
Google has released a developer preview of its Android 14 update that includes support for a credential manager API that allows app developers to simplify the sign-in interface and authentication process for end-users by aggregating multiple sign-in options... More
Maryland tests digital ID cards and driving licences for Android NFC smartphone users
Android users in Maryland are the first in the US to be able to create and store digital versions of their state identity card and driving licence in Google Wallet on their NFC smartphone and use it to verify their identity at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security checkpoints at selected airports... More
Google Wallet arrives on Fitbit devices and expands to 12 more countries
Fitbit users are now able to add Google Wallet to Sense 2 and Versa 4 smartwatches and then use their wearable to make contactless payments in 45 countries, including 7 of the 12 countries where Google Wallet is now available for the first time... More
Google Wallet rolls out in Malaysia
Google Wallet has gone live in Malaysia, enabling users to store and use their credit and debit cards, boarding passes, tickets and other digital credentials on their Android NFC smartphone or Wear OS smartwatch... More
Google unveils Pixel 7 Pro with support for both NFC and UWB
Google’s new Pixel 7 Pro smartphone offers both NFC and ultra wideband (UWB) functionality while the two other devices released alongside it – the Pixel 7 and the Pixel Watch – will support NFC but not UWB... More
Google Wallet expands to six more countries
Google Wallet has gone live in Azerbaijan, Iceland, Moldova, Qatar, Serbia and South Africa, enabling users to store and use their credit and debit cards, tickets, passes and other digital credentials on their Android NFC devices... More
Google begins rolling out its new multifunction mobile wallet to 39 countries
Google has begun rolling out a multipurpose digital wallet that enables users to store, use and present digital credentials such as identity cards and health passes as well as payment cards, transit and event tickets and hotel keys in 39 countries across Europe, the Americas and Asia... More
Law firm files class action against Apple on behalf of US payment card issuers over NFC chip access and service fees
US law firm Hagens Berman has filed a class action lawsuit against Apple alleging that, by preventing mobile wallets other than Apple Pay using the NFC chip in iPhone and Apple Watch to enable contactless payments, the company is in breach of federal antitrust law... More
European Parliament passes law that requires Apple to open up its NFC chip
The European Parliament has adopted the Digital Markets Act (DMA) that will obligate Apple, Google and other “gatekeeper” technology companies to allow app developers and third-party service providers access to device functionalities “such as near-field communication technology, secure elements and processors, authentication mechanisms and the software used to operate those technologies”... More
Bengaluru metro to let passengers pay with their face
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) in the Indian city of Bengaluru is planning to roll out AI-powered biometric facial recognition technology that will enable passengers with monthly travel passes to walk through station automatic fare collection gates by verifying their identity with their face and without needing a physical smart card, pass or token... More
Google launches multipurpose digital wallet with support for digital IDs, tickets and payment cards
Google is rolling out a digital wallet that will enable users to store, use and present digital identity documents and driving licences as well as payment cards, transit and event tickets, boarding and loyalty passes, health documents such as Covid-19 vaccination certificates, hotel keys and office badges on their Android smartphone or Wear OS smartwatch... More
Global QR code transaction values to exceed US$3tn by 2025
The total transaction values for payments made using QR codes worldwide will reach more than US$3tn by 2025, an increase of 25% from US$2.4tn in 2022, driven by an increasing focus on financial inclusion in developing markets and alternative payment methods in developed regions, according to a forecast by Juniper Research... More
PayPal and Alipay top digital wallet leaderboard
PayPal, followed by Alipay, are the top two digital wallet providers, with WeChat Pay, Apple Pay and Google Pay in third, fourth and fifth place, respectively, according to a Juniper Research Competitor Leaderboard report... More
Google Pay lets users in India make contactless mobile payments directly from their bank account
Google Pay users in India can now choose to make in-store mobile payments with their Android NFC smartphone directly from their bank account using the country’s Unified Payment Interface (UPI) real-time mobile payments service... More
New EU law to force Apple to open up its NFC chip?
Negotiators from the European Parliament and the European Council have provisionally agreed the text of a Digital Markets Act (DMA) that will obligate “gatekeeper” technology companies such as Apple and Google to “allow app developers fair access to the supplementary functionalities of smartphones (eg NFC chip)”... More
Apple Pay and Google Pay suspend contactless mobile payments for Mir cardholders in Russia
Apple Pay and Google Pay are suspending support for contactless mobile payments made using Mir cards issued by Russia’s National Payment Card System (NSPK)... More
Tyne and Wear Metro launches mobile ticketing for Android users
Android smartphone users travelling on Tyne and Wear Metro services in the UK can now add their Pop preloaded transit card to Google Pay and use it to pay their fares with a tap of their mobile... More