PARTNER NEWS: Visitors to the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games are paying for journeys on buses, ferries and trains across the city with NFC wristbands provided by digital security giant Gemalto and public transportation ticketing operator RioCard. More
Visa
Mastercard and Visa join ClearXChange
Mastercard and Visa have joined Early Warning’s peer-to-peer network ClearXChange, allowing US consumers to send money to others using their Mastercard or Visa credit and debit cards... More
Cypriot bank introduces NFC wristbands
PARTNER NEWS: Customers of Cyprus’ Hellenic Bank can now make payments using PayBand, an NFC wristband provided by digital security giant Gemalto via its Optelio wearable range... More
ČSOB launches HCE in Czech Republic
Customers of Czech bank ČSOB can now make host card emulation (HCE) based mobile payments using its new NaNákupy mobile wallet... More
South Africans to get biometric authentication for card payments
The Payments Association of South Africa (PASA) has unveiled a new standardised specification to facilitate biometric authentication on payment cards. More
PayPal to roll out NFC mobile payments across the US through Visa deal
US consumers will soon be able to make NFC mobile payments using their PayPal mobile wallet at all physical locations across the country that currently accept Visa contactless transactions. More
Visa reports EMV uptake in the US
There were 326.8m chip cards in the US as of the end of June 2016, exceeding the number of people who live in the country, Visa has reported... More
Apple Pay launches in Hong Kong
Apple Pay has launched in Hong Kong with support from Mastercard, Visa and American Express. Participating banks include Bank of China (Hong Kong), DBS, Hang Seng Bank, HSBC and Standard Chartered, with support from The Bank of East Asia (BEA) and Tap&Go “coming soon”. More
Apple Pay launches in France
Apple Pay has begun rolling out across France with support from both Mastercard and Visa as well as Banque Populaire, Ticket Restaurant, Carrefour Banque and Caisse d’Epargne. Support from mobile network operators Boon and Orange France is also expected “soon”. More
Brazilian mobile bank launches with biometric authentication
Brazilian consumers can now sign up to mobile and online only bank Neon by taking a selfie with their mobile phone... More
Videotron launches SIM-based NFC mobile payments
Customers of Canadian mobile network operator Videotron with a Desjardins Visa card can now use their mobile phones to make NFC payments of up to $100 (US$77) at any contactless terminal... More
Samsung Pay to launch in Brazil this month
Samsung Pay will begin rolling out across Brazil on July 19, Samsung has confirmed, making it the first market in South America to introduce the mobile payment service. It will be supported by both MasterCard and Visa as well as Banco do Brasil, Brasil Pré-Pagos, Caixa, Porto Seguro, and Santander. More
Europeans keen to use biometric authentication for payments, says Visa
More than two thirds (68%) of European consumers want to use biometrics as a method of payment authentication, research from Visa reveals, and 73% see two-factor authentication as a secure way to confirm an account holder’s identity. More
Android Pay launches in Australia
Google has begun rolling out its Android Pay mobile payment service in Australia with support from American Express and Visa. The service will be available from 27 banks and credit unions at launch and from an additional seven financial institutions “soon”. MasterCard support is expected “in a few days”. More
Samsung Pay launches in Puerto Rico
Samsung Pay has gone live in Puerto Rico with support from Banco Popular, the country’s largest bank. The service is supported by MasterCard and Visa and is available from mobile network operators AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Claro. More
Swatch Bellamy launches in Brazil in time for Rio 2016
Swiss luxury watchmaker Swatch has launched its Swatch Bellamy NFC payments watch in Brazil in partnership with Visa in time for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. More
Apple Pay launches in Switzerland
Apple Pay has begun rolling out across Switzerland, allowing consumers to make in-store and in-app payments using their compatible devices. The mobile payment service launches with support from MasterCard and Visa as well as card issuers Bonus Card, Cornercard and Swiss Bankers. More
Barclaycard Loop adds NFC payments to any wearable device
Barclaycard has unveiled Loop, the fourth product in its bPay contactless payment device range, which comes in the form of a contactless chip and lets consumers add NFC payment capability to the wearable devices they already own. More
NAB uses HCE for instant card replacement
Customers of National Australia Bank (NAB) can now use the bank’s NAB Pay host card emulation (HCE) based mobile payment service to have lost or stolen Visa credit cards instantly re-issued to their mobile devices... More
Kroger sues Visa over EMV authentication
US supermarket chain Kroger has filed a lawsuit against Visa for allowing customers to verify EMV purchases with a signature instead of a PIN... More