Pointing the finger at biometric card misconceptions — Mastercard — “Introduced in 2017, the Mastercard biometric card has been piloted in Africa, Europe and the Middle East with additional countries being added this year… We are working on a contactless solution to be ready in early 2019.”
Pilot
Korean retailer pilots unmanned convenience store that uses face recognition for entry and payments
GS25 brings facial recognition to new shop — Korea JoongAng Daily — “Most convenience stores without a human cashier use barcodes to identify the products. GS25’s new system instead identifies an item by its packaging and weight. This allows customers to simply place items on the table before paying using facial recognition or a credit card. The company says it takes only about a second for the system to recognize five items at once, whereas with the conventional barcode system it would take 15 seconds to scan them one by one.”
Danske Bank begins wearable payments pilot
Danske Bank testing new wearable payment solution — Danske Bank — “FastPay is Danske Bank’s new payment solution that lets you wear your payment chip in a wristband, on a keyring or on your watchstrap so that you can make contactless payments without having to reach for your card.”
LG to pilot blockchain carrier billing system for international mobile payments in stores
LG U+ to offer blockchain-based overseas payment service — The Korea Herald — “Once the service is launched, LG U+ subscribers will be able to buy things at selected retailers using their mobile phones when they travel to Taiwan and Japan. Far EasTone subscribers will also be able to enjoy the same convenience when traveling to Korea and Japan. The service uses direct carrier billing, enabling transactions to be billed and paid through their carrier in their home currency.”
Paris Metro begins NFC ticketing pilot
Bus tickets and Navigo passes are available on smartphones in Ile-de-France — RTL (translation) — “RATP has begun pilot testing a service that makes it possible to buy and store a metro ticket directly on a smartphone. This first pilot is being conducted with around one hundred users, selected from RATP and SNCF employees. The system will be extended to include the Navigo Pass in November and extended to all operators in the summer of 2019.”
Japanese carrier KDDI to pilot blockchain coupons that shoppers can redeem using biometrics in stores
KDDI and Hitachi pilot finger vein biometrics for redeeming coupons in stores — KDDI (translation) — “The user can authenticate himself by holding the finger registered on the authentication infrastructure, so it is not necessary to present the coupon at the store, and the coupon can be used even without the smartphone… Since coupon usage information recorded in the blockchain is extremely difficult to tamper with, it is easy to share coupon usage history securely and reliably between KDDI and affiliated stores, and payment according to the number of coupon users is highly accurate.”
Baseball fans can now use Apple’s Messages app to order and pay for food and drink from their seats
Philadelphia Phillies and Aramark launch Apple Business Chat at Citizens Bank Park — Aramark — “With the ease of a text message, Philadelphia Phillies fans can now order beverages using their iPhone without missing a minute of on-field baseball action… Fans in designated sections of Citizens Bank Park will be able to use Apple Business Chat to place orders using their iPhone’s Messages app to have the menu items delivered directly to their seats, as part of a ground-breaking pilot program.”
Tesco pilots ‘Scan Pay Go’ cashless supermarket concept
Tesco trials cashless ‘shop and go’ store at HQ — Essential Retail — “Tesco staff are trialling a completely cashless store at the grocer’s headquarters in Welwyn Garden City, including ‘shop and go’ technology similar to that used in the Amazon Go store in Seattle… The technology allows customers to scan and pay for their products via their smartphone before walking out of the store without visiting a traditional till point.”
Central Bank of Bahamas plans digital currency pilot
Bahamas to introduce digital currency — Jamaica Observer — “The production of a modern fully digital payment service is the way forward for this era of governance… A digital Bahamian currency is especially important for the many family islands as they have seen many commercial banks downsize and pull out of their communities, leaving them without banking services.”
Amazon to pilot sound-based payments for cash on delivery service in India
Amazon backs Indian startup to replace cash with contactless payments — Bloomberg — “Amazon.com Inc wants to pilot contactless payments to boost the adoption of its payment processing service, Amazon Pay, for offline transactions in India, two people privy to the development told BloombergQuint… Amazon is looking to roll out contactless payments in the next two to three months, one of the persons quoted above said. It may start with offering the service for its Prime subscription members.”
Mastercard to pilot cardless ATM withdrawals
It’s app, tap and go at ATMs thanks to Mastercard and Diebold Nixdorf — Mastercard — “Here’s how it works: Consumers open their bank’s app on their smartphone. They use the app to find nearby ATMs, choose the amount they want to withdraw and see the associated fees. Once at the ATM, they quickly snap or tap, often by scanning a QR code, authenticate using optional biometrics on device, and take the dispensed cash.”
ABN Amro pilot finds customers prefer making wearable payments
Wearables favourite when paying — ABN Amro — “ABN Amro launched a pilot earlier this year in which 500 clients were asked to make payments using wearables. Of these clients, an impressive 78% now prefer the wearables, and only 19% prefer their debit cards. On average, clients make six payments a week for amounts under 25 euros. ABN Amro is extending the pilot to test new functionalities with this pilot group.”
AmEx to personalize rewards to specific members and products
On the Money: Credit cards to perfect targeting program — The Associated Press — “American Express is piloting a program that will allow merchants to reward customers for purchasing specific items at their stores, starting with online merchant Boxed… Beyond promoting specific items, the change will also let American Express and its merchant customers target promotions to very specific customers.”
US Bank to test connected fleet car payments
Mastercard and US Bank Voyager put fleet managers in the driver’s seat — Mastercard — “Mastercard today unveiled a new service to automatically integrate fuel and maintenance data from a connected car’s dashboard into the payment process… US Bank will be the first to pilot these new features, giving fleet managers the flexibility, visibility and control to manage day-to-day expenses.”
Walmart cancels its scan-and-go payments pilot due to ‘low adoption’
Phasing out the checkout line: Retailers race to make shopping more seamless — CBC — “Walmart has abandoned mobile scan-and-go shopping at its US stores… The retailer rolled out the test project in about 120 US locations starting this past August. Walmart spokesperson Ragan Dickens said in an interview this week that scan and go had a ‘low adoption rate’.”
National Bank to pilot biometric payment cards in Kuwait
National Bank of Kuwait and Mastercard make GCC debut of pioneering biometric solutions — Zawya — “NBK customers will be the first in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region to experience Mastercard’s Identity Check online authentication solution, while a pilot program for an innovative biometric card with an embedded fingerprint sensor will be a first for the GCC.”
Copenhagen Business School lets students make payments with just their finger — no card or smartphone required
Pay with the touch of a finger — Nets — “Now, students and visitors at Copenhagen Business School (CBS) can leave their cash, cards and smartphones behind and buy lunch using just their finger… The payment process is very much like other contactless payments but the increased security creates one key difference — even high-value transactions do not require the extra step of PIN entry.”
Japanese banks to begin QR mobile payments pilot
Japan’s megabanks aim to introduce unified smartphone payment system — The Mainichi — “MHFG announced that it will soon embark on a verification test of smartphone payments with Toho Bank, headquartered in Fukushima Prefecture, using the barcodes. It is thought that the results of the test will be used to create uniform standards for the two-dimensional barcodes that are currently being mulled by the three banking groups.”
Crédit Agricole expands HCE payments to Visa cardholders
PARTNER NEWS: Crédit Agricole has added support for Visa cards to its HCE mobile payments service, enabling both Mastercard and Visa cardholders to make use of its Ma Carte application and Paylib, the French interbank payment brand, for the first time... More
Government of Montserrat signs up for digital currency pilot
Premier Romeo signs MOU to create a digital payments ecosystem in Montserrat — Government of Montserrat — “The people of Montserrat will benefit from increased financial inclusion, and a significant reduction in their need for cash to make payments for goods and services, or as a means of saving. Anyone with a smartphone, tablet or computer, will now be able to conduct these domestic transactions securely, efficiently, digitally.”