PayPal is to begin a major new push into in-store payments next year, under both the PayPal and Venmo brands and using both NFC and QR codes, CEO Dan Schulman has told Axios... More
PayPal and Venmo to move into in-store payments ‘next year’
QR Codes
Visa invests in US ultrasonic payments startup
Visa has made “a financial injection” in Lisnr, a US startup that is using ultrasonic data transmission as an alternative to NFC and QR codes for mobile payments... More
Salvation Army adds NFC chips to Red Kettles
The Salvation Army is adding NFC chips to all 25,000 of its iconic Red Kettles for its Christmas 2019 fundraising campaign, enabling shoppers to simply tap their Apple or Android NFC phone to make a donation to the charity... More
Uber to add Delhi Metro transit tickets to mobile app
Uber users in Delhi can now use the app to plan journeys on the Delhi Metro and on local bus services — and will soon be able to purchase train tickets from within the Uber app as well... More
Mexico switches on national NFC and QR instant mobile payments platform
Mexico’s Cobro Digital national mobile payments platform — known as CoDi — is now live across the country, enabling consumers to make NFC and QR payments via their mobile banking app and letting merchants receive funds instantly with no commission charges to pay... More
Japanese government offers discounts to consumers making cashless payments with cards and mobile phones
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has launched a major initiative designed to persuade consumers to move away from paying in cash, by providing a rebate whenever they use a card or mobile phone to make a purchase at any of 500,000 merchants across the country... More
Two in five wrist-worn wearables now come with NFC
While health applications continue to be the main consumer adoption driver for wrist-worn wearables, support for mobile payments “is also starting to become a mainstay,” according to new research from IDC... More
NXP explains how NFC and RFID tags can be used to improve the security of blockchain-based supply chain systems
PARTNER NEWS: “By adding transparency, security, and traceability, blockchain can make supply chains faster and more efficient, especially when originality and provenance are key concerns,” NXP explains in a new blog post... More
Detroit rolls out multi-operator transit ticketing app
Public transportation users in Detroit, Michigan, can now use their mobile phone as well as the city’s new contactless transit cards to purchase time-based travel passes that work seamlessly across multiple transportation operators... More
Mobile payments providers team up to let customers make QR payments across Europe
A group of seven mobile payments service providers with a combined user base of 25 million people in nine European countries have formed a new association to deliver “interoperability of the mobile payment systems across national borders”... More
Lojas Americanas opens checkout-free automated convenience stores in Brazil
Lojas Americanas, Brazil’s largest retailer, has opened the first of a series of Ame Go convenience stores that use a combination of smart shelf sensors, overhead cameras and QR-enabled entry and exit barriers to remove the need to install physical checkout stations... More
National QR mobile payments service to go live in Indonesia
Indonesia’s central bank says it has now completed the development of QRIS, an EMV-compliant national QR Code Indonesian Standard for mobile payments... More
7-Eleven brings mobile self-checkout to New York stores
Shoppers at 7-Eleven stores in New York can now use their mobile phones to self-checkout and pay for their purchases, the convenience store giant has announced. “Mobile Checkout takes convenience to the next level, letting customers in New York City skip the checkout.” More
Face recognition to replace QR codes in China?
As China turns towards facial recognition payments, are QR codes on their way out? — South China Morning Post — “As the familiar square mosaic gains greater popularity outside China, the tech giants that helped to drive its adoption are already moving away from the app-based payment method to something even more portable: your face.”
Tencent reports 100 million transit ticketing mini-app users
100 million transit riders are paying with WeChat mini-program: Tencent — Caixin Global — “Ride Code allows subway and bus riders to pay for transit fares with QR codes directly upon boarding in various Chinese cities. At subway stations, that means showing your barcode at the turnstile. Riders do not need to visit ticket kiosks as the fare is deducted from their WeChat Pay wallet.”
Mastercard pilots blockchain product provenance platform
Mastercard enables luxury shoppers to purchase with confidence — Mastercard — “Consumers will be able to shop the exclusive Rodarte pieces at Fred Segal Sunset with the ability to scan a QR code on the garment’s tag to trace each step of the product journey. Consumers who purchase from Fred Segal’s online store can learn more about the product journey and verify authenticity by scanning the QR code when their package arrives at home.”
OCBC lets customers use mobile phones to withdraw cash from ATMs
OCBC Bank is first in Singapore to enable cash withdrawals at ATMs using QR codes — OCBC — “OCBC Bank customers can withdraw cash by just scanning a QR code using the OCBC Pay Anyone app, then authenticating the transaction via fingerprint, faceprint or mobile banking login credentials… Using a QR code instead of keying in a PIN is more secure because biometric authentication can be chosen, a more robust security feature than a PIN that can be revealed or stolen. Further, a physical ATM card can be skimmed while a mobile device cannot.”
Saudi Arabia combines NFC, QR and faster payments to speed move to cashless society
Saudi Payments, Saudi Arabia’s national payments infrastructure operator, is to use a combination of NFC and contactless payments, a new faster payments system and the introduction of a common QR code platform to reduce the use of cash and speed up its move towards a cashless society, managing director Ziad Al Yousef has told NFCW... More
Libra to use QR codes to let consumers buy and sell cryptocurrency
Facebook answers how Libra taxes and anti-fraud will work — Techcrunch — “Facebook is also in talks with local convenience stores and money exchanges to ensure anti-laundering checks are applied when people cash-in or cash-out Libra for traditional currency, and to let you use a QR code to buy or sell Libra in person.”
Amazon rolls out QR-based anti-counterfeiting platform
Amazon launches Transparency in Europe, India and Canada — Amazon — “Transparency is a product serialisation service that provides a unique code for every unit that is manufactured. Brands put these codes on its products and every time one of these products is ordered in Amazon’s stores, Amazon scans and verifies the code to ensure only authentic units reach customers. Additionally, customers can use a mobile app to scan the code and verify authenticity regardless of where they purchased their units. Brands can also use Transparency to communicate unique unit-level information, including manufacturing date, manufacturing place, or other enhanced product information (eg ingredients).”