QR code option may be must for shops — The Times of India — “The government is looking to mandate a QR code-based payment option using UPI at all shops. The measure is intended to promote digital payments as the preferred option.”
QR Codes
Octopus equips Hong Kong taxi drivers with NFC payments
Transit card issuer Octopus Cards Limited (OCL) has partnered with Hong Kong Taxi Council (HKTC) to provide local taxi drivers with the ability to use their NFC phone to accept payments for cab rides from Octopus card users... More
Boston Fed reports on contactless card and NFC payments adoption issues
The rollout of contactless cards in the US should have an overall positive influence on NFC mobile payments adoption in the US, according to a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston — but both consumers and merchants have ongoing adoption issues that remain to be resolved... More
Japanese banks to offer real-time mobile payments in stores
Banks to join in new payment service — The Japan News — “The new service will allow consumers to make payments by presenting QR codes displayed on their smartphones to code readers installed at shops and other places. Purchased amounts will be debited from their bank accounts in real time.”
Sainsbury’s opens UK’s first checkout-free supermarket
Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has launched the UK’s first till-free grocery store, with the pilot being used to help develop the company’s SmartShop Scan, Pay & Go technology which allows shoppers to pay via their smartphone... More
Taipei Metro rolls out QR mobile ticketing
Mobile ticketing app for Taiwan’s Taoyuan metro to be fully launched Wednesday — Taiwan News — “Passengers travelling on the Taoyuan metro line will be able to pay their fares using a mobile app, starting Wednesday… Using their credit or debit cards, passengers will be able to buy tickets via the app and swipe though the turnstiles at the metro stations with a QR code on their mobile devices.”
Amazon launches P2P payments in India
Amazon Pay launches person to person (P2P) payments through UPI for Android customers — Amazon — “Customers can use this functionality to settle bills/expenses with friends, lend/return money to family, pay rents, pay for services like house-help, newspaper bills, milk subscription and more. Customers can also make payments from their bank account to local stores nearby or to [an] Amazon delivery associate at [the] doorstep by scanning UPI QR codes using the Amazon app.”
Vending machine firms to use blockchain ID platform to automate sale of age-restricted items
Twelve vending machine providers with an installed base of more than one million vending machines have signed up for Civic Pay, a blockchain-based platform that combines identity and age verification, QR code mobile payments, loyalty and rewards... More
Decathlon opens RFID-enabled store in the US
Sports retailer Decathlon has incorporated RFID tags into products at its first physical store in the US... More
Amazon Pay begins in-store payments rollout in India
Amazon Pay makes an offline push with ‘scan and pay’ service — Livemint — “We have begun introducing Amazon SmileCode, a new way for our customers to shop and pay at physical stores like Shoppers Stop, among others,” said an Amazon spokesperson. “Customers will soon find Amazon SmileCodes in neighbourhood retail stores, where they can scan and pay for their purchases seamlessly.”
India to include NFC option in digital driving licences
Traffic violators beware, new driving licences, registration certificates coming from October — The Times of India — “The new DLs [driving licences] and RCs [vehicle registration certificates] will have a QR code that can be read by hand-held devices to access the past records of the driver or the vehicle from the central online database… ‘Though there was a proposal to make the chip and NFC feature mandatory, the Centre decided to leave the option to the state governments,’ said an official.”
NFC Forum bridges the gap between QR mobile payments services and NFC devices
The NFC Forum has released a new candidate specification that makes it easy for mobile payments services based on QR codes to add NFC functionality, giving “payment service providers and consumers the opportunity to take advantage of the simple and secure NFC-based payment solutions already in use worldwide.”... More
Alipay and UnionPay to support Japanese J-Coin digital currency
UPDATED J-Coin Pay, a digital currency-based payments service that will support both P2P payments and enable consumers to make QR mobile payments in stores, will go live in Japan on 1 March, developer Mizuho Financial Group has announced... More
Kroger launches payments, offers and rewards app for iOS and Android
Kroger introduces Kroger Pay and Kroger Rewards debit card — The Kroger Co — “After a customer enters their custom PIN or biometrics, the app provides customers with a single-use QR code to scan at the terminal to quickly communicate payment and loyalty card information, which includes digital coupons and personalized offers… Kroger Pay recently launched in the retailer’s Columbus, Ohio division. The service will roll out to 10 additional markets in the spring, with plans to go nationwide later this year.”
Belgian banks roll out mobile payments app that supports both NFC and QR codes
A mobile payments app that supports contactless payment via NFC and both static and dynamic QR codes has been launched in Belgium... More
NFC puck enables one-touch logon to WiFi networks
A stylish wooden puck incorporating an NFC tag that allows iPhones as well as Android devices to log onto a WiFi network with a single tap has been launched by New Jersey-based Ten One Design... More
DBS pilots loadable red packets for Chinese New Year
DBS pilots world’s first loadable QR red packets — DBS Bank — “DBS is introducing a new way to celebrate Chinese New Year this year with the pilot launch of a loadable QR red packet (DBS QR Ang Bao), a global first… Customers simply need to scan a unique QR code on a DBS QR Ang Bao to ‘load’ a cash value of up to SGD 999. They may then gift the DBS QR Ang Bao to their family and friends, who can scan the QR code with their own DBS PayLah! app to receive the loaded amount.”
UnionPay offers access to payments APIs
UnionPay International gives global developers access to its APIs — UnionPay International — “UnionPay International is providing three types of services via UPI Developer: First, offer open access to its major APIs. Developers now have access to the APIs of 18 of UnionPay’s most popular payment and data services, including QR code payment and Token. Second, offer a combination of multiple APIs to provide partners with one-stop payment solutions, assisting them in both product developing and commercial application. Third, offer diverse technical support services, including technical documentation, technical guidance and product testing and certification.”
JCB begins EMV QR mobile payments rollout
JCB launches QR code payment in the Asian region — JCB — “Bank SinoPac in Taiwan and Sacombank in Vietnam became the first banks to offer the JCB QR Code Payment service. SinoPac will start the service full scale at merchants who used to accept only cash such as fish markets, flower markets and taxis in January 2019… Sacombank has just announced its new mobile banking app ‘Sacombank Pay’, for which their JCB cardmember can choose JCB Card as a source of funds.”
Mizuho signs up sixty banks for J Coin cryptocurrency payments launch
Mizuho to launch digital currency to promote cashless payments in March — Nikkei Asian Review — “Japan’s Mizuho Financial Group plans to introduce a proprietary digital currency that can be used for shopping and remitted at no cost… To make use of the currency, users will download a dedicated app on their smartphone. Payments will be made using QR codes… Regional banks will be able to provide the same service under the same, yet-to-be-named brand to their customers.”