Happy holidays from NFC World
NFC World is taking a short break for the festive season... More
Archive for December 2018
BMW launches NFC digital keys for X5 and 8 Series cars
Drivers taking delivery of a new fourth generation BMW X5 SUV or 8 Series Coupe this month are the first to be able to use the luxury car maker’s BMW Digital Key option to lock and unlock their car and start their engine with an NFC phone... More
Swiss competition authority forces Apple to agree to make functional changes to Apple Pay
Apple has agreed to make changes to the way that Apple Pay works following an investigation by Weko, Switzerland’s Competition Commission — also known as Comco — which found that the iPhone maker’s NFC payments service can cause issues with the functioning of the Swiss banks’ Twint mobile payment service... More
Softbank-backed PayPay to update mobile payments app ‘after wrongful charge complaints’
Japan’s PayPay to update app after wrongful charge complaints — Bloomberg — “An unspecified number of customers called in and e-mailed to report charges on their bills that they didn’t recognize, according to PayPay spokesman Fumihiro Ito. Several consumers say they hadn’t even installed the app but their credit cards were billed for purchases they didn’t make… PayPay triggered a shopping frenzy earlier this month by promising to give users 10bn yen (US$88m) in rebates from their purchases.”
7-Eleven to open unmanned convenience stores in Japan
7-Eleven opens trial store in Tokyo using facial recognition payment system — The Mainichi — “Convenience store giant Seven-Eleven Japan Co launched a trial 7-Eleven store with a self-checkout system using facial recognition technology here on Dec 17 as it aims to promote labour-saving measures and introduce cashless payments amid concerns of labour shortages… Seven-Eleven Japan Co plans to install the system at small-scale 7-Eleven outlets, such as those inside office buildings, making it the first convenience store chain of its kind in Japan.”
Hyundai to let drivers unlock cars with their fingerprint
Hyundai Motor develops biometrics to open, lock and start car engine — Pulse — “The company claimed its system is the first of its kind in the world. It said there have already been fingerprint verification systems for starting the engine but applying the technology to open the door has remained a challenge. It said its fingerprint system was fortified to withstand harsh weather conditions like scorching sunlight and strong snowstorm, ensuring secure operation of its fingerprint door-locking system.”
UN agency to pilot biometric cards for migrants
International Organisation for Migration chooses Tactilis card for pilot programmes — Tactilis — “The pilot activities will evaluate the concepts, performance and viability of biometric system-on-card technology when deployed in three different migrant and foreign worker environments, namely visa card, cross border card and migrant camp card. There are close to 260m migrants globally, with 75m of those across Asia, many of whom are undocumented or displaced and require resettlement with trusted identity credentials.”
German savings banks press Apple to open up its NFC chip
Mobile payment: Sparkassen wants iPhone NFC, but no Apple Pay — Heise Online (translation) — “Apple must open the NFC transmission standard to other payment services, the savings bank association has demanded… Sparkasse offers its own mobile payment app, which until now has only been available for Android devices due to Apple’s NFC blockade. ‘Ultimately, smartphone payments should be possible on all devices, without technical hurdles and restrictions, so that customers can easily choose the right solution for them,’ the association argues.”
IMF report finds digital currencies are gaining ground with central bankers
At least 15 central banks are serious about getting into digital currency — MIT Technology Review — “There are two main reasons for the trend, according to the report. First, new forms of digital money are ‘shrinking the role of cash’. Besides that, some central banks are interested in using the technology to reach the hundreds of millions of people who do not have a bank account or access to modern financial services. Finally, most central banks see the potential to reduce costs by replacing physical banknotes with digital ones.”
Alipay offers POS terminals that combine face recognition with QR payments
Alipay Box to utilize facial recognition tech for payments — Shine — “Alibaba’s financial and payment affiliate Ant Financial has released smart payment hardware called Alipay Box, integrating barcode scanning and facial recognition features… The plug-and-play device, which is smaller than a traditional self-service point of sale (POS) machine, does not require an overhaul of the merchants’ existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.”
Australian banks set to abandon Apple Pay boycott
The three ‘big four’ Australian banks that have held out on offering Apple Pay to their customers after losing a bid to force the iPhone maker to open up its NFC functionality could all now be set to adopt the service in the coming weeks... More
Tappy Christmas! Save the Children raises money with contactless jumpers
Fundraisers wearing Christmas jumpers containing a contactless card reader built into the sleeve are in place at 16 London tube stations today, to raise funds for Save the Children’s annual Christmas Jumper Day appeal... More
Bayern Munich adds NFC ticketing for Apple users at Allianz Arena
Fans of one of Europe’s top soccer clubs will be able to use the NFC functionality in their iPhone or Apple Watch to gain admittance to games at the team’s home stadium from 19 December... More
Barclays lets customers use their mobile banking app to restrict the type of stores their card can be used in
Barclays bank account holders in the UK can now use a new feature in their mobile banking app to stop their card from being used to make purchases in one or more of five categories of retailer — grocery stores and supermarkets; restaurants, takeaways, pubs and bars; petrol stations; gambling sites and betting shops; premium rate websites and phone lines... More
Guess unveils fashion watches with contactless payment bands
Fashion brand Guess has launched a new collection of six watches that include a Barclaycard bPay contactless payment chip embedded in the watch strap... More
The world’s biggest electronics store uses NFC tags to let shoppers self-checkout on their mobile phones
MediaMarktSaturn, Europe’s largest consumer electronics retailer, is piloting a mobile self-checkout service that lets customers add products to their shopping basket by tapping the NFC tag included in the digital price tags of more than 100,000 products on sale at its Hamburg city centre store... More
Singtel adds Apple Pay to Dash mobile wallet
Singtel Dash goes global with Visa and Apple Pay — Singtel — “Singtel is expanding the payment capabilities of its all-in-one mobile payments app, Dash, to include international mobile payments. Dash customers are now able to use their Visa Virtual Account on the Dash app at millions of online retailers worldwide and merchant points that accept Visa contactless payments. In addition, customers can also use Dash on Apple Pay, making it the first non-bank mobile wallet in Singapore on Apple’s easy, secure and private payments system.”
Tesco to roll out high value contactless transactions
Tesco set to get rid of £30 limit on Apple Pay transactions — MoneySavingExpert — “The supermarket giant has said on social media: ‘We are currently in the process of trialling high value contactless payment with Apple Pay in a few of our stores and will be looking to extend this offer to the rest of our stores estate over the coming year.”
Tech firms to explore next gen payment cards that combine fingerprint sensors with digital displays
Idex Biometrics and Visionox collaborating to develop fingerprint sensors with integrated displays — Idex Biometrics — “By combining the fingerprint sensor with a display, the user experience and security can be significantly enhanced. The display can be used for a range of features including dynamic CVV to address card-not-present fraud, user-specific information such as account balance, or to provide feedback when enrolling the fingerprint. The technology will also be applicable to other verticals such as mobile or IoT.”
Google Pay goes live in France
Google Pay is now live in France, with support for Boon, Boursarama Banque debit and credit cards, Edenred Ticket Restaurant cards, Lydia prepaid Mastercards, N26 Mastercard debit cards and Revolut Mastercards... More