Australian mobile network operator Optus has updated its range of contactless payment accessories to include a SmartCup — a coffee cup that includes the new Optus Pay PayTag in its base allowing consumers to make contactless payments up to US$100 at any payment terminal that accepts Visa PayWave... More
Australia
Australian bank branches stop dealing with cash
Six retail branches of Citi bank in Australia are to stop dealing with cash because of falling demand from customers who prefer to manage their money digitally, the Sydney Morning Herald reports... More
Android Pay launches in Poland
Android Pay has begun rolling out across Poland, allowing consumers with compatible devices to make payments at more than 400,000 retail locations in the country that accept contactless payments... More
Apple Pay adds banks in Australia, China, Russia and the US
Apple has updated its list of Apple Pay-supporting financial institutions in Australia, China, Russia and the US... More
Apple’s NFC restriction hits mobile payments innovation, Australian banks claim
The group of Australian banks taking on Apple over access to the NFC technology within iPhone handsets says the restriction is not only preventing the introduction of mobile wallet services across multiple platforms but also proving detrimental to continued investment into mobile payment apps... More
Microsoft in blockchain trial for travel booking website
Australian travel booking website Webjet has teamed up with Microsoft to develop a blockchain proof-of-concept solution for online booking services... More
Citibank launches Citi Pay mobile wallet and NFC payments service
Citibank has launched a new mobile wallet using Mastercard’s Masterpass digital payment service, allowing up to 100m of its customers to make purchases online and in-app, as well as NFC mobile payments in-store, in 33 countries... More
PayPal launches Siri payment requests in 30 countries
PayPal has enabled money transfers via Apple’s Siri voice command function, enabling users with iOS10 devices to make payments by speaking requests... More
Apple Pay adds 31 Australian banks after Cuscal deal
Thirty-one Australian banks and credit unions will support Apple Pay after a deal between Apple and banking services provider Cuscal... More
Apple says Australian banks are ‘not interested’ in promoting mobile payments competition
Apple is claiming the group of Australian banks pushing for the company to open up access to the NFC technology within its handsets is “not interested in promoting competition in mobile payments” within the country... More
Alipay heads to Australia with Commonwealth Bank
Alipay has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Commonwealth Bank of Australia to enable in-store and online payments for Chinese tourists in Australia... More
Samsung Pay boss reveals plans for ‘more aggressive expansion’
Samsung Pay is planning “more and more aggressive expansion”, global general manager Thomas Ko has told NFC World in an exclusive interview at Money2020 in Las Vegas, as it emerged a new Deals feature will go live next month and the mobile payments service will operate in Malaysia and Thailand by the end of the year... More
US consumers ‘largely unfamiliar’ with contactless and mobile payments, research shows
PARTNER NEWS: Contactless payment systems remain largely unfamiliar to US consumers despite a high level of satisfaction with the technology... More
Australian banks call Apple’s NFC restriction “completely baseless”
Apple’s claim that allowing access to the NFC technology within its iPhones would diminish the security of Apple Pay has been branded “completely baseless” by a group of four Australian banks, who are seeking greater powers of negotiation over the entry of third-party mobile wallets in the country... More
Google unveils VR headset that pairs with NFC
Google has launched a virtual reality headset that works in conjunction with smartphones supporting its Daydream mobile VR platform and uses NFC to connect the devices... More
Square brings contactless reader to Australia
Square’s contactless chip reader is now available in Australia, enabling businesses to accept contactless transactions and NFC mobile payments... More
NAB PayTag NFC stickers introduced
National Australia Bank is making its new NFC payments method available to customers this week... More
NAB to allow instant use of approved cards through NAB Pay
Customers of National Australia Bank (NAB) will soon be able to use the bank’s NAB Pay host card emulation (HCE) based mobile payment app to make purchases via newly approved personal Visa credit cards without having to wait for the physical card to arrive in the mail... More
South Korean firms the latest to take action against Apple
A group of South Korean financial services providers are following in the footsteps of four Australian banks by preparing to take action against Apple in a bid to pressurise the technology giant into opening up the NFC technology within its iPhone handsets... More
CBA and Barclays team up for P2P payments
Customers of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) and UK bank Barclays will soon be able to send money to each other using a mobile phone number through CBA’s CommBank app and Barclays’ Pingit P2P payment service... More