Ant Financial extends online credit service to retailers — China Daily — “Ant Financial Services Group, the online finance firm backed by billionaire Jack Ma, will extend its online consumer credit service to four million retail businesses across the country to boost sales and encourage spending－as China’s consumers increasingly feel more comfortable shopping with borrowed money.”
China
Chinese mobile payments up in Q1
Chinese mobile payments up in Q1 — China Daily — “Chinese commercial banks dealt with 9.3 billion payments from mobile banking services in Q1, up 65.7% from a year ago, the People’s Bank of China, the central bank, said in a report… Combined value of mobile payments rose 16.4% to 60.65 trillion yuan ($9 trillion).”
Chinese mobile payment apps launch in Vancouver, Toronto
Chinese mobile payment apps launch in Vancouver, Toronto — The Globe and Mail — “OTT Financial Inc is working with Chinese Internet giants Tencent and Alibaba to introduce their mobile-payment infrastructure in Canada. The two apps, WeChat Pay and Alipay, are linked with users’ credit cards and allows them to make payments in renminbi, which is then converted to Canadian dollars before it’s transferred to merchants.”
UnionPay mobile QuickPass QR code payment landed in Hong Kong and Singapore
UnionPay mobile QuickPass QR code payment landed in Hong Kong and Singapore — UnionPay International — “After UnionPay mobile QuickPass QR code payment was launched on May 27 in mainland China, UnionPay International announced today to extend this service to Hong Kong and Singapore… The newly launched QR code payment is a significant supplement to NFC payment.”
China UnionPay rolls out QR payment solution
China UnionPay rolls out QR payment solution — ECNS — “The latest UnionPay product offers multiple payment modes with customers able to scan seller QR codes or vice versa, while transfers can be made person-to-person, facilitating payments between individuals, individuals and businesses, and among businesses. In future, cash withdrawals from ATMs via QR codes and other premium service solutions will also be available.”
Carnival Corporation to offer Alipay payment services onboard its fleet in Asia
Carnival Corporation to offer Alipay payment services onboard its fleet in Asia — Carnival Corporation — “Carnival Corporation’s first and largest brand in China – Costa Cruises – will give passengers the option to use their existing Alipay accounts as a payment method for cabin folios. All onboard spending – including shopping, activities, excursions, food and drinks – will be added to each guest’s cabin folio as the purchase is made.”
Chip card shipments top more than 2bn in 2016
More than 2bn chip cards were shipped globally by Smart Payment Association (SPA) members in 2016, representing an increase of 4% from 2015, the trade body reveals, with contactless cards accounting for more than 50% of shipments in most regions... More
Samsung Pay rolls out across Hong Kong following early access launch
Samsung Pay has gone live in Hong Kong with support from Mastercard, Visa and American Express and banks including Bank of China (Hong Kong), Citibank, DahSing Bank, DBS and Standard Chartered. The launch takes the mobile payment service to a total of 17 markets globally and follows its debut in Taiwan earlier this month. More
Ant Financial enters Hong Kong market with AlipayHK mobile wallet
Ant Financial enters Hong Kong market with AlipayHK mobile wallet — South China Morning Post — “The mobile wallet and payments app, dubbed AlipayHK, is similar to its Chinese counterpart Alipay — registered users are able to top up their mobile wallets and make in-store payments that are settled in Hong Kong dollars at merchants such as Watsons, Fortress and at supermarkets like ParknShop.”
Hangzhou buses first to all use mobile pay
Hangzhou buses first to all use mobile pay — China.org.cn — “‘Passengers can use Alipay and UnionPay flash payment cards on this terminal. Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Huawei Pay, Mi Pay and Android Pay can be used with smartphones or wearables like watches and electronic bracelets,’ said Liu Xiaojie, general manager of public services at Ant Financial.”
Samsung Pay goes live in Taiwan with seven banks
Samsung Pay has been launched across Taiwan with support from Visa and Mastercard along with seven major banks including Citibank, Cathay United Bank, E.Sun Commercial Bank, Taishin International Bank, Fubon Bank, Union Bank of Taiwan and Standard Chartered. The service supports iris scan authentication for those with Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ devices. More
NFC secure element shipments to grow 12% in 2017
Some 560m NFC secure elements will be shipped worldwide in 2017, representing a 12% increase from 2016, smart security industry association Eurosmart reveals. A total of 495m NFC secure elements were shipped in 2015, which increased by 1% in 2016 to reach 500m units. More
Apple Pay launches in Italy with support from UniCredit and Carrefour Banca
Apple Pay has begun rolling out across Italy with support for Mastercard and Visa cards issued by Carrefour Banca and UniCredit, with American Express, CartaBCC, ExpendiaSmart, Fineco Bank, Hype, Banca Mediolanum, N26 and Widiba listed as “coming this year”. The launch takes Apple Pay to a total of 16 markets globally. More
China’s biggest mobile payment service launches in Toronto
China’s biggest mobile payment service launches in Toronto — Tourism Toronto — “Tourism Toronto announced today a new strategic partnership with OTT Financial Group that introduces the Chinese mobile payment service, WeChat Pay, into local tourism businesses to boost travel and shopping consumption by Chinese travellers.”
Alipay expands presence to North America
Chinese tourists in North America will soon be able to make in-store mobile payments at some 4m locations using Alipay, following a partnership between the mobile payment service and payment processor First Data... More
Tencent extends WeChat Pay to the US with focus on Chinese tourists
Tencent extends WeChat Pay to the US with focus on Chinese tourists — South China Morning Post — “WeChat Pay’s US launch is the company’s latest globalisation push as both Tencent and Alibaba seek to expand overseas amid their intensified mobile payment competition at home.”
Galaxy S8 gets Gemalto secure element to support Samsung Pay
PARTNER NEWS: Digital security giant Gemalto’s embedded secure element (eSE) solution is to be integrated into Samsung Galaxy S8 devices to support the deployment of Samsung Pay — including for transit and ticketing services — in select markets. More
Samsung Pay launches in Sweden and the UAE, enters early access in Hong Kong and Switzerland
Samsung Pay has expanded to four additional markets with official launches in Sweden and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and early access launches in Hong Kong and Switzerland. The service has also been made available on Samsung’s Gear S3 smartwatch in Russia, Sweden and the UAE in addition to its availability on the Gear S3 in the US, Singapore and Australia. More
WeChat Pay and offline mobile payments see “incredibly high” uptake in China
Nine in ten Chinese mobile internet users (92%) choose mobile payment apps such as WeChat Pay as their primary offline payment method today, research released by Tencent Online Media Group’s newly launched research project China Tech Insights reveals, while “smartphone built-in payment tools” such as Apple Pay are currently used by approximately 12%. More
Samsung Pay opens early access phase in the UAE
Samsung Pay has launched an early access program in the UAE with support from Mastercard and Visa and a number of banks including Mashreq Bank, ADCB, Rakbank, Emirates NBD, Standard Chartered and NBAD... More