Mercedes drivers in Germany can now make contactless in-car payments for fuel directly from their Mercedes me app or via their vehicle’s infotainment system using the luxury car maker’s new Fuel & Pay digital payments service... More
Switzerland
Fidesmo Pay expands to Switzerland
EXHIBITOR NEWS: Fidesmo is launching its Fidesmo Pay wearable payments service in Switzerland, enabling customers of Swiss bank Cembra to upload their bank cards to NFC-enabled wearables and use them to make contactless payments... More
Indian water authority uses NFC flowmeters to optimise supply and ease water shortages
The local water authority in the Koppal district of the Indian state of Karnataka is to install a digital water management system that uses NFC-enabled digital flowmeters to let users collect, view and securely transmit accurate waterflow data via an app on their smartphone or tablet... More
UBS launches sustainable credit card made from corn
Customers of Swiss bank UBS can now opt for an environmentally friendly credit card made from a corn-based plastic substitute — and will soon be able to apply for a digital-only card that they can start using immediately upon acceptance... More
Central banks set out ground rules for digital currencies
A working group set up by seven central banks and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has laid out a set of ground rules for the successful issuance of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs)... More
DBS reports on the digital currency market in Asia
Asia is leading the way in the use and development of digital currencies and remains the world’s largest digital payments market, with China alone accounting for more than half of the total transaction value worldwide, according to a new research paper published by Singapore’s DBS Bank... More
Stocard picks Dejamobile to add payments to mobile loyalty app
PARTNER NEWS: European mobile loyalty wallet leader Stocard has added support for NFC payments to its app as it looks to evolve its digital wallet into an all-in-one payments, banking and shopping service... More
PayPal rolls out QR payments to 28 countries around the world
PayPal users in 28 countries across the world are now able to use their PayPal app to make QR code-based mobile payments in stores — and standard seller transaction fees are being waived “for a limited time” for merchants using the new functionality... More
Switzerland and Liechtenstein double contactless payments limit
The contactless transaction limit in Switzerland and Liechtenstein is to be temporarily increased from 40 francs (US$41.60) to 80 francs (US$83.21) “in order to protect customers”... More
Table: Contactless payment transaction limit increases around the world
Updated 30 January 2023 Countries around the world are increasing the contactless transaction limit in a bid to lower cash usage to combat the spread of Covid-19... More
Central banks set up digital currency group
The Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan, the European Central Bank, the Sveriges Riksbank and the Swiss National Bank, together with the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), are to work together “to assess potential cases for central bank digital currencies”... More
Mastercard reports on wearable payments adoption
The volume of transactions made using wearable devices has seen an eightfold increase in Europe over the past 12 months, Mastercard reports, while Australia tops the list of countries where most wearable payments are now being made.... More
Cornèr Banca issues biometric payment card
Swiss bank Cornèr Banca has launched a biometric payment card that lets customers make contactless payments without being restricted to the usual CHF40 (US$40) contactless transaction limit... More
Samsung adds Promoted Cards to Samsung Pay in Australia
Samsung has teamed up with financial services comparison site Finder to add a credit card shopping feature to Samsung Pay, “enabling everyday Australians to discover compelling credit card offers from participating financial institutions” from within its mobile wallet... More
eMarketer identifies top countries for mobile payments adoption
China remains the country with by far the highest mobile payments adoption rate, with 81.1% of smartphone owners making use of the technology, eMarketer reports... 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
Luxury watchmaker Vacheron Constantin combines blockchain with QR codes to counter fraud
Swiss luxury watchmaker Vacheron Constantin is to use blockchain technology and QR codes to create forgery-proof digital certificates of authenticity for its watches which can be easily transferred to new owners... More
Contactless diamond bracelet lets owners spend up to £1m
Swiss FinTech brand Armillion has unveiled the ultimate in wearable technology: a contactless payment bracelet that’s decorated with 252 cut diamonds, costs more than £60,000 (US$78,362) and can be used for purchases of up to £1m (US$1.3m)... More
Google Pay goes live in Switzerland
Google Pay rolls out in Switzerland with support for Cornèrcard, Swiss Bankers, and more — Android Police — “Google Pay’s support documents speak of a rollout for customers of Cornèrcard, Bonuscard, Swiss Bankers, Revolut, and Boon… Today’s rollout makes Switzerland the 29th country [Google] Pay is available in.”
Mammut uses NFC to create next generation customer experiences for outdoor sports fans
Swiss mountain sports equipment brand Mammut has launched a mobile app that uses NFC to support retailers that stock its products and provide “a new way of bringing emotional and interactive product information to the consumer”... More