Mobile authentication provider Authentify is to provide a way for banks, payments networks and other secure service providers to make use of the fingerprint scanner built into the Samsung Galaxy S5 to add an extra layer of security to mobile transactions. More
- Eventbrite brings tap to pay to the events industry
- Biometric card pioneer backs away from payments citing lower-than-expected market uptake
- EU calls for feedback on proposed settlement with Apple over NFC chip access
- Google signs deal to take UPI beyond India
- NFC Forum spells out DPP ambitions in ebook
Aurnhammer takes BLE on a New York pub crawl
Digital design agency Aurnhammer is using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons placed in bars and restaurants to guide participants to their next pub crawl destination — and provide them with sponsored rewards for taking part. The first BeaconCrawl took place in New York City last week and tours are now planned for London, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Ibiza. More
Groupon lets merchants redeem vouchers via BLE
Prepaid voucher provider Groupon has launched an iPad-based point-of-sale terminal that uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to let merchants “instantly recognize their Groupon customers as they enter their business, seamlessly redeem Groupons and save time and money.” More
Yoyo raises US$5m for mobile payments at universities
UK-based mobile payments, loyalty and rewards startup Yoyo has raised US$5m to expand its service. The move follows a launch at the Imperial College London campus in January 2014, with further rollouts due to take place at London’s University of Westminster and University of Greenwich. More
Tim Hortons rolls out mobile barcode payments across Canada and USA
Canada-based coffee chain Tim Hortons has expanded its mobile payments service, first launched using host card emulation (HCE) technology in December 2013, with the introduction of barcode-based mobile payments across its outlets in the USA and Canada. More
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McDonald’s launches Quick Mac mobile payments in Austria
McDonald’s Austria is rolling out a new mobile ordering and payments service that lets users place their orders on their mobile device and pay using PayPal, a credit card or a stored value Paybox account. More
Standard Bank rolls out mobile payments to 10,000 merchants in South Africa
Standard Bank, one of South Africa’s largest financial services groups, has launched a service that allows small merchants to accept mobile payments by simply placing a QR code at their point of sale, with no POS terminal required. More
Telstra uses NFC to cut costs and improve customer service for broadband users
Australian telecommunications provider Telstra is now applying NFC tags to all its broadband modems, enabling customers to access personalised help, information and support recommendations by tapping the tag with their NFC phone. More
Total gas stations offer mobile payments in Uganda
Customers at 45 Total gas stations in Uganda can now use their Airtel Money account to pay for fuel and services as well as make in-store purchases with their mobile phone. The service is to be rolled out across all 125 Total stations in the country in the coming weeks. More
Morgan Stanley predicts Apple will include NFC in iPhone 6 — and NXP will supply the controller chips
“We see growing evidence Apple will adopt NFC as a core part of its mobile payments strategy,” a new report from investment firm Morgan Stanley says — and evidence suggests that NXP has already won the contract to supply NFC controller chips for the iPhone 6. More
Samsung to add biometrics to more devices
Samsung is to include biometric sensors in tablets and low-end mobile phones, delegates at the company’s 2014 Investors Forum in Hong Kong have heard. More
Sberbank to launch HCE payments in Russia
Russia’s Sberbank, Europe’s third largest bank with more than 100million customers, has begun piloting NFC payments in Moscow using embedded secure elements. It will follow the trial with a service using host card emulation (HCE) later this year. More
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McDonald’s World Cup app turns fast food into football match
McDonald’s is set to roll out a new campaign for the 2014 Fifa World Cup using an augmented reality app to turn packaging and tables into virtual football games. More
Juniper predicts 1.5bn mobile wallets in 2018
There will be more than 1.5billion mobile wallets in use around the world by 2018, according to a new forecast from Juniper Research, representing one in five handsets and up from one in 10 at the end of 2013. More
London taxi firm promotes app downloads with NFC and QR stickers
Radio Taxis, one of London’s biggest taxi operators, is promoting downloads of its mobile app by placing NFC and QR code stickers in its 2,500 vehicles. More
US sports venues to get interactive displays
Sports venue display provider Access Sports Media is to use Blue Bite’s mTag platform to add NFC, QR, SMS and geofencing capabilities to its more than 20,000 displays in 200 US sports venues. More
Slovakia gets NFC payments
Deutsche Telekom’s MyWallet NFC platform is now available to customers of Slovak Telekom, a Slovakian carrier majority owned by Deutsche Telekom... More
Adafruit publishes NFC wearables DIY guide
Electronics hobby supplier Adafruit Industries has posted a DIY guide to creating wearable NFC devices that can be used to unlock an Android phone... More
LifeLock empties Lemon Wallet
Identify theft protection provider LifeLock has withdrawn LifeLock Wallet, a service built on Lemon Wallet which it acquired for US$50m in December 2013... More
PayPal tests beacons
PayPal Beacon, a mobile payment service that uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons to let shoppers make “hands free” payments, is now undergoing pilot testing in Palo Alto... More