Iconic designer Philippe Starck has created a smart ring that can be used to store payment cards and transport passes, make contactless payments, and transfer business and ID information... More
Contactless
Krispy Kreme pilots contactless doughnut vending machine
Krispy Kreme customers in Charlotte, South Carolina in the US, can now use their mobile device to buy selected variety packs of doughnuts from an automated cash-free vending machine that is in operation 24 hours a day... More
PBOC reports results of central bank digital currency pilot
More than 113,000 Chinese consumers have now used a digital wallet supporting “multiple payment methods, including barcode, facial recognition and tap-and-go transactions” to conduct a transaction using China’s new central bank digital currency, the People’s Bank of China has revealed. More
Pasmo adds support for Apple Pay Express Transit in Japan
Pasmo transportation card holders in Japan can now use Apple Pay Express Transit to pay for their transit fares and other Pasmo-supported transactions using their iPhone or Apple Watch... More
Renfe to roll out contactless ticketing across Spain’s suburban rail network
Passengers using suburban rail services in Spain’s 12 largest metropolitan areas will soon be able to use their physical or digital contactless bank card to pay for their fares on EMV readers installed in station turnstiles... More
Venmo combines contactless and QR payments on a single credit card
Users of PayPal-owned P2P payments app Venmo can now apply for a credit card that includes both a contactless payments chip and a printed QR code that they can use to receive P2P payments and share bills with friends... More
Walmart redesigns its stores for contactless shopping
US retail giant Walmart has unveiled a new store design that leverages mobile wayfinding and self-checkout kiosks to create “a digitally enabled shopping experience”... More
German cooperative bank pilots NFC kiosks that turn branches into one-stop service points
Customers of Volksbank Raiffeisenbank in Germany are taking part in the pilot of a self-service terminal designed to drive new revenue streams by making a wide range of additional services available in bank branches... More
Transport for West Midlands unveils plans for regional smart ticketing system
Public transportation users in the West Midlands will be able to use a new ‘tap and cap’ smart ticketing platform to make contactless payments for their journeys across the UK region’s entire rail, bus and tram network by 2022, according to plans revealed by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM)... More
IDC: One in two wearables to include contactless payments support
Global shipments of wearable devices will reach a total of 396m units this year and increase to 637.1m in 2024, with the proportion of those offering support for contactless payments set to rise to nearly 50% by the end of the year, International Data Corp (IDC) predicts... More
UOB lets customers use its mobile banking app to link debit and credit cards to third-party apps
Customers of Singapore’s United Overseas Bank (UOB) can now use its UOB Mighty mobile banking app to add their debit and credit card details directly to third-party apps, avoiding the need to separately enter their card details and providing an additional reason for customers to engage with their banking app... More
PSCU reports 70% increase in US mobile debit card transactions
The weekly volume of mobile wallet debit card transactions in the USA has increased by 70.3% compared with this time last year, while weekly mobile wallet credit card transactions have grown by 50.4% over the same period, according to the PSCU’s latest Tracking Transaction Trends report... More
Moscow Metro adds support for Huawei Pay
Passengers on the Moscow Metro system can now use NFC-enabled Huawei and Honor smartphones to make contactless payments for their fares with Huawei Pay at every station on the Russian capital’s network, Tdaily.ru reports... More
Edenred adds Apple Pay for UK prepaid cardholders
Holders of Edenred prepaid incentive and rewards cards in the UK can now add their card to Apply Pay and make mobile and online payments for food, fuel, transport, parking and corporate transactions with their iPhone, Apple Watch or other Apple Pay-enabled device... More
Amazon lets customers pay with their palm at two US retail stores
Customers shopping at two Amazon Go outlets in Seattle, USA, can now gain access to the convenience stores and pay for their purchases by simply placing their palm over a contactless palm scanning device installed at the entrance... More
One in five Japanese consumers to make mobile payments in stores this year
The number of people in Japan who use their smartphone to make mobile payments at the point of sale will reach 23.9 million — 21.5% of the population — by the end of this year, up from 19.1 million in 2019, according to an eMarketer forecast... More
Adelaide Metro pilots contactless bank card and digital wallet payments for tram ticketing
Passengers on Adelaide Metro’s tram network can now make contactless fare payments with their credit or debit card or their tap-and-pay digital wallet without needing a metroCARD transit card or using cash... More
French city launches payment card ticketing for groups and individuals
Users of the Bibus public transport network in the Brest Métropole area of France can now use their contactless payment cards to buy tickets on buses, trams and cable cars, transfer from one mode of transport to another at no additional cost, and pay for as many as six passengers with a single card... More
Google Pay rolls out tokenized NFC card payments in India
Google Pay users in India can now make tokenized NFC-based credit and debit card payments at contactless POS terminals, starting with customers of Axis Bank and SBI “with Kotak and more banks expected to follow suit very soon”... More
Apple lets kids use their Apple Watch to make payments with Apple Pay
Parents with an iPhone can now transfer funds to their children’s Apple Watch so they can then use it to make payments using Apple Pay... More