Apple Pay to start pilot rollout in South Korea

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Apple Pay will begin a limited pilot rollout in South Korea this week, initially for online payments and with offline payments to follow, according to advertisements seen in the capital Seoul and reported by local media outlets... More


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Korean retailer pilots unmanned convenience store that uses face recognition for entry and payments

GS25 brings facial recognition to new shop — Korea JoongAng Daily — “Most convenience stores without a human cashier use barcodes to identify the products. GS25’s new system instead identifies an item by its packaging and weight. This allows customers to simply place items on the table before paying using facial recognition or a credit card. The company says it takes only about a second for the system to recognize five items at once, whereas with the conventional barcode system it would take 15 seconds to scan them one by one.”


Korean banks to launch blockchain identity platform

Banks plan blockchain ID system — Korea JoongAng Daily — “According to the Korea Federation of Banks (KFB), which represents major commercial banks in Korea, ‘BankSign’, a blockchain-based identity verification program, will officially be launched in July… ‘While BankSign will start off by providing the service in the banking sector, we will work with the government and other public organizations to expand its usage,’ said the KFB spokesperson.”



What's New in Payments

Korean banks back Samsung Pay

Korean banks are lining up to support Samsung Pay, including Shinhan Bank, KB Kookmin Bank, NH Nonghyup Bank and Industrial Bank of Korea, Korea Joongang Daily reports. “Currently, Samsung Pay only works with Woori Bank, but the exclusive contract between the two will expire next month, and now, more institutions are seeking to link up with Samsung Pay,” the publication says... More