Facebook has begun piloting a service that allows users to buy concert tickets through the social network’s event pages using a Buy Tickets button... More
Mobile payments
Deutsche Bank trials multi-factor authentication
Customers of Deutsche Bank are testing technology which verifies their identity by the way they handle and hold their mobile device... More
Analyst details new iPhone with NFC and Apple Pay
A research note by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that Apple will release a new iPhone equipped with NFC and Apple Pay early next year... More
Burger King launches mobile rewards in New Zealand
Customers of fast food chain Burger King in New Zealand can now receive personalised offers, coupons and reward points on their mobile device... More
Barclaycard update shows HCE feature
Barclaycard has begun updating its mobile app in preparation for the rollout of its host card emulation (HCE) mobile payments feature... More
Apple adds 40 US banks to Apple Pay
Apple has added another 40 banks to its list of Apple Pay supporting financial institutions in the US, bringing the total close to 800... More
Mahindra Comviva wins innovation awards
PARTNER NEWS: Mahindra Comviva has picked up prizes at India’s annual Aegis Graham Bell Awards, winning in both the mcommerce and the m-money categories with its Mobiquity Money solutions... More
Apple Pay transactions decline on Black Friday
Only 2.7% of US shoppers with Apple Pay used the service on Black Friday to make a purchase in a store equipped to accept the mobile payment technology — representing a decrease from 4.9% last year, research from InfoScout reveals. Just 2% of Android owners used their device to make a mobile payment for eligible transactions during the day. More
NFC Forum pushes for NFC at the point of sale
A six-page white paper that explores whether US retailers are prepared to make the most of the shift to EMV and mobile payments is now available to download from the NFC World+ Knowledge Centre... More
NFC public transport pilot launches across the Netherlands
Some 200 commuters across the Netherlands have begun piloting a service that lets them tap in and out of public transport using their smartphone. The pilot has been put in place by mobile network operators Vodafone and KPN in partnership with OV public transport card provider Translink and all the transport agencies in the country. More
Two thirds of Aussies prefer contactless
Almost two thirds of Australian consumers (64%) prefer contactless payments to cash and 66% prefer using tap and go to entering their PIN for transactions under $100, research from MasterCard reveals... More
ING opens up HCE to all Netherlands customers
ING has made its host card emulation (HCE) based mobile payments service available to all its customers in the Netherlands with an NFC phone running Android 4.4 or higher following a trial that began in September 2015... More
JCPenney piloting store cards on Apple Pay
Customers of US department store chain JCPenney in Texas are piloting the ability to add their store cards to Apple Pay for in-store use... More
Developers unveil electronic tattoos for payments and healthcare
Creative studio Chaotic Moon has demonstrated a concept it calls Tech Tats, tattoo-like formations of components and conductive paint that create an electronic circuit which adheres to the wearer’s skin. The temporary tattoos include a microprocessor and the company envisages them performing tasks such as health monitoring or making payments. More
Wirecard launches HCE payments in four European countries
German payments technology provider Wirecard has launched a host card emulation (HCE) based mobile payments service in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Belgium that will allow customers of any mobile network operator to make payments using their Android device at contactless terminals. More
Half of UK shoppers think wearable payments will be commonplace within five years
More than half of UK shoppers (51%) believe that wearable devices including smartwatches, wristbands, fobs, stickers and smart clothing will be commonplace for in-store payments within two to five years, a survey by Vista Retail Support reveals... More
Tencent launches WeChat mobile wallet in South Africa
Chinese ecommerce giant Tencent has launched a mobile wallet service in South Africa in partnership with Standard Bank. The service lets users of social messaging app WeChat make P2P transfers, pay for services such as airtime, data and electricity and make in-store payments by scanning QR codes at merchants supporting the SnapScan mobile payments platform. More
Swatch confirms payment watch launch in US, Switzerland and Brazil
Swiss luxury watchmaker Swatch has confirmed that it has signed an agreement with Visa and Visa Europe to enable eligible cardholders in the US, Switzerland and Brazil to tap and pay with the Swatch Bellamy watch. More
US Bank to donate $50,000 to charity through Apple Pay
US Bank is to raise up to US$50,000 for the US Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots charity programme by donating $1 whenever one of its customers in Minnesota completes an Apple Pay transaction... More
Seqr to add P2P transfers to mobile wallet
US consumers will be able to make P2P transfers through Swedish firm Seamless’ Seqr mobile payment platform from early 2016, utilising payment provider Dwolla’s infrastructure... More