The European Central Bank (ECB) should continue to develop the digital euro and start its proposed testing phase in October this year, but should not go ahead with launching the proposed central bank digital currency (CBDC) “unless new elements emerge strongly supporting such a decision”, according to an analysis paper requested by the European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON)... More
Mobile payments
Apple Pay goes live in Honduras and Panama
Apple Pay has launched in Honduras and Panama with support for Mastercard and Visa credit and debit cards issued by BAC Credomatic and Banco Promerica in both countries as well as by Banco Ficohsa in Honduras... More
Bank of Korea and Samsung to test offline CBDC payments using NFC
The Bank of Korea (BOK) and Samsung are to test using NFC to make offline central bank digital currency (CBDC) transactions with Galaxy smartphones and smart watches without needing an internet connection... More
Apple rolls out Tap to Pay on iPhone to merchants in Australia
Merchants in Australia can now accept in-store contactless payments on iPhones using Apple’s Tap to Pay software point of sale (softPOS) feature... More
Apple Pay launch drives Hyundai Card uptake in Korea
The number of new Hyundai Cards issued in South Korea since Apple Pay launched in the country has now reached 355,000, with nearly eight in ten of new cardholders being Millennials or belonging to Generation Z (79%)... More
Qatar Central Bank rolls out interoperable national mobile payments system
Qatar Central Bank (QCB) has launched an interoperable national mobile payments system that enables Qatari residents and visitors to register and create digital wallets, complete instant money transfers and make in-store QR code payments with their mobile device... More
Google adds new Pixel devices with NFC and UWB
Google has announced three new devices at its annual I/O developers’ conference — two smartphones with NFC and a tablet with ultra wideband... More
UK food bank lets users make in-store purchases with donated funds
Food bank users in the London borough of Hackney in the UK can now buy essential food items at local grocery stores by using a smartphone app to generate a QR code with their face and then use this code to authorise payments from dedicated funds... More
Greece to get contactless open loop fare payments on buses in 33 cities and islands
Passengers using bus services across 33 cities and islands in Greece will soon be able to make contactless fare payments for their journeys using their own locally issued or international credit, debit or prepaid card... More
Malaysian Islamic centre pilots softPOS technology for contactless charity donations
The Zakat Collection Centre of the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (PPZ-MAIWP) in Malaysia has begun piloting a software-only point-of-sale (softPOS) solution that enables designated collectors to accept contactless charitable donations on their Android NFC smartphone... More
Central Bank of Kenya launches national QR payments standard
The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has launched a standard for the generation of QR codes in the country’s retail payments sector as the first phase of a nationwide rollout of a universal QR code payments system... More
Apple Pay goes live in El Salvador and Guatemala
Apple Pay has launched in El Salvador and Guatemala with support for Mastercard and Visa credit and debit cards issued by BAC Credomatic and Promerica banks in both countries as well as by Banco G&T and Banco Industrial in Guatemala... More
Four in ten US consumers prefer using Google Pay or Apple Pay for bar and restaurant payments
Nearly 40% of consumers in the US say they prefer to pay for their orders at bars and restaurants using mobile payments apps such as Apple Pay or Google Pay rather than a physical credit or debit card, according to a survey... More
Digital euro to support both NFC and QR payments in stores
The digital euro should be distributed via apps, digital and physical cards and other form factors that enable consumers to make both NFC and QR code in-store payments with the proposed central bank digital currency (CBDC), according to a European Central Bank (ECB) report... More
European Payments Initiative to pilot digital wallet for instant P2P payments in Germany and France
The European Payments Initiative (EPI) is to begin piloting a digital wallet that will enable users to make instant person-to-person (P2P) payments in Germany and France as a first step towards rolling out a unified payment system that will support “a comprehensive range of transaction types” across Europe... More
Swatch launches contactless payments on wearables in Thailand
Buyers of Swatch watches in Thailand can now opt to make contactless payments with their NFC wearable device using the Swiss-based company’s SwatchPay! contactless payments service. More
GSMA reports ‘faster than predicted’ growth in mobile money services
The number of registered mobile money accounts globally rose by 13% from 1.4bn in 2021 to 1.6bn in 2022 and total mobile money transaction values grew by 22% from US$1tn to US$1.26tn over the same period, according to research by the GSMA... More
Utah Transit Authority to install new ticketing system that supports both closed and open loop payments
The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) in the USA is to implement a “next generation” account-based ticketing system that will support both open and closed loop contactless fare payments, mobile ticketing, flexible fare structures and fare capping across its public transportation networks... More
JR West to roll out digital ICOCA transit and payments card for Apple users
Apple users in Japan will soon be able to store and top up a digital version of rail operator JR West’s ICOCA prepaid contactless transit card in Apple Wallet and use it to pay their fares for bus and rail journeys with a tap of their iPhone or Apple Watch... More
US truckers get mobile wallet and digital cards for contactless fuel payments
Freight brokers in the US can now transfer advance payments for fuel to carriers and their drivers using a mobile wallet app that allows drivers to make contactless fuel payments from their smartphone... More