German loyalty program Payback is to launch a new app in May that will include loyalty points, coupons and NFC mobile payments... More
Pilot
US pilot for real-time payments system
Financial services provider FIS and banking association The Clearing House (TCH) are to pilot a real-time payments system with financial institutions in the US in the first quarter of 2017, with an initial focus on bill payments... More
Tourists in Japan to get fingerprint payments by 2020
The Government of Japan is to pilot a system that would let tourists verify their identity and make in-store payments using their fingerprint... More
Android Pay to expand into Europe ‘soon’
Google is actively working towards launching Android Pay in Europe, director of emerging platforms Spencer Spinnell has revealed at Money20/20 Europe... More
BMO to offer ‘selfie pay’ biometric verification technology to customers
Canadian financial services provider BMO Financial Group is to enable its customers to use MasterCard’s Identity Check mobile app to verify their online transactions via face recognition and fingerprint biometrics... More
Madrid pilots contactless ticketing
Commuters in Madrid are piloting contactless bank card payments on 33 buses across two bus lines as a result of a partnership between EMT, which operates the city’s bus network, and MasterCard, Banco Santander and Santander Elavon... More
Google pilots hands-free payments in San Francisco
Shoppers in San Francisco’s South Bay area are being invited to take part in a pilot test of Hands Free, a payment service developed by Google that uses a combination of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Wi-Fi and location services to let consumers make in-store payments without taking their mobile phone out of their pocket. More
Swiss P2P payments service moves in-store with QR codes
Shoppers in Switzerland can now make in-store mobile payments using Paymit, the P2P transfer service established by the country’s financial infrastructure operator SIX and telecommunications provider Swisscom... More
LTA to test account-based contactless ticketing in Singapore
Commuters in Singapore will be piloting a new ticketing system in the fourth quarter of this year that will let them use their contactless debit or credit cards for fare payments across Land Transport Authority (LTA) services, with the fare being charged to their credit or debit card accounts... More
MasterCard to launch ‘selfie pay’ in the US, Canada and Europe this summer
Consumers across the US, Canada and parts of Europe will soon be able to authenticate their online transactions with their fingerprint or face using MasterCard’s ‘selfie pay’ system. The confirmed launch of the service — expected this summer — follows a successful pilot in the Netherlands. More
Visa extends Visa Token Service to auto manufacturers
Visa is extending its Visa Token Service platform to auto manufacturers to enable in-vehicle payment experiences through Visa Checkout. The company has partnered with Honda and car parking solutions provider ParkWhiz to demonstrate fuel and parking proof-of-concept solutions at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week. More
PayPal to add NFC payments to Android app
An upcoming version of PayPal’s Android app is to bring with it NFC payments capability, the online payment giant has announced at Mobile World Congress... More
Rail passengers pilot mobile ticketing at 230 UK stations
Technology that will enable rail passengers in the UK to travel across the country using a barcoded mobile ticket sent directly to their smartphone is undergoing pilot testing at 230 railway stations in the north of England, Scotland and the Midlands. More
WeChat Wallet launches pilot in Hong Kong
Chinese ecommerce giant Tencent is testing its WeChat Wallet service with users in Hong Kong... More
NanoPay acquires Mintchip digital currency
Mintchip, the digital currency developed and field tested in an NFC payments pilot by The Royal Canadian Mint, has been acquired by Loyalty Pays Holdings Corporation, a subsidiary of NanoPay... More
Mumbai commuters test mobile ticketing
Commuters in Navi Mumbai, India, are piloting a service provided by Birds Eye Systems that lets them pay for bus fares on their mobile phone... More
US banks head to mobile at the ATM
Customers of US banks Wells Fargo and Bank of America will soon be able to withdraw cash and complete transactions at the ATM using their smartphone... More
Walmart launches QR code mobile payments service in the US
Customers at US supermarket chain Walmart will soon be able to pay for purchases by scanning a QR code at the point of sale using Walmart Pay, the retailer’s own mobile payment service. Walmart Pay will be integrated into the Walmart app and introduced in select stores this month, with a nationwide launch expected in the first half of next year. More
Facebook pilots Buy Tickets button
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
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