Employees at UK bank Barclays and Barclaycard’s London office have begun piloting a new payment concept that allows them to buy low-value goods in the staff restaurant by scanning the barcode on the items using their smartphone and completing the purchase “with a single click” without needing to visit the physical checkout. More
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Gatwick Airport installs 2,000 BLE beacons for augmented reality wayfinding
Some 2,000 Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons have been installed across London’s Gatwick Airport to provide an indoor navigation system and an augmented reality wayfinding service so that passengers can be shown directions in the camera view of their mobile device. More
Lotte Card introduces ‘pay with your palm’
Lotte Card introduces ‘pay with your palm’ — Korea JoongAng Daily — “Lotte Card’s Hand Pay allows customers to pay using an individual’s distinct vein pattern on the palm as identification… Hand Pay maximizes convenience when paying because customers do not need credit cards or even smartphones.”
Samsung says iris scanner hack could “only have been made under a rare combination of circumstances”
Samsung has responded to the group of hackers from the Chaos Computer Club (CCC) who managed to defeat the iris recognition system on the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ smartphones, saying that the hackers’ claims could “only have been made under a rare combination of circumstances”. More
Samsung Pay rolls out across Hong Kong following early access launch
Samsung Pay has gone live in Hong Kong with support from Mastercard, Visa and American Express and banks including Bank of China (Hong Kong), Citibank, DahSing Bank, DBS and Standard Chartered. The launch takes the mobile payment service to a total of 17 markets globally and follows its debut in Taiwan earlier this month. More
Hangzhou buses first to all use mobile pay
Hangzhou buses first to all use mobile pay — China.org.cn — “‘Passengers can use Alipay and UnionPay flash payment cards on this terminal. Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Huawei Pay, Mi Pay and Android Pay can be used with smartphones or wearables like watches and electronic bracelets,’ said Liu Xiaojie, general manager of public services at Ant Financial.”
Iowa smartphone driver’s licenses expected to launch in 2018
Iowa smartphone driver’s licenses expected to launch in 2018 — The Des Moines Register — “Iowans should be able to start downloading their driver’s licenses onto smartphones in about 12 to 18 months, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation.”
KPN and Vodafone launch SIM-based mobile payments for public transport
Commuters across the Netherlands can now make payments for travel across “all public transport operators” in the country by adding their OV transport card to their compatible NFC smartphone and tapping the phone against a reader before and after their journeys... More
Report: 70% of financial cards have chip
Report: 70% of financial cards have chip — International Card Manufacturers Association — “Chip cards represented 88.6% of revenue for cards globally manufactured in 2016… SIM cards make up the largest dollar market at $6.53 billion and the third largest unit market at 5.4 billion cards. Financial cards make up the second largest unit market and dollar market at 5.5 billion cards and $5.1 billion.”
Skin Motion unveils soundwave tattoos that play audio clips when scanned by a smartphone
Tattoo artists across the US, Australia, Austria and Singapore have signed up to start offering their customers augmented reality tattoos that get inked onto the skin and play audio clips when scanned by a smartphone using a mobile app that is due to be released in June 2017. More
Square will replace meters in Washington taxis
Square will replace meters in Washington taxis — Bloomberg — “The overhaul of the city’s cab system will help drivers compete with Uber… By the end of August, all of the taxis in Washington have to tear out their traditional meters and start using smartphones or tablets, in what the city government has been describing as a complete reimagining of how the cab system works.”
Antelop Solutions: Why securing NFC mobile payments requires a comprehensive approach
Obtaining Mastercard and Visa security compliance and keeping in line with the payment ecosystem’s best practices will help to “reinforce” host card emulation (HCE) security levels and minimise the success rates of hacking attempts, says HCE and tokenization provider Antelop Solutions. More
Carrefour and BNP Paribas unveil “universal” mobile payments and loyalty service
Supermarket giant Carrefour and French bank BNP Paribas have unveiled a new QR code-based mobile payment platform that will let customers make in-store, online and peer-to-peer (P2P) mobile payments as well as store loyalty cards, coupons and special offers on their mobile device. More
Gemalto powers Daimler’s NFC car keys for Mercedes E-Class
PARTNER NEWS: German car manufacturer Daimler’s smartphone-based digital vehicle key for its Mercedes-Benz E-Class range that lets drivers lock and unlock their cars as well as start the engine using an NFC device is being supported by digital security giant Gemalto’s Trusted Services Hub (TSH). More
Researchers develop system that lets smartphones interact with objects using electromagnetic sensing
Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University’s Future Interfaces Group have developed a working concept that enables smartphones to interact with smart home appliances using electromagnetic emission sensing technology. More
Thailand to get standardised QR code payments in move towards cashless society
Mastercard, Visa and UnionPay International have introduced a standardised QR code platform for payments in Thailand that will let consumers make a transaction with their mobile device at any supporting location. The service has been designed to support the Bank of Thailand’s cashless agenda which aims to “drive innovation, interoperability and security in payments” across the country. More
Iran launches NFC payments
Iran launches NFC payments — Financial Tribune — “The Central Bank of Iran is developing new mobile payment systems so people may use their smartphones or watches for making purchases, said the director of CBI’s IT Department.”
Canadian city rolls out mobile app that links payments for parking to a driver’s licence plate
Drivers across the Canadian city of London can now pay for parking at more than 3,100 spaces across the city — including all municipal parking lots and on-street spaces — using a mobile app that lets them “seamlessly search, pay for and top up parking from their phone or tablet”. The service is being rolled out by the City of London. More
Galaxy S8 gets Gemalto secure element to support Samsung Pay
PARTNER NEWS: Digital security giant Gemalto’s embedded secure element (eSE) solution is to be integrated into Samsung Galaxy S8 devices to support the deployment of Samsung Pay — including for transit and ticketing services — in select markets. More