One hundred employees of Japanese tech giant Fujitsu are taking part in a four-month trial of a blockchain-based interoperable identity verification system that “enables secure transactions involving sensitive user ID information between companies and industries”... More
Trial
Pret A Manger pilots contactless charity donations in UK outlets
Customers of Pret A Manger sandwich shops across London and Manchester can now make cashless charitable donations in store using their contactless payment card or mobile device... More
Bank of Korea to test central bank digital currency
The Bank of Korea (BOK) is to issue and circulate a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in 2021 to test its viability as an alternative to cash and other forms of transaction... More
China’s central bank confirms plans for digital currency pilots
Internal closed pilot tests of the central bank digital currency (CBDC) developed by the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) are to be conducted in Shenzhen, Suzhou, Xiong’an New District, Chengdu, and at Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics locations, China’s central bank has revealed... More
Chrome browser adds support for reading and writing NFC tags
The next version of the Chrome web browser for Android will include support for NFC tags, making it possible for developers to integrate tag reading, writing and data exchange directly into websites and web apps to improve the user experience and add new functionality — without the need for a user to download an app... More
Transport for NSW reports on contactless ticketing adoption
Public transportation users in Sydney, Australia, are now using their contactless debit card, credit card or linked device to make 1.5m journeys a week, Transport for NSW has revealed... More
Osaka Metro begins Japan’s first face recognition ticketing pilot
Osaka Metro unveils ticket gate with facial recognition tech — The Japan Times — “The trial period, set to run through September next year, will be conducted at four stations: Dome-mae Chiyozaki, Morinomiya, Dobutsuen-mae and Daikokucho. Each station will have facial recognition gates developed by four different firms to compare their functionality… The subway operator aims to introduce the gates at all of its train stations by fiscal 2024, ahead of the 2025 World Expo in the city of Osaka.”
Zhengzhou Metro rolls out face scanning across its subway network
China’s subways embrace face-scan payments despite privacy concerns — AsiaOne — “Since the service began trials in September, nearly 200,000 commuters in Zhengzhou have elected to authorise face-scan payments using a local metro service app… While Zhengzhou is among dozens of Chinese cities to introduce such trials, it is the first to deploy the service across its entire subway network.”
NatWest pilots biometric payments fob
UK bank NatWest is following its biometric payment card trials with a pilot of a biometric payment fob that lets customers make contactless payments for transactions valued at up to £100 (US$130)... More
BMW lets drivers order meals from their cars
Olo and pilot brands experiment with in-car ordering trial — Olo — “The online ordering experience is designed for easy pre-configuration of orders, making saved favorites and repeat orders easy. Trial participants can order and pay with the push of a button and follow driving directions to pick up their orders… Nekter Juice Bar and Portillo’s Hot Dogs are the first live brands to participate in the in-car ordering pilot.”
Toronto to pilot bank card payments on public transport network
Greater Toronto area public transportation agency Metrolinx “is to start testing an open payment function on its Presto fare-card system as early as next year,” the Toronto Star reports... More
Queensland tests express ticketing gates for open loop contactless ticketing project
The Australian state of Queensland has begun the first of a series of pilots ahead of the rollout of its A$371m (US$249m) Smart Ticketing system, due to go live in 2022. A one-month pilot of new express ticketing gates is taking place at Brisbane’s Central Station More
NatWest begins biometric credit card pilot
The UK’s NatWest bank has begun a three-month pilot of a biometric credit card that enables customers to make contactless transactions of up to £100 (US$123) instead of the usual maximum value of £30 (US$37)... More
China delays launch of digital currency
China has ‘no timetable’ for the launch of its digital currency, the governor of the country’s central bank has revealed... More
NAB lets merchants accept Visa contactless payments on standard Android smartphones
Your smartphone will soon double as an Eftpos terminal as Quest partners with NAB and Visa — Quest — “Quest Payment Systems (Quest), in conjunction with NAB and Visa, has launched a trial which allows merchants to accept card payments using their Android smartphone. Customers simply tap the merchant’s phone with a contactless card or mobile wallet. No additional payment terminal hardware or dongle is required, allowing small businesses to start accepting payments quickly using their existing mobile device.”
Co-op extends mobile self-checkout trial to 30 UK supermarkets
Co-op Group expands till-less payment tech to more stores — Co-op Group — “The retailer is extending its pay-in-aisle technology trial, with time-pressed shoppers able to access the easy to use app on their phones and devices in over 30 Co-op food stores… It enables customers to scan products on their own device as they walk around the store, with the cost of the shop deducted from their Apple or Google Pay account with the touch of a button. Without the need to visit a till.”
Beijing Subway tests face recognition ticketing
Beijing subway experimenting with facial recognition for fare payment — ECNS — “The Beijing subway system is experimenting with facial recognition for passengers to pay their fares, and the technology might be applied to the entire system once the database is accurate enough, according to a report by Beijing Youth Daily… The Beijing subway system is likely to adopt the technology once the database proves to be 100% accurate, the report said.”
Apple Card pilot expands to ‘thousands of retail workers’
Apple expands Goldman credit card test to thousands of retail workers — Bloomberg — “The Cupertino, California-based company this week launched an internal beta program for the Apple Card with its retail workers, according to people familiar with the initiative. The move marks the first major trial for the card, which has been used for several weeks by a far smaller set of Apple corporate and Goldman Sachs employees.”
Iceland uses mobile wallet-based discount vouchers to boost footfall, sales and basket value
UK frozen food specialist Iceland has become the first national retailer to trial mobile wallet technology with in-store redeemable mobile discount vouchers installed on more than 20,000 devices... More
Uber adds e-bike rentals to London transport app
Uber has launched a trial of its pedal-assisted electric bikes in London as part of its strategy to become an all-round transport app... More