A digital cash service allowing consumers — including those without bank accounts — to load money onto a range of wearable items and make contactless payments in retail outlets will roll out across “eight or nine countries” in North America, Europe and Africa from April 2017... More
Watch
Barclaycard adds contactless payments to watches and fashion jewellery
Barclaycard’s bPay contactless payment technology is to be embedded into a range of high street jewellery and watch brands across the UK through new partnerships with fashion jewellery retailer DCK Group and payment technology provider for the watches and jewellery industry Tappy Technologies... More
Optus adds smart coffee cup to contactless payments range
Australian mobile network operator Optus has updated its range of contactless payment accessories to include a SmartCup — a coffee cup that includes the new Optus Pay PayTag in its base allowing consumers to make contactless payments up to US$100 at any payment terminal that accepts Visa PayWave... More
Delhi commuters to get wearable travel cards
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is to release wearable travel smart cards from next month, The Hindu reports... More
School children test wearable payments in Singapore
Singapore bank POSB has successfully completed the pilot test of a school contactless payments system that lets students make purchases in the canteen or bookstore and monitor their finances... More
LTA signs up Mastercard for account-based contactless ticketing in Singapore
Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) has signed a partnership agreement with Mastercard to begin piloting a new account-based ticketing system that will let commuters pay for their train and bus journeys using their existing contactless debit and credit cards. More
Swatch Bellamy launches in Brazil in time for Rio 2016
Swiss luxury watchmaker Swatch has launched its Swatch Bellamy NFC payments watch in Brazil in partnership with Visa in time for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. More
Barclaycard Loop adds NFC payments to any wearable device
Barclaycard has unveiled Loop, the fourth product in its bPay contactless payment device range, which comes in the form of a contactless chip and lets consumers add NFC payment capability to the wearable devices they already own. More
Swatch to take NFC to Switzerland with OT
Swiss luxury watchmaker Swatch has partnered with Oberthur Technologies (OT) to provide NFC payments to customers in Switzerland through its Swatch Bellamy watch range... More
US Smart City Challenge adds NXP’s RFID tagging solutions
PARTNER NEWS: The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) has expanded its Smart City Challenge initiative to include NXP’s RFID tagging solutions and smart card ICs... More
Swatch Bellamy to launch with Cornèr Bank in mid-June
Cornèr Bank has signed an agreement with Swiss luxury watchmaker Swatch to make its Cornèrcard available for payments on the Swatch Bellamy NFC watch from mid-June... More
ARM includes AMS NFC payments booster in wearables reference design
PARTNER NEWS: A new reference design for wearables from processor designer ARM includes high-performance NFC technology from AMS that enables small-footprint devices with tiny antennas to couple with NFC readers as easily and reliably as a contactless card... More
WiseKey and MasterCard to add NFC payments to watches and wearables
Security specialist WiseKey and MasterCard are working together to enable NFC payments on luxury watches and wearables... More
Mondaine to add NFC payments to a range of luxury watches
Swiss luxury watchmaker Mondaine is to add NFC payment capability to a variety of its watches, starting with its Mondaine Helvetica No1 smartwatch, that will let wearers make payments with a tap of their wrist at any contactless enabled terminal. More
Cash by Optus adds contactless bands and stickers to reach beyond Android owners
Consumers using Cash by Optus — the prepaid NFC SIM-based payments service launched by Australian mobile network operator Optus in November 2014 — can now make payments using a contactless wristband or a sticker attached to their mobile phone. More
Hublot lets customers check watch authenticity with NFC
Swiss luxury watchmaker Hublot is letting customers check the authenticity of their timepieces, download manuals and register for the brand’s Hublotista Club by tapping a contactless card against their phone. The service is being offered with all Hublot watches as the official method of certifying authenticity. More
Swatch launches NFC payment watch in China
Swiss watchmaker Swatch has launched an NFC watch in China in partnership with China UnionPay and Bank of Communications that will let consumers make payments with a tap of their wrist in stores across the country. More
uBirds seeks funding for strap that brings NFC to any watch
Warsaw-based start-up uBirds has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a leather strap that can be fitted onto any standard watch to add a range of smartwatch-like capabilities... More
Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch to include NFC?
Samsung’s long rumoured smartwatch may be unveiled as early as next month and could boast NFC as one of its many features... More
Sony launches smart watch with NFC
Sony has unveiled the SmartWatch 2, a device that is designed to act as a second screen for Android smartphones and offers a range of additional conveniences — including NFC pairing and sharing... More