What's New in Payments

Fitbit Pay goes live in Switzerland

Switzerland becomes first European country to allow Visa payments on Fitbit smartwatch — Telecompaper — “Visa is introducing its mobile payment function for the Fitbit smartwatch in Switzerland, the first European country to get the service… To pay with Fitbit Ionic, the Visa card of a partner card issuer must be loaded into the Fitbit companion application. Currently, this is possible for customers of Cornercard. BonusCard and other banks will follow.”


Transit Ticketing Today

Moscow Metro to offer contactless payment rings to commuters

Moscow Metro to introduce fare payment rings — The Moscow Times — “The gadget will allow commuters to pay their fare anywhere that accepts the Troika transport card. The pass gives commuters access to Moscow’s bus, train and metro systems and is currently used by an estimated 10.5 million people… The payment rings will go on sale at the Moscow metro’s two souvenir shops and kiosks at a dozen stations across the Russian capital.”


What's New in Payments

M-Pesa rolls out contactless tags and wristbands for faster mobile money transactions in stores

Safaricom extends M-Pesa 1Tap — Safaricom — “Following successful trials over the last four months in Nakuru, Safaricom has today announced the availability of M-Pesa 1Tap in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and Nyeri… To make a payment, a merchant will key in the payment amount into their device, tap the customer tag, and the customer will then key in their pin on their phone to validate the payment. This cuts down the steps involved from more than eight steps using the M-Pesa tool on SIM cards to just one step for the customer.”




NFC World

Nike to connect with basketball fans via NFC tags in NBA jerseys

Nike and NBA introduce new statement edition uniform, first on-court hooded jacket and the first NBA Connected Jersey, the future of fan apparel — Nike — “Using new NikeConnect technology, each adult-sized Nike NBA Connected Jersey will have an embedded NFC chip that will launch real-time team and player content such as pregame arrival footage, highlight packages and top players’ favorite music playlists — all on the jersey owner’s mobile device. Throughout the season, a wealth of exclusive offers and experiences will bring fans closer to the game they love.”


What's New in Payments

CBA to support Garmin Pay wearable payments in Australia

Commonwealth Bank announces new ways to pay with Android Pay and Garmin Pay — Commonwealth Bank of Australia — “In June this year we saw weekly transactions across the CommBank app hit A$6.1bn (US$4.89bn) so we know customers love using their phones to make payments and do their banking. Since 2013 our customers have been able to use their smartphones to make payments. By offering customers the ability to pay with Android Pay and with their Garmin smartwatches we are combining choice and convenience.”







NFC World

Tech company workers agree to have microchips implanted in their hands

Tech company workers agree to have microchips implanted in their hands — ABC News – “Some workers at a company in Wisconsin will soon be getting microchips in order to enter the office, log into computers and even buy a snack or two with just a swipe of a hand… Three Square Market is footing the bill for the microchips, which cost US$300 each, and licensed piercers will be handling the implantations on August 1.”





NFC World

Sony’s semi-smartwatch now has a smaller version and a leather strap with NFC

Sony’s semi-smartwatch now has a smaller version and a leather strap with NFC — The Verge — “Sony is also launching a new leather strap in all three sizes — you lose the steel band’s notification functionality, but it still has NFC — and is starting to sell the steel band separately as well for people who want to mix and match… The Three Hands Square “head” and steel band will go on sale later this month, but the leather bands won’t be available until late December.”


A biometric ring could replace your passwords, cards and keys

A biometric ring could replace your passwords, cards and keys — Engadget — “With a fingerprint sensor on the inside, it can confirm that you’re the authorized user. Then, you slide on the ring, and an onboard IR optical sensor makes sure the device is still on your finger. As long as you have not taken it off, you can authorize transactions with a tap of your hand… Token transmits the authentication signal over NFC in most situations.”