Young people aged between 16 and 21 in Scotland can now add a pass entitling them to free bus travel to their physical National Entitlement Card (NEC) or Young Scot NEC smartcard from their NFC smartphone using Transport Scotland’s Pass Collect app... More
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Tyne and Wear Metro launches mobile ticketing for Android users
Android smartphone users travelling on Tyne and Wear Metro services in the UK can now add their Pop preloaded transit card to Google Pay and use it to pay their fares with a tap of their mobile... More
Soldo lets customers in the UK and Italy add corporate payment cards to Google Pay
Holders of corporate payment cards issued by spending management platform Soldo in the UK and Italy can now add them to Google Pay and use them to make contactless payments with their Android smartphone, smartwatch or tablet... More
USI adds NFC wireless charging for active styluses
The Universal Stylus Initiative (USI) has incorporated the NFC Forum’s Wireless Charging Specification (WLC) in the newly released version 2.0 of its active stylus specification (USI 2.0), enabling rechargeable styluses to be wirelessly charged with a compatible smartphone or other NFC charging device at a power transfer rate of up to one watt... More
Santa Maria gets mobility app for contactless fare payments and trip planning
Santa Maria Regional Transit (SMRT) in the US has launched a mobility app that enables passengers on the Californian city’s public transport network to make contactless payments for all available fare options and validate their ticket or pass by scanning a QR code at an on-board validator... More
UK to raise contactless transaction limit to £100 on 5 August?
The planned increase in the UK’s contactless transaction limit from £45 to £100 announced by the UK Treasury in March could come into effect on 5 August, according to a Reddit user... More
Central Bank of Iceland rolls out instant payments platform
The Central Bank of Iceland (CBI) has implemented a new real-time gross settlement system (RTGS) and instant payment platform that will allow it to manage up to 5m interbank, P2P, P2B and B2B payments a day... More
JPMorgan begins digital currency test
JPMorgan Chase’s JPM Coin digital currency is now being used commercially for cross-border payments by “a large international technology company”, the US banking giant’s Takis Georgakopoulos has told CNBC... More
Russia paves way for introduction of biometric payments
The Russian government is expected to adopt a law that will enable Russian consumers to use face and voice recognition to authenticate in-store payments in shops, cafes and other retail outlets by the end of 2020, Izvestia reports... More
Central bank digital currency lottery attracts 2m Shenzhen residents
Nearly two million Shenzhen residents, representing 15% of the city’s population, signed up for a chance to win 200 digital yuan (US$29.65) in the ‘red envelope’ lottery held as part of China’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot... More
Bank of Japan to test central bank digital currency
The Bank of Japan is to begin the first phase of proof-of-concept testing of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in early 2021, according to a statement published by the bank... More
Moscow Metro adds support for Huawei Pay
Passengers on the Moscow Metro system can now use NFC-enabled Huawei and Honor smartphones to make contactless payments for their fares with Huawei Pay at every station on the Russian capital’s network, Tdaily.ru reports... More
Israel to roll out national mobile ticketing platform in Q4 2020?
Public transportation users across Israel could be able to start paying for their fares via ticketing apps on their mobile phones as early as the last quarter of 2020, sources have told financial website Calcalist... More
Samsung launches digital-first payment card in the UK
Samsung has announced the availability of a digital-first Samsung Pay Card designed to give customers in the UK “a better banking experience through their Samsung smartphone and smartwatch, whilst gaining the rewards they want along the way”... More
Mercedes to secure in-car payments with biometrics
The new Mercedes S-Class will come with fingerprint, voice and optional face biometrics integrated into its infotainment system, enabling “verification of digital payment processes from the vehicle”, the luxury car maker has announced... More
LA Metro to let passengers add their TAP transit card to Apple Pay ‘this year’
Public transport users in Los Angeles will be able to add their TAP transit card to their iPhone or Apple Watch “this year”, LA Metro has announced... More
Chinese city rolls out face verification ticketing on bus and subway services
A new face verification ticketing system has been introduced in the city of Guiyang, capital of China’s Guizhou province, enabling public transportation users to board buses and subway services without having to show their ticket or tap a card or smartphone... More
BNP Paribas to issue biometric payment cards to Premier and Gold cardholders
BNP Paribas is to begin issuing payment cards with a built-in fingerprint sensor to its Premier and Gold cardholders later this year, the French bank has announced... More
Google Pay to evolve into ‘one-stop portal’ for commerce?
Google is working on “a major overhaul” of Google Pay that will see the service expanding into “a one-stop portal for commerce”, The Information reports... More
India to open antitrust investigation into Google Pay?
The Competition Commission of India is looking into allegations that Google is unfairly promoting its mobile payments app in the country, “five sources familiar with the case” have told Reuters... More