Digital challenger bank Starling is the first to support Fitbit Pay in the UK — City AM — “Customers of digital challenger Starling will be able to pay using their Fitbit smartwatch as it becomes the first bank in the UK to support Fitbit Pay… Starling added support for Apple Pay, which works on both the Apple Watch and iPhones, over the summer and Android Pay in September.”
Links
Sony applies for blockchain user authentication patent
Sony seeks blockchain patent for user authentication system — Coindesk — “The document outlines how the electronics maker might use two different blockchain platforms in conjunction with each other as part of a multi-factor authentication system (MFA).”
Survey: Market fragmentation is holding back the adoption of mobile payments in Canada
Fragmentation, lack of interest to blame for poor mobile payments adoption in Canada — MobileSyrup — “While almost half of Canadians made a contactless purchase with their debit or credit card, the percentage of mobile payments users for platforms like Android Pay, Samsung Pay and Apple Pay is in the low single digits — even though awareness is “relatively high,” with roughly half of those polled stating they were aware of one of the big three platforms.”
Westpac to offer wearable payment options to customers
Westpac reveals ‘PayWear’ wearable payment technology — Westpac — “When speaking with customers, personal style and choice were important. In fact, 70% agreed that they would only wear a wearable device if it suited their own personal style and lifestyle. This is why we will collaborate with iconic Australian designers to create a variety of wearable accessory designs to suit different tastes, preferences and styles.”
Google reports 7.5m users of its Tez audio QR mobile payments app
Edited transcript of Alphabet earnings conference call — Yahoo Finance — “To help millions of people, we are building products specifically designed for local markets in Asia. In India last month, we launched Tez, a mobile payments and commerce app that already has more than 7.5 million users who have made more than 30m transactions. I’m really excited about the potential this brings for India’s mostly cash-based economy.”
Auriemma reports 5% dip in mobile payment usage in US stores
Security concerns and problems at the register continue to depress mobile pay usage and net promoter scores — Auriemma Consulting Group — “Many Pay users run into problems at checkout… Half of those who had problems at a retail location that accepts mobile payments say the issue made them use the service less often overall… In fact, 45% of in-store Pay purchasers quit trying to use mobile payments entirely, and use a physical card instead.”
Eight in ten air travellers want to store their passport on their phone
Passengers want technology to give them more control over their travel experience — IATA — “82% of travelers would like to be able to use a digital passport on their smartphones for as many travel activities as possible, from booking flights to passing through the airport. Biometric identification systems were the technology of choice with 64% favoring biometric identifiers as their preferred travel token.”
Apple: No change to Face ID quality and accuracy
Apple says claim that it reduced accuracy of Face ID to meet demand is ‘completely false’ — Techcrunch — “The statement from Apple: Customer excitement for iPhone X and Face ID has been incredible, and we can’t wait for customers to get their hands on it starting Friday, November 3… The quality and accuracy of Face ID haven’t changed. It continues to be one in a million probability of a random person unlocking your iPhone with Face ID.”
UK contactless card users neglect to check the transaction amount
Consumers ‘not checking’ contactless purchases — Retail Systems — “More than three quarters (76%) of Britons have used contactless payments and 40% now make half or more of their card payments using contactless. However, nearly half (48%) are not always checking the amount before they tap to pay. Young people (those aged 18-34) are the least likely to check the amount before paying, with only four in ten (39%) doing so every time they pay. Customers aged 55 or over are more vigilant, with 62% saying they check the amount every time they use contactless.”
Amazon Key to let delivery drivers and service providers into homes
Introducing Amazon Key, a new level of delivery convenience for Prime members — Amazon — “Available initially in 37 cities across the United States, Amazon’s innovative new service enables in-home delivery at no extra cost. Amazon Key also allows customers to grant secure home access for guests and, coming soon, tens of thousands of service providers, such as Merry Maids, Rover and professional services from Amazon Home Services. Amazon Key includes the Amazon Key app, a smart lock and the company’s newest device, Amazon Cloud Cam, an intelligent indoor security camera.”
Apple cuts Face ID performance to address iPhone X production issues
Inside Apple’s struggle to get the iPhone X to market on time — Bloomberg — “As of early fall, it was clearer than ever that production problems meant Apple Inc wouldn’t have enough iPhone Xs in time for the holidays. The challenge was how to make the sophisticated phone — with advanced features such as facial recognition — in large enough numbers… Apple came up with a solution: It quietly told suppliers they could reduce the accuracy of the face-recognition technology to make it easier to manufacture.”
Amazon puts new focus on its Amazon Coins virtual currency
Amazon debuts a new Appstore app with better discovery, focus on Amazon Coins — Techcrunch — “Introduced in 2013, the Amazon Coins platform represents a different means of encouraging consumers to pay for apps and in-app purchases. Instead of seeing a dollar amount associated with their purchase, app developers show the purchase amount as coins… The idea is that the more Coins you purchase, the more you’ll save on the purchase amount. For example, 100 Amazon Coins are worth $100, but when you buy them in larger bundles, they cost less. With the highest package, customers can save up to 22% on their Coin purchases.”
NXP releases IoT microcontroller with NFC and energy harvesting
NXP integrates NFC technology into LPC800 series microcontrollers revolutionizing smart tagging in IoT applications — NXP — PARTNER NEWS — “Offering an integrated near field communications (NFC) interface with energy-harvesting capability, the LPC8N04 MCU is optimized to address the growing need for cost-effective, short-range two-way wireless communication… The LPC8N04 MCU enables developers to quickly implement broad-based solutions that leverage system diagnostics or environmental conditions for a smarter tagging experience.
New York City to get NFC mobile ticketing from 2019
MTA approves plan to scrap MetroCards for ‘tap’ payment system — New York Daily News — “The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s board took its first step on Monday to retire the MetroCard and bring technology to let people “tap” their way through turnstiles and onto buses… Transit passengers in 2019 will be able to tap their way using a bank card or smartphone on 500 turnstiles and 600 buses, plus load up their chosen device with money online… In 2020, all subway stations and buses will have the tech.”
Canadian bank lets customers use learning AI to transact in Facebook Messenger
ATB Financial rolls out world’s first full-featured virtual banking assistant on Facebook Messenger — ATB Financial — “What makes ATB’s virtual assistant unique? Far beyond a Q&A chatbot, its sophisticated banking transaction abilities offer robust personal financial management tools tailored to fit the needs of each individual customer. Customers can seamlessly pay bills, view account balances, send Interac e-Transfers or transfer money between accounts, as well as perform cross-currency money movement all from within their Messenger platform… The virtual assistant is always learning. The more customers engage with it, the more it will be able to do.”
Facebook signs up for Visa Token Service
Facebook joins the Visa Digital Enablement Program — Visa — “Visa today announced that Facebook has joined the Visa Digital Enablement Program (VDEP), which offers a commercial framework to make it easier for partners to access Visa’s token services and other digital capabilities globally. Facebook will use the Visa Token Service to help accelerate the availability of secure, payment-enabled services through its digital properties.”
Apple Pay goes live in Denmark, Finland, Sweden and the UAE
Apple Pay Launches in Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and UAE — MacRumors — “In Denmark, Jyske Bank (Visa debit cards only) and Nordea are supporting Apple Pay. In Finland and Sweden, Apple Pay can be used with debit and credit cards from Nordea and ST1. Edenred and N26 support will be coming soon to Finland, while Ticket Rikskuponger will support Apple Pay in Sweden in the near future. In United Arab Emirates, the following banks and cards work with Apple Pay: Emirates Islamic (Visa credit, debit, and prepaid cards), Emirates NBD, HSBC (Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards), Mashreq, Rakbank (Mastercard credit, debit, and prepaid cards), Standard Chartered Bank”.
Zelle reports 65,000 new customers a day for its bank-led P2P payments service
Zelle returns to Money 20/20 with a surge in network payments — Zelle — “In Q3 2017 (July – Sept) Zelle payments surged, with an average of 65,000 consumers enrolling daily, resulting in the network processing more than 60m real-time person-to-person (P2P) payments, valued at US$17.5bn… This success comes as the number of financial institutions in the Zelle Network grows to more than 50.”
Mastercard demos payments in augmented reality
Mastercard eyes the future of retail with Augmented Reality shopping experience — Mastercard — “This new AR experience from Mastercard will not only let shoppers view digital representations of products before they commit to a purchase, but also learn more about what they are buying, see additional options not available in the physical location and get instant recommendations or other information relevant to their unique experience. When done shopping, users can pay for items using Masterpass, which will first authenticate the user’s iris.”
Pay with Google goes live on Android devices
Pay with Google and speed through checkout — Google — “When you pay with Google, you can use any of the credit or debit cards you’ve added to your Google Account from products like Google Play, YouTube, Chrome or Android Pay. Google sends the merchant your payment info and shipping address using the information from your account — no typing required. Then, the merchant will handle all the details just like any other purchase… Got an app or website? You can implement it with just a few lines of code, and it’s free — we don’t charge any transaction fees.”