ANZ first Australian bank to roll out voice ID for mobile banking

ANZ first Australian bank to roll out voice ID for mobile banking — ANZ — “This is a significant security update that will make it easier for our customers to complete high-value transactions on their smartphones… Customers can now make ‘Pay Anyone’ payments of more than A$1,000 on their mobile without needing to log into internet banking, or remember additional passwords or pins.”


What's New in Payments

Bitcoin debit cards halt service to non-European residents due to Visa’s new rules

Bitcoin debit cards halt service to non-European residents due to Visa’s new rules — Bitcoin.com — “Four bitcoin Visa debit cards are suspending service to non-European residents due to Visa’s new licensing restrictions. BTCC and Bitwala have joined Xapo and Shakepay to stop debit card service to users who reside outside of the Visa European payment network… The new Visa rules went into effect on August 21.”


What's New in Payments

Cashless society still far away for most European markets

Cashless society still far away for most European markets — GlobalData — “The closest market to the cashless ideal is Norway, where cash accounted for only 7% of all transactions in 2016 (down from 11% in 2011). The Scandinavian markets generally are the least reliant on cash in the region, with cash accounting for 18% of all transactions in Sweden in 2016, and 26% in Denmark… The most cash-dependent market in Europe is Italy, where cash accounted for 82% of all transactions in the market in 2016 (down from 88% in 2011).”



What's New in Payments

Barclaycard marks the 10th anniversary of introducing contactless payments to the UK

Barclaycard marks the 10th anniversary of introducing contactless payments to the UK — Barclaycard — “Ten years on, over £60bn (US$77.67bn) has been spent using contactless and more than half of eligible transactions up to the £30 (US$38.83) limit are now made using the technology… Nine in 10 eligible transactions in fast food outlets (91%) and pubs and bars (89%) are now made using contactless.”


What's New in Payments

The contactless revolution ten years on: Two-thirds of Brits now tap to pay

The contactless revolution ten years on: Two-thirds of Brits now tap to pay — Visa — “Two-thirds (66%) of Brits have used contactless cards to make a payment since they were introduced in September 2007… Just over a quarter (26%) of the country has used a mobile device to pay contactlessly in a shop, rising to 36% among contactless card users.”



What's New in Payments

eMarketer releases latest estimates for US proximity mobile payments

eMarketer releases latest estimates for US proximity mobile payments — eMarketer — “eMarketer estimates the value of US proximity mobile payment transactions will total US$49.29 billion in 2017, up 78.1% from last year… The average annual spend per proximity mobile payment user in the US will reach US$1,026 in 2017, surpassing US$1,000 for the first time. That figure will continue to grow through 2021, when it will reach US$2,646.”




What's New in Payments

Alipay launches ‘Smile to Pay’ for commercial use in China

Alipay launches ‘Smile to Pay’ for commercial use in China — Alizila — “Smile to Pay, the first service of its type, debuted at a KFC’s new, healthy-food concept restaurant, called KPRO, in Hangzhou. With it, Alipay users can authenticate their payments through a combination of facial scanning and inputting their mobile phone numbers. That means they won’t need to break out their wallets — or even smartphones — anymore.”




What's New in Payments

American Express introduces Pay It Plan It: A mobile feature that gives card members two new ways to pay for credit card purchases

American Express introduces Pay It Plan It: A mobile feature that gives card members two new ways to pay for credit card purchases — American Express — “With Pay It, card members can use their American Express app to select smaller purchases and pay that purchase amount right away with a tap. With Plan It, card members can select purchases over US$100 and choose to make monthly payments ranging from three to 24 months with a fixed fee and no interest.”


What's New in Payments

Ride-hailing app Grab launches e-payment and fund transfer system

Ride-hailing app Grab launches e-payment and fund transfer system — The Straits Times — “Users will be able to transfer GrabPay credits between themselves via its in-app mobile wallet… Grab also aims to work with more than 1,000 merchants in the retail, entertainment and food and beverage industries to accept mobile payments through GrabPay in the fourth quarter of 2017.”


NFC World

NXP and Changan Automobile to cooperate on infotainment and future vehicle technologies

NXP and Changan Automobile to cooperate on infotainment and future vehicle technologies — NXP — PARTNER NEWS — Changan Automobile is one of China’s largest car manufacturers and the first Chinese company to achieve long-distance self-driving… Changan will apply NXP’s vehicle-to-x (V2X) communication, near field communication (NFC) identification, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and joint R&D to further transform automobiles into mobile information hubs.”


What's New in Payments

Apple accepts WeChat Pay in bid to reverse sales decline

Apple accepts WeChat Pay in bid to reverse sales decline — China Daily — “Apple said it is ‘excited’ to introduce Chinese customers using WeChat Pay to purchase apps or subscribe to Apple Music, and will continue to offer payment options that are simple and convenient…. It previously supported credit card transactions, its indigenous Apple Pay, China’s UnionPay, and Alipay, WeChat Pay’s biggest rival.”



What's New in Payments

Visa moves to kill PINs by pushing Aussie banks towards biometric authentication

Visa moves to kill PINs by pushing Aussie banks towards biometric authentication — The Australian Financial Review — “A new Visa security roadmap outlines a four-year process for Australian banks to adopt new standards for e-commerce transactions, designed to streamline the purchasing process and reduce fraud, while implementing new information-sharing practices and tokenization technology.”


What's New in Payments

Burger King has launched its own cryptocurrency in Russia called WhopperCoin

Burger King has launched its own cryptocurrency in Russia called WhopperCoin — CNBC — “With each purchase of the burger chain’s signature Whopper sandwich, customers can receive WhopperCoin tokens via a digital wallet… WhopperCoin transactions will be powered by Ethereum rival Waves’ distributed ledger network. The blockchain platform allows users to issue and transfer custom blockchain tokens, and to trade them on an integrated peer-to-peer exchange.”