It’s true: Samsung buys LoopPay to prepare mobile payment system
Samsung has been in a bit of a bind lately. Its hardware sales are stagnant, thanks to challenges by firms like Xiaomi and the impermeable strength of Apple. Also, Samsung lacks content or software. No...
View ArticleUS carriers give up on Softcard; climb into bed with Google Wallet
Who could have predicted that a cross operator JV on payments would fail? Just about everyone. History shows that operators can’t make anything work outside of core telco services: voice, text and...
View ArticleUS bank says one million customers have set up Apple Pay
Here’s more evidence that consumers love Apple Pay. Well, at least the relatively small sample capable of setting it up. US Chase Bank has told investors that more than 1 million of its customers have...
View ArticleHCE on a tear thanks to Visa and MasterCard
Seasoned payments geeks will know about Host Card Emulation (HCE). It’s the tech that puts the secure element for payments in the cloud – which means it doesn’t have to be stored in a device. That...
View ArticleIs Google prepping ‘Android Pay’ for debut at I/O?
Well, Apple Pay is certainly focusing competitors’ minds. Google has been slogging away at Google Wallet for years, with little success. The carriers blocked it; consumers ignored it. Now, according to...
View ArticleSamsung goes head to head with Apple; unveils Samsung Pay
Weeks after buying LoopPay, Samsung surprised no one by launching its own payment system. Samsung Pay, like Apple Pay, will let users assign a credit card to an app, store tokenised account details...
View ArticleSquare prepares for contactless; buys Kili Technology
mPOS firm Square has just bought Canadian payment processing company Kili Technology, which produces software for accepting contactless payments. The acquisition fuelled speculation that Square is now...
View ArticleApple prepares to unleash ‘pay by watch’
In just a few weeks time the Apple Watch will be live and in stores. As expected, it will support Apple Pay and let users pay with a tap of the wrist. Here’s how. First, users need to own an iPhone 6,...
View ArticleSamsung won’t charge Korean card issuers a fee to use Samsung Pay
Reports from Korea say Samsung will waive fees for card companies to sign up for the Samsung Pay mobile payment service. They say it won’t charge Shinhan Card, Samsung Card, KB Card, Hyundai, Lotte...
View ArticleGemalto launches charge to bill contactless payments in the UK
This announcement got a bit lost in the MWC melee, but it’s quite significant. Gemalto has partnered with Australian NFC specialist Tapit to launch a new platform that lets users tap to buy stuff from...
View ArticleUK charity Oxfam tests mobile NFC donation machines
Would you tap a contactless card to donate to charity? Oxfam is trying to find out by hanging NFC posters is its shop windows and inviting generous punters with NFC phones and wallets to tap. Tapping...
View ArticleIn London on April 30? Check out this event
Market watcher StrategyEye is very active in the m-payment space and organises some of the better networking events in the UK. On April 30, it’s hosting The Future of Payments. The evening of ‘talk and...
View ArticlePowaTag goes to Denmark, as Danske Bank embeds its codes into the MobilePay app
UK firm Powa has a tech that lets users scan a barcode (or use a Shazam-style audio tag or NFC) to make an instant payment. It’s been doing lots of partnerships to get its tags in as many places as...
View ArticleVisa’s new VDEP program will simplify access to its payment tech
Card issuer Visa has launched its Visa Digital Enablement Program (VDEP) to make it easy for third parties to build services based around its token technology. Tokens make contactless ’card present’...
View ArticleApple to bring Apple Pay to UK in July
Apple’s eagerly anticipated payment app will work with over 250,000 contactless payment terminals and will be supported by HSBC, Santander, Natwest, Nationwide, First Direct and others. But not...
View ArticleApple Pay v CurrencyC: Best Buy and Target say yes to Cupertino
Maybe it’s been hyped up a bit, but there does seem to be some resistence by the retail consortium MCX to Apple. To remind you, MCX is working on CurrentC – a proprietary in-store mobile payment system...
View ArticleWirecard working with Orange on NFC payments in Spain
Germany-based Wirecard has teamed up with MNO Orange to push forward the cause of mobile contactless payments in Spain. Orange Cash users now use the phone to pay at any contactless Visa terminal in...
View ArticleApple Pay is live in the UK. Cue enormous hype. Is it deserved?
iPhone 6 customers in the UK can now use Apple Pay at more than 250,000 shops. So can Apple Watch owners, if you can find one. It’s the second launch of the service after the US last year. All major UK...
View ArticleBarclays goes big on wearable payments with wristband, fob and sticker
Last year Barclays unveiled bPay – a brand encompassing wearable devices that let users pay with a tap. There was a bit of derision back then, amid suggestions it was just a bit of R&D publicity...
View ArticleEuropeans spend €12.6bn with contactless cards in a year
It’s taken a decade but its seems like European punters are finally embracing contactless. According to data from Visa, one billion contactless payment cards were used more than 1bn times in the 12...
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