Barclays is reporting a 150% increase in the number of contactless transactions made through its UK payments network, according to Squidcard.com. Barclays says contactless card distribution has grown 90% since 2009, with over 1.7 million transactions processed using the technology last year. There are now 52,000 Barclaycard contactless payment terminals in the UK at major […]

Microsoft is said to be working on a version of its Windows Phone software that will enable mobile contactless payments via NFC, according to Bloomberg Businessweek. Two anonymous people familiar with the plans told Bloomberg that the new operating system, Windows Phone 7, may make its debut on devices as early as this year. Microsoft […]

A 1,000 consumer survey by card payments specialist The Logic Group has revealed that the majority of UK shoppers are “clueless” about contactless payments. According to the survey, 21% of consumers think a contactless transaction is a payment made online and 18% think it’s a payment where no human contact is involved – i.e., using […]

While the lack of near field communication handsets may be hampering widescale deployments of the payment technology, there are some companies carving a niche in supplying solutions that enable NFC payments on existing handsets. DeviceFidelity’s microSD solution is being used in the Bank of America pilot in New York, says Deepak Jain, co-founder, CEO and […]

Barclays has announced that UK discount retail chain Wilkinsons will trial contactless payments in 25 stores, with the potential to expand the service to all 337 stores. With over four million customers a week, Wilkinsons is the first in its sector to trial contactless, says Barclays. In the trial, customers will be able to quickly […]

Gemalto has introduced the a UICC-embedded software application compliant with Mobile MasterCard PayPass M/Chip 4, the new MasterCard specification for NFC mobile payments. Gemalto says this development could pave the way for mass commercial roll outs of NFC payment across the world. In the UK, Gemalto is already partnering with a global first-tier financial institution […]

MasterCard has announced the introduction of its five year plan, called “The MasterCard Roadmap,” for its payments systems in New Zealand. MasterCard’s New Zealand Country Manager Albert Naffah said the comprehensive plan will touch every point of the payment landscape with commitments to the roll out of new MasterCard products and services, further safeguards to […]

Australian supermarket chain Coles is considering adopting contactless payments after a successful introduction of the technology in its hardware business Bunnings Warehouse last year, according to ZDNet Australia. The company, which has 742 stores in Australia, hopes to introduce the technology to boost efficiency at the check-out line and improve overall customer experience, says Douglas […]

Educating on the benefits of open bank card payments, as well as convergence of smart card-based ID applications and NFC in transit is the focus for the upcoming year for the Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council. The group announced the 2011-2012 officers and steering committee. “For 2011, we are asking ‘what’s next,’ answering the questions […]

Google has announced the launch of a new 4G version of its NFC-equipped Nexus S handset. The upgraded Nexus, which still runs on the Android 2.3 “Gingerbread” OS, features an NFC chip that gives the handset full mobile wallet functionality. According to Mobiledia, Google will use the new Nexus in its upcoming NFC payments trial […]