Google CEO Eric Schmidt has announced that Android 2.3, or “Gingerbread,” will support NFC contactless mobile payments, according to mobilemarketingwatch.com. Although Schmidt was mum on which upcoming device will be the first to feature NFC payments via Gingerbread—it’s expected to be the Samsung Nexus S—he did divulge that the unnamed device will come pre-equipped with […]

AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless announced a partnership that aims to bring a national mobile payments networks to U.S. consumers in the next 18 months. Dubbed ISIS, the initial focus will be on building a mobile payment network that utilizes mobile phones and near field communications technology to make point-of-sale purchases. Michael Abbott […]

U.S. Bank is partnering with DeviceFidelity, FIS and Monitise to introduce contactless mobile payments via Visa’s PayWave technology to its customers. U.S. Bank is one of the first major card issuers in the United States to pilot this technology, which enables customers to conduct transactions with a wave of a smart phone. The solution leverages […]

Interac Association has announced that Scotiabank and RBC will be the first banks to add Interac Flash, the new contactless enhancement of Interac’s debit cards, to its customers’ bank cards in summer 2011. The new solution gives Interac Debit cardholders the choice of paying for smaller value items by simply ‘flashing’ an Interac chip debit […]

Companies and Markets has released a new report predicting that the global market for mobile payments will reach $264.8 billion by the year 2015, with the Asia-Pacific region leading the way. The widespread adoption of mobile payments in majority of the markets, especially in Asia-Pacific, and the participation of global institutions in NFC payment trials […]

Fare dodgers are getting away with free rides on Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) trains due to a feature on the region’s new contactless Clipper cards, according to sfgate.com. Clipper cards apparently allow riders to rack up negative balances like a credit card, so you can buy a $2 clipper card, load it with the […]

iDTRONIC has announced the release of its new RFID Desktop Reader EVO HF PLUS. This new member of the EVO Desktop Reader family is a 13.56MHz read/write device designed to support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & Smart MX transponders. The HF Plus also features a read range of up to 6cm and a data transfer speed […]

Munich-based Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) has announced that shipments of its Convego Air contactless payment cards to the U.S. have now surpassed the 50 million unit mark. Since the introduction of its contactless payment cards in 2006, G&D has become the number one supplier of Visa and MasterCard branded contactless payment cards in the U.S., […]

Bling Nation announced that Brookshire Grocery Co., one of the largest regional grocery chains operating in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas, will pilot Bling’s mobile payment platform in its Mt. Pleasant, Texas stores. With Bling Nation, Brookshire customers will be able to tap-and-pay for their purchases using mobile phones equipped with a contactless BlingTag. Users will […]

Merchant360 Inc. announced an agreement to support Bling Nation’s contactless mobile social media technology platform. According to Bling Nation, the company’s solution enables tap-and-connect capabilities at checkout, providing businesses with social media connectivity, viral loyalty programs with actionable analytics and mobile payments. The system works by tapping a mobile phone equipped with Bling Nation’s BlingTag […]