Contactless technology is slowly making inroads in the United Arab Emirates, with banks having issued thousands of contactless debit and credit cards. Yet, citizens often aren’t even aware they’re using these types of cards. For example, HSBC in the UAE recently issued 40,000 contactless debit cards equipped that can be used in approximately 100 outlets […]

A yet-to-be named Israeli bank is expected to launch a combined NFC and mobile bar code payments system by the end of this year that will allow customers to make payments at the point-of-sale using either an NFC-enabled phone, a sticker attached to their current phone or a 2D barcode. Near Field Communications World reports […]

The New South Wales (NSW) Government has selected global m-payments service provider ‘epay’ to act as the fourth member in the consortium assigned to deliver Sydney’s smart card-based transit system, according to busnews.com.au. Epay has been charged with installing and managing the retail/electronic payment component of the new Oyster Card-style system, which will be rolled […]

sQuid has announced the launch of a new loyalty and payment contactless smart card at the four star Landmark Hotel in Dundee, Scotland. The Landmark Hotel’s loyalty smart card allows guests to make contactless payments at the hotel and receive rewards redeemable in the hotel’s bar and restaurant, as well as ‘booker’ rewards for accommodation […]

Unisys Corp. has announced results from its poll that points to two-thirds of consumers supporting the use of fingerprints in place of or in addition to signatures, PIN numbers or photo IDs for identity verification with credit card purchases. Specifically, in the responses from over 300 consumers, 63% chose fingerprints as the best way to […]

Tyfone, a provider of mobile banking and contactless payment solutions, announced that Orange County’s Credit Union (OCCU) is using Tyfone’s u4ia platform to provide OCCU’s customers with mobile banking services. Within the first two weeks of the service’s launch, almost 3% of OCCU’s 97,000 members have already signed up, with more than 55% of the […]

Two Australia-based retailers, Bunnings Warehouse and Dymocks Booksellers, are partnering with Commonwealth Bank to accept contactless debit and credit transactions under $100, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. Both retailers say they are introducing the system for greater consumer convenience and to cut time spent waiting in the checkout line. Bunnings is reportedly trailing the […]

Singapore-based start-up Taggo has just launched a new system that allows merchants to reward fans of their Facebook page for coming into the store, according to nfctimes.com. A handful of Singapore merchants are now reportedly using the system, which requires customers to register their contactless ez-link transit cards with Taggo, so that when they enter […]

South Korean telecom giant KT Corp. and Samsung Electronics announced that they will commercially launch a new NFC-enabled handset this month capable of making contactless payments. The new Samsung SHW-A170K will operate on an NFC compatible USIM, allowing users to make everyday purchases, open electronic locks, buy and store event tickets, read NFC tags and […]

Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies has revealed its new aptiQ smart card from Schlage featuring MIFARE DESFire EV1 technology. According to IRST, aptiQ cards are built to support a variety of applications, including access control, event ticketing, payments and more. aptiQ smart cards offer multiple different layers of security, including mutual authentication – which ensures that […]