China UnionPay processed a total transaction volume of 881.9 billion yuan during the 7-day National Day holiday (Oct 1-7) and the total transaction number reached 570 million, growing by 36% and 14% year-on-year respectively. As for the use of UnionPay cards for tourism, the transaction number for domestic attractions tickets and hotels grew by 46%…
With the steady rollout of EMV and NFC at in-store POS terminals, the launch of retailer apps that allow mobile checkout (e.g., IKEA), and the development of alternative networks, the retail POS payments landscape is forever changed. Macy’s and Walmart are just a few of the big names offering consumer the opportunity to purchase online…
Despite a decline in shipments for one of the largest vendors, the overall market for wearable devices grew 26.1% year over year as new use cases are slowly starting to emerge. Shipments of wearable devices reached 22.5 million in the second quarter of 2016 (2Q/16). According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Wearable…
Gemalto has supplied Hellenic Bank, a major Cypriot financial institution, with its Optelio contactless EMV Payment wristbands. These water-resistant NFC wristbands that are marketed as PayBand to Cyprus consumers will ensure that Hellenic Bank customers no longer have to worry about carrying cash or cards. Gemalto has worked alongside its local partner Mellon Cyprus to…
In Other News: BUZZ POINTS (study); ACCULYNK (Payzur); USAT (Coastal Canteen); and FRAGMOB (CMS). BUZZ POINTS – Buzz Points, the Austin-based rewards and marketing platform, announced the results of “The Total Economic Impact of Buzz Points,” a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Buzz Points. Forrester interviewed four community financial institutions (CFIs)…
Walmart Pay is now available in the more than 4,600 Walmart stores nationwide. Available through the Walmart app, Walmart Pay works with any iOS or Android device, at any checkout lane, and with any credit, debit, pre-paid or Walmart gift card. Walmart Pay is like no other mobile payments solution available today, expanding access to…
There is a consensus NFC-ready POS terminals globally will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28.4% from 23 million units in 2015 to 75 million units in 2019. According to new report from KBV Research, NFC technology’s potential is anticipated to make NFC a leading technology for mobile payments, due to the…
Walmart has rolled-out Walmart Pay in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Georgia. In Alabama Walmart Pay will be available in each of the more than 120 Walmart stores in the state. In Mississippi Walmart Pay will be available in each of the more than 70 Walmart stores in the state. In Louisiana Walmart Pay will be…
Oberthur Technologies (OT) has buddied with Swatch to provide contactless payment to customers in Switzerland via the Swatch Bellamy watch. OT’s FlyBuySE (Secure Element) is fully integrated within Swatch Bellamy watches and provides a high level of security while enabling seamless payments and transactions. OT’s latest portfolio covers a broad range of payment networks and…
MasterCard is bringing ApplePay to its Swiss and Hong Kong customers and cardholders. MasterCard contactless (NFC) in Switzerland has more than 100,000 locations including Migros, Coop or Kiosks. More than 3 million contactless purchases are made every month, up 100% compared to the previous year. MasterCard is working with several Swiss banks and card issuers to enable…
Visa has introduced the first payment wearable ring backed by a Visa account for use at the Rio 2016 Games. The Visa payment ring will be given to all Team Visa athletes in Rio, a group of 45 Olympic hopefuls from around the world who embody Visa’s values of acceptance, partnership and innovation. The Visa…
In Other News: TALLY (funding); RADIAL (apps); APRIVA (FDC); and NFC FORUM (event). TALLY – Tally, a financial technology company that provides a credit card management app, announced it has secured a $15 million Series A round led by Shasta Ventures, bringing its total raise to $17 million. This round includes existing investors AITV, Silicon…