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Citi Launches Contactless Credit Sticker

U.S.-based Citigroup has quietly launched its contactless payment sticker, making it available to customers who request it on the bank’s Web site.

U.S. Telcos Advance NFC Mobile-Payment Project

May 25 2010

A consortium of major U.S. mobile operators continues to make preparations for launching mobile-payment services to subscribers, although one operator in the group, Sprint, is pulling back from the project, sources told NFC Times.

French Make it Official With Nice NFC Launch

May 27 2010

Organizers of France’s “precommercial” launch of Near Field Communication services in Nice have made it official, kicking off what they say is the first project of its kind in Europe and a “rehearsal” for a national rollout of NFC next year in France.

PayPass NFC Trial Planned in Colombia

Colombian processor and acquirer Redeban Multicolor plans to launch an NFC trial early next year with one or two banks and the country’s largest mobile operator, Comcel, NFC Times has learned.

Few Useable Phones, SIMs, Delay Mobile Payment in UAE

Lack of Near Field Communication-enabled mobile phones, pay readers and SIM cards are delaying the commercial launch of NFC mobile payments in the UAE, according to operators. (Emirates Business) 

Visa to Test New iPhone Attachment

May 18 2010

A new attachment that turns iPhones into payment devices is expected to get its first test drive from Visa employees this quarter, with banks to follow.

Turkish Telco and Bank Plan Contactless-Mobile Launch

Turkey’s Garanti Bank and mobile operator Avea plan to commercially launch contactless-mobile payment in July, using SIM cards linked to contactless chips and flexible antennas.

China UnionPay Announces Mobile-Payment Alliance

Chinese bank-card network China UnionPay today announced it has formed a Mobile Payment Industry Alliance that includes 18 national and local banks and supports international contactless standards–as it keeps up the pressure on China Mobile's RF-SIM-based payment scheme.

Insides Tops 200-Million Mark for Contactless Payment Chips

May 12 2010

France-based contactless chip supplier Inside Contactless announced today it had surpassed the 200-million mark for shipments of its MicroPass contactless payment chip, which is mainly used in U.S. banking cards.

Delayed Sydney Transit-Card Project May Finally Get Rolling

If all goes according to plan, Sydney, Australia, should finally have a contactless transit-ticketing system in place by the end of 2012, following years of delays.

MasterCard Announces Future M-Payment Trial Using Flexible Antenna

May 7 2010

MasterCard Worldwide has announced plans for a contactless-mobile payment trial in Singapore using SIM cards connected to flexible antennas.

Inside Confirms Agreement to Buy Atmel Chip Unit

Jul 3 2010

Inside Contactless today announced it has agreed to purchase U.S.-based Atmel Corp.’s smart card chip unit for an undisclosed price–a move that is expected to triple Inside’s sales and give it much-needed technology to stay competitive with its larger European rivals.

French Officials Announce Date for Nice Trial

French officials in Nice have announced the date–May 21–for the launch of the much-anticipated NFC demonstration project, designed to showcase the range of mobile services made possible by Near Field Communication.

Bank to Launch NFC Project as Part of Polish Contactless Rollout

May 12 2010

Poland will have more than 2 million Visa payWave cards on issue by the end of the year and more than 12,000 acceptance points, predicted Visa Europe in announcing the first NFC-payment project in the country.

China Unicom and UnionPay Take NFC Battle to Rival’s RF-SIM Turf

China’s No. 2 mobile operator, China Unicom, and the country’s large bank-card network, China UnionPay, will launch a mobile-payment project with NFC phones at the world Expo 2010 in Shanghai–a direct challenge to plans by China Mobile to showcase its RF-SIM technology at the Expo.

Pioneering NFC Service Provider Adds Bar Codes to New NFC Trial

Apr 28 2010

Transit officials in Frankfurt have launched a six-month trial enabling riders to use their mobile phones with either NFC-based tags or 2-D bar codes to quickly get scheduling updates and information on connections and special offers at nearby restaurants, theaters and other venues, while riding on trains.

Inside Contactless Plans to Acquire Atmel Smart Card Chip Unit

France-based Inside Contactless plans to acquire the smart card chip business of Atmel Corp., enabling the struggling contactless and NFC chip supplier to enter new markets, including chips for EMV banking cards, even SIMs, NFC Times has learned.

Telefónica in Talks with Card Schemes; Seeks Slice of Payments

Mobile operator group Telefónica and Visa Europe have an agreement to promote the rollout of co-branded cards and later mobile payment with NFC phones, according to a Telefónica executive, who said the telco seeks a share of transaction revenue.

Fixes Required for Samsung NFC Phone Ahead of Important Trials

Mobile operators, banks and vendors working with a new NFC phone from Samsung say the handset has experienced problems communicating with point-of-sale and transit terminals, but they are confident the device will be ready for important trials scheduled for this spring.

Texas Instruments to Introduce NFC Chip

Mar 9 2011

U.S.-based Texas Instruments plans to introduce an NFC chip, joining what is becoming a crowded field of suppliers of chips for the short-range wireless technology, NFC Times has learned.

MasterCard Launches R&D Unit to Speed New-Product Development

MasterCard Worldwide announced today the launch of a global research and development unit that will try to accelerate development of contactless, mobile and Internet payment products for the world’s No. 2 payment-card network.

Sagem Wireless: No NFC-Enabled Smartphone Planned This Year

Apr 14 2010

UPDATE: France-based Sagem Wireless said it does not plan to introduce an NFC phone this year running Google’s Android operating system, contrary to press reports and mention of NFC as a feature of the planned Netribe smartphone on Sagem's own Web site.

Cassis Announces Opening of U.S. Office

Singapore-based trusted service manager Cassis International has announced it has opened its first office covering the Americas, hiring a former MasterCard Worldwide executive to head the small New York-based operation.

More Patents Put iPhone at the Center of Retail Payment

If recently published patent applications are any indication, Apple wants to put its popular iPhone at the center of the retail-payment experience if it adopts Near Field Communication technology.

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Apple NFC Patents Would Turn iPhones into Payment Devices

Apr 10 2010

In a new NFC patent application for the iPhone, Apple for perhaps the first time casts the phone in the role of a contactless-payment device.

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HEADLINE NEWS

Australian Transit Agency to Launch Mobility-as-a-Service Trial as It Pursues Long-Term MaaS Strategy

Plans by Transport for New South Wales, Australia’s largest transit agency, to launch a trial enabling users to plan, book and pay for multimodal rides is the next step toward the agency’s long-ter

Updated: U.S. Transit Agency Seeks to Reduce–Though Not Eliminate–Cash Acceptance with New Fare-Collection System

Updated: The Spokane Transit Authority in Washington state confirmed that its new fare-collection system will include contactless open-loop payments–with a beta test planned for next October, a spokesman told NFC Times' sister publication Mobility Payments.

UK Government Seeks to Bring London-Style Contactless Fare Payments System to Other Regions

The UK government’s plan to equip 700 rail stations over the next three years to accept contactless open-loop payments is a major initiative, as it seeks to replicate the success of London’s contactless pay-as-you go fare payments system elsewhere in the country–a goal that has proved elusive in the past.

More Cities in Finland Expected to Move to Open-Loop Fare Payments

A fourth city in Finland is beginning to roll out contactless open-loop payments, with “more in the pipeline,” according to one supplier on the project, making the Nordic country one of the latest hotspots for the technology.

Moscow Metro Expands Test of ‘Virtual Troika’ in Pays Wallets, as It Continues to Develop Digital-Payments Services

Moscow Metro is recruiting more users to test its “Virtual Troika” card in two NFC wallets, those supporting Google Pay and Samsung Pay, as one of the world’s largest subway operators continues to seek more ways for its customers to pay for rides.

Ohio Transit Agency Expects Significant Revenue Loss as it Builds Equity with Fare Capping

The Central Ohio Transit Authority, or COTA, officially launched its new digital-payments service Monday, including a fare-capping feature that the agency estimates will cost it $1.8 million per year in lost fare revenue, the agency confirmed to Mobility Payments.

Special Report: Interest Grows in ‘White-Label EMV’ for Closed-Loop Transit Cards

As more transit agencies introduce open-loop fare payments, interest is starting to grow in use of white-label EMV cards that agencies can issue in place of proprietary closed-loop cards for riders who don’t have bank cards or don’t want to use them to pay fares.

Swedish Transit Agency Launches Express Mode Feature for Apple Pay, though Most Ticketing Still with Barcode-Based App

Skånetrafiken, the transit agency serving one of Sweden’s largest counties, announced today it has expanded its contactless open-loop payments service to include the Express Mode feature for Apple Pay.

Major Bus Operators in Hong Kong Now Accepting Open-Loop Payments–Adding More Competition for Octopus

Two more bus operators in Hong Kong on Saturday launched acceptance of open-loop contactless fare payments, with both also accepting QR code-based mobile ticketing–as the near ubiquitous closed-loop Octopus card continues to see more competition.

Moscow Metro Launches Full Rollout of ‘Face Pay;’ Largest Biometric Payments Service of Its Kind

Touting it as the largest rollout of biometric payments in the world, Moscow Metro launched its high-profile “Face Pay” service Friday, as expected, and predicted that 10% to 15% would regularly us

Indonesian Capital Seeks to Expand to Multimodal Fare Collection and MaaS

Indonesia’s capital Jakarta, whose metropolitan area is home to more than 30 million people, is notorious for its stifling traffic congestion. In response, the government metro and light-rail networks and now it is funding an expansion of the fare-collection system to enable more multimodal payments and to build a mobility-as-a-service platform.

Exclusive: NFC Wallets Grow as Share of Contactless Fare Payments and Not Only Because of Covid

Transit agencies that have rolled out open-loop contactless payments are seeing growing use of NFC wallets to pay fares, as Covid-wary passengers see convenience in tapping their phones or wearables to pay.