Mobile


First Data Exec: With Android Pay Launch, U.S. Mobile Payments Ubiquity ‘A Couple of Years’ Away (Sept. 23, 2015)

This month’s launch of Google Inc.’s Android Pay, just weeks before the U.S.’s Oct. 1 EMV liability shift date, is a key milestone in expanding mobile payments access to the majority of consumers, but we’re still “a couple of years” away from mainstream m-payments with ubiquitous support from banks, merchants and handset makers, predicts Dom Morea, senior vice president of business development for First Data Corp.

PayNearMe, 7-Eleven Offer Bill Pay Services (Sept. 23, 2015)

Financial services provider PayNearMe has partnered with 7-Eleven Inc. to launch the PayNearMe Bill Pay app, enabling consumers in the U.S. to pay more than 17,000 national and local billers, such as cable companies, utilities providers and insurance companies, with cash using a barcode scan at participating 7-Eleven stores.

Apple Pay Registers for Business in China (Sept. 21, 2015)

Apple Inc. is making good on its plan to bring Apple Pay to China, with news that it’s registered a subsidiary, Apple Technology Service (Shanghai) Ltd. in Shanghai’s free-trade zone, with permission to operate Apple Pay, but it’s already late to the m-payments party in China, say observers.

RBC Goes Live with HCE-Based M-Payments (Sept. 17, 2015)

Royal Bank of Canada this week introduced a new—and still somewhat rare—approach to connecting its customers to its RBC Wallet mobile payments service via host card emulation (HCE), so it works with any NFC-based Android handset, regardless of its brand or the user’s wireless carrier.

Android Pay Launches

The mobile payments race just kicked into high gear, with Google Inc. today announcing the immediate launch of Android Pay, joining Apple Pay with a little more than two weeks to go before Samsung Pay rolls out Sept. 28 in the U.S.

Samsung Pay’s Launch in Korea Drives Brisk Business (Sept. 1, 2015)

Samsung Pay is off to a brisk start in Korea after its launch there Aug. 20, about five weeks ahead of the mobile payment service’s pending debut in the U.S. on Sept. 28, but it’s nowhere near Apple Pay levels, which hit 1 million registered cards in the first 72 hours.

QIWI Integrates payWave into Visa QIWI Wallet (Aug. 19, 2015)

Building on a contactless payments boom in Russia, Visa and Russian payment services provider QIWI have integrated Visa’s payWave contactless technology into the Visa QIWI Wallet, providing millions of users with a new mobile payment option at contactless terminals.

Mobile to take lead in payments over the next five years

Mobile phones will take an increasingly leading role in the payments space over the next five years as a result of technologies that allow safe storage of payment details in smartphones, according to a report prepared by the Consult Hyperion on behalf of Payments UK.

Wide application for wearables in financial services industry

There has been hype around wearable technology for some time now but only now is it reaching market maturity with the introduction and subsequent adoption by consumers of smart watches and wristbands. Just as we saw with smart phones and tablets, consumer technology, in this case wearables, has the potential to have a huge impact on the business world. The implications for the financial services industry are significant

Samsung Pay Launching Sept. 28 in U.S., Reaching ‘Nearly Everywhere’ (Aug. 13, 2015)

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. today announced that Samsung Pay will launch next week in Korea and on Sept. 28 will get in the m-wallet ring with Apple Pay in the U.S., enabling consumers with the latest generation of Samsung’s handsets to tap their devices and pay contactlessly “nearly everywhere” cards are accepted, including NFC-ready locations and those that are not yet NFC-ready, the company said.

Sen. Blumenthal Asks MCX to Explain M-Payments Exclusivity Policy (Aug. 6, 2015)

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) this week sent a letter to the retail consortium Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX), which is readying the launch of its CurrentC mobile payments service, demanding details about its exclusivity policy requiring participants to block rival mobile wallets, along with other information.