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Norway’s central bank Norges Bank is to test “various technical solutions for a central bank digital currency (CBDC) over the next two years”, the bank’s CBDC working group has announced in its third project report. “Norges Bank’s research into CBDCs has run for a good four years. A new element moving ahead will be technical […]

Russia’s domestic payments system Mir is adding support for Apple Pay, enabling banks to let customers link a Mir payment card to Apple Wallet and use it to make mobile payments. “Issuers will be able to provide holders with the opportunity to tokenize Mir cards on Apple devices to perform tokenized transactions using the Apple

Passengers on public transportation services in Ireland can now use an NFC-enabled iPhone to top up their Leap transit card using Transport for Ireland’s (TfI) Leap Card top-up app. The app also enables users to check their card balance and to load pre-purchased tickets simply by tapping their physical Leap Card with their iPhone 7

Projects to develop a retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) for use by consumers and businesses are “more advanced” and “particularly strong” in emerging economies, according to analysis by global consultancy firm PwC. The firm’s Global CBDC global index 2021 “is designed to measure a central bank’s level of maturity in deploying their own digital

Customers at superstores, supermarkets and convenience and cosmetics stores owned by Russian retail group Magnit can now authenticate contactless payments at self-checkout devices using pay-with-a-glance technology. The retailer is piloting biometric payments at 10 of its outlets in the cities of Moscow, Krasnodar and Rostov-on-Don and plans to roll out the service to more than

Gamers in Shanghai were able to download a link to a video game by scanning a giant QR code created in the sky above the Chinese city by a formation of more than 1,500 drones with their smartphone. The drones were equipped with LED lights and formed images depicting the characters and logo from Japanese

The NFC Forum has released two specifications that set out a standardised cryptographic framework for enabling secure data transfer between NFC mobile devices and the development of applications using a secure communications channel between paired NFC devices. The NFC Authentication Protocol 1.0 Specification (NAP 1.0) and the Logical Link Control Protocol Technical Specification 1.4 (LLCP

Customers of Crédit Agricole can now use their fingerprint to authenticate contactless payments made with a biometric deferred debit card issued by the French bank. Crédit Agricole’s biometric card has a fingerprint sensor at one end that lets users make contactless transactions above the €50 (US$60.27) limit without needing to use their PIN —  although

Customers at a Whole Foods Market store in Seattle in the USA can now gain access to the supermarket and pay for their purchases using Amazon’s contactless palm scanning device. The retail giant has installed its Amazon One biometric access and payments system at the Madison Broadway branch, and says it plans to roll out

The Car Connectivity Consortium is to complete its specification for Bluetooth low energy (BLE) and ultra wideband (UWB) digital keys that enable drivers to unlock and start their vehicles without needing to take their mobile device out of their bag or pocket “by the middle of 2021”. “The Digital Key Release 3.0 specification will complement