NFC TAG: Lumiio provides a secure way to store and provide emergency contact and important data Five years after it first began partnering with police departments and charities across the UK to provide dementia patients with NFC wristbands, Seritag has launched a new service that can be used by anyone with a health condition to easily communicate vital information to anyone with an NFC mobile phone in case of emergency.

Customers of City Bank have become the first in Bangladesh to be able to use Google Pay to make payments at contactless POS terminals with their Android NFC smartphone. The move marks the first time that Google Wallet and Google Pay have been available in Bangladesh. Apple Pay is not yet available in the country, which has a population of 175.6m.

COLLABORATION: EPI and EuroPA aim to enable cross-border in-store mobile payments across Europe Two of Europe's leading mobile payments groups have signed a collaboration deal that aims to make it possible for European citizens to use their preferred domestic payment brand to make and receive payments both online and in-store anywhere in Europe. The two parties to the deal are…

MOBILE ID: Iowa residents can now store their digital ID in Google Wallet rather than the Iowa Mobile ID app The US state of Iowa has added support for Google Wallet to its mobile driver's license program, enabling holders to store their digital ID in their Google Wallet rather than having to store it in a dedicated Iowa Mobile ID app.

AR PAYMENTS: Alipay plans to roll out support for payment using Meizu and Rokid AR smart glasses Alipay has announced that it has successfully conducted its first e-wallet transaction to use augmented reality smart glasses and is to roll out support for the technology to its 36 digital wallet partners around the world this year. The successful first transaction was conducted in Hong Kong using a pair of…

TAP TO TRANSFER: NFC P2P feature lets Samsung Galaxy users tap their phones to send money Samsung Galaxy owners in the US can now transfer funds directly to a contact's bank account by just tapping their two phones together — or by simply bringing the recipient's contactless bank card into close proximity. "Samsung Wallet's new feature, Tap to Transfer, enables you to send money to your friend's or family member's bank account associated with their debit card — even if they use Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.

REAL ID: US iPhone and Apple Watch users will be able to use their digital ID for KYC and age verification Starting "this fall", iPhone and Watch owners in the US will be able to use a digital ID stored on their smart device to verify themselves online for KYC and age verification purposes, use their passport to "seamlessly create and add a Digital ID to Apple Wallet" and use their card rewards balance to pay for purchases in stores.

In a major update to its core NFC specification, the NFC Forum has extended the standard reading range over which certified devices must be able to reliably conduct contactless transactions by a factor of four, making NFC "quicker, more reliable and easier to use than ever." NFC Release 15 extends the range of certified compliant NFC contactless connections up to 2cm, from 0.5cm.

A record 94.6% of all eligible in-store card transactions were made using contactless in 2024, Barclays reports, “surpassing the previous year’s record of 93.4%”. Shoppers also used the technology more frequently in 2024 – on average, 236 times across the year compared to 231 times in 2023. The cost of the average purchase also increased, to £16.10 (US$20.84) from £15.69 (US$20.31) in 2023. “This equates to [a] total average contactless spend of £3,803 [US$4,923.10] per person in 2024, up from £3,623 [US$4,689.88] in 2023,” Barclays says. “For the fourth consecutive year, the over 65s were the fastest growing group of contactless users, with 84.1% of this group currently using this payment method,” the bank adds.  “Convenience continued to drive uptake, as over two-thirds (67%) of those aged 61-79 agree that contactless payments are easier than chip and PIN transactions. “For payments above £100, the popularity of chip and PIN has remained consistent year-on-year; across all age groups, four-fifths (78%) name it amongst their most used method, followed by cash (29%), and then mobile wallets (24%). “For the younger generations however, mobile wallets outrank cash; two-fifths (42%) of Gen Z and a third (33%) of millennials select mobile payments as one of their top preferences for payments above £100, compared to 30% of Gen Z and 27% of millennials who opt to use cash.”

Close to nine in ten (87.1%) of all card payments made in Ireland last year were contactless and more than half of those were made using an NFC mobile phone, Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) reports. “Over 1.5bn contactless point of sale (POS) payments, valued at €26.7 billion, were made in shops, restaurants and other retail outlets in 2024,” the organisation says. “We can see from today’s report that contactless payments continue to be very popular with Irish consumers, accounting for almost 90% of all point of sale (POS) card payments made in shops, restaurants and other retail outlets in Ireland last year,” says Gillian Byrne, BPFI’s head of payments. “Smartphones and watches have emerged as the preferred payment device over physical cards for many consumers “Out of 296 contactless payments made per person in Ireland on Irish cards in 2024, 159 of these were mobile wallet payments.”

Adoption of digital travel credentials (DTCs) will reach 15% globally by 2034 “as technical specifications, solidification of supporting infrastructure, growing digital maturity, and deepening interoperability converge to prime the digital ID space,” ABI Research predicts. “While Digital Travel Credentials (DTCs) are a natural evolution from e-passports, their implementation will be gradual due to the security-sensitive nature of travel, border control, and immigration,” the researchers say. “Pre-existing digital ID schemes and identity-orientated regulation are the primary stimuli fueling regional growth and accelerating DTC adoption, with the North American region expected to take an early lead given the saturation of mobile driving licenses (mDL) in this region. “However, Europe will present the most fertile ground for long-term, sustained adoption of DTCs, standing on the shoulders of comprehensive legislative schemes implemented throughout the 2020s.” “With many states lacking the digital maturity for widespread adoption, regional and global fragmentation is expected over the next decade,” analyst Aisling Dawson concludes. “To unlock DTC growth, vendors must collaborate on standardization and deliver seamless, interoperable solutions.” “While slow standardization and lack of harmonization hinder adoption, forward-thinking is essential. User experience is a critical differentiator for private partners and nation states selecting solutions, while concerns over quantum attacks on digital identity remain. “Prioritizing quantum-resistant DTC solutions now will help vendors capitalize on emerging opportunities and facilitate the shift toward digitalized identity.”

The NFC Forum has published a candidate specification for a new NFC Digital Product Passport (NDPP) standard that will enable NFC Forum tags already in use for other applications to also store sustainability data. “The new NFC Forum standard defines a flexible, data agnostic framework to allow a single NFC tag embedded in a product to store and transmit both standard and extended DPP data using common NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF) records,” the standards organization explains.  “As being discussed by ecosystem stakeholders and regulators, the overall Digital Product Passport architecture is expected to include both cloud-based systems for online data storage and methodologies to connect products to these systems which are known in the industry as DPP Data Carriers. “These new standards from the Forum extend the capability of using NFC Forum technologies as data carriers. “Unlike other expected data carrier solutions, these Candidate Specifications allow static and dynamic data to be hosted and accessed offline using non-volatile memory stored on the product itself. “Other unique advantages for using NFC Forum technology as a data carrier include consumers’ ownership and familiarity [with] NFC-capable handsets for other use cases like payment and access control, product design flexibility, higher durability, and the ability to be read in harsh environments. “Additionally, and most critically, by embedding DPP data directly into products, manufacturers can ensure the data is available for the life of the product while also providing additional anti-tampering capabilities.” “With multiple data models for sustainability under discussion and development by various organizations globally, NFC Forum has created a universal, interoperable, framework that can work seamlessly with any format and field requirements,” says Klaus Roehrle, chair of the NFC Forum devices and applications working group.  “With NFC-enabled smartphones already in the hands of most consumers and able to read the NFC-based data, we can foresee that full scale deployment of product sustainability data could be achieved in many products with simply a software update.” “The publication of the NDPP Candidate Specification marks the latest step in NFC Forum’s ongoing commitment to creating a more sustainable future,” executive director Mike McCamon adds. “We call on the NFC and sustainability communities to participate and provide feedback on the development of this draft standard to help ensure reliability, interoperability, and compatibility across NFC chips, tags and devices to store and provide access to sustainability data across products and services.”

The RAIN Alliance is to create a new standard that will enable manufacturers to integrate support for Ultra High Frequency (UHF) tag reading into standard smartphones, making it possible for consumers and enterprises to interact with products containing RFID tags without needing specialist equipment. The move follows Qualcomm’s announcement that it is working to integrate RAIN functionality into its mobile device chipsets…

NFC CHIP: The digital product passport in the shoe sole provides access to details including material origins Each of Tod's iconic custom Gommino moccasins now comes with an NFC tag integrated into the sole that lets customers authenticate the product and learn about the origin of the materials used. The move follows Tod's introduction of a similar digital product passport offering for its…

A new European Commission ruling will require Apple to open up a range of iOS connectivity features to third-party devices so that, for example, an iPhone owner will be able to use their choice of NFC-enabled wearable to make a payment using a card they have stored on their smartphone. The move follows last year’s deal between Apple and the EU to open up access to the iPhone’s NFC functionality so that third-parties can offer iOS users a host card emulation-based alternative to Apple Pay. The new ruling “will grant device manufacturers and app developers improved access to iPhone features that interact with such devices (eg displaying notifications on smartwatches), faster data transfers (eg peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connections, and near-field communication) and easier device set-up (eg pairing),” the European Commission says. “As a result, connected devices of all brands will work better on iPhones. Device manufacturers will have new opportunities to bring innovative products to the market, improving the user experience for consumers based in Europe.”  The specification decision clarifies which measures Apple must implement to allow effective interoperability between Apple’s iOS operating system and connected devices by other manufacturers in relation to a total of nine iOS connectivity features. Among them is “NFC Controller in Reader/Writer mode”. This, the EU says, will allow “apps on an iPhone to communicate with connected devices, such as rings or bracelets, to provide them with information such as a user’s payment card details. “The end user can then use the ring or bracelet in a shop to perform payment transactions like with a payment card — without the presence of the iPhone. “Moreover, physical smart cards can easily be read for instance to activate or secure mobile banking.” The legally binding measures “ensure that this innovation takes place in full respect of users’ privacy and security as well as the integrity of Apple’s operating systems,” the EU adds.

The UK city of Manchester has completed the rollout of open loop contactless ticketing across its entire bus and tram network and announced plans to integrate rail services into the system in three years’ time. “By introducing contactless tap and go across both Bee Network buses and trams, Greater Manchester has realised its long-held ambition of having a truly multi-modal, integrated and affordable transport system that is on par with other major cities around the world,” Transport for Greater Manchester says. “This offer will be further enhanced with the integration of rail services and stations into the Bee Network by 2028.” “We said we would deliver a London-style transport network for the people and businesses of Greater Manchester and that is exactly what we have done,” Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, says. “We have led the way with franchising and been able to bring buses together with the largest tram network in the country under one system that makes travelling across Greater Manchester easier, more affordable and more convenient than ever before.  “Today is the culmination of years of hard work to deliver a public transport network befitting of Greater Manchester’s place as a world-leading city-region that works for our people, businesses and many millions of visitors. “With a more joined-up experience, where people can choose to leave their car at home and use public transport, there’s never been a better time to get on board the Bee Network and take advantage of the incredible value it has to offer.”  “Tap and go will be a real game changer for the Bee Network as the quickest and easiest way for passengers to pay for their bus and tram travel,” Vernon Everitt, transport commissioner for Greater Manchester, adds. “Automatic capping of fares opens up opportunities to make more flexible and affordable journeys under a simpler fares structure. “Payment by contactless bank card is already the most popular way to pay for travel on Metrolink with record numbers of people using it every year. After integrating the way people pay for Metrolink and bus journeys, our focus will move on to working with Government and the rail industry to bring train travel within this system. “By 2028 Greater Manchester will then have a fully joined-up fares system across tram, bus and local train services.”

“Despite significant investment, biometric payment cards continue to struggle with mainstream adoption,” ABI Research concludes in a new market forecast that predicts there could be as few as just 1.27m in circulation by 2029.  “In a conservative scenario, biometric payment card shipments will grow from an initial base of 310,000 units in 2023 to 1.27m by 2029, with a more aggressive outlook projecting 43m units — still far from initial market expectations,” ABI says. “The reality is that biometric payment cards are not going to become a mass-market solution anytime soon,” says Phil Sealy, research director at ABI Research. “The high cost, combined with manufacturing and enrollment hurdles, means adoption will remain largely restricted to premium banking customers and niche applications. The industry must recalibrate its expectations and rethink forward-looking strategies.” ABI has identified three primary barriers preventing mass adoption: Manufacturing complexities: High production costs and low yield rates make large-scale deployment challenging. Pricing limitations: Biometric cards currently cost US$15 to US$20 per unit, nearly 10 times the price of a standard contactless card. Enrollment challenges: The lack of a standardized, scalable enrollment process continues to slow down adoption. “Many ecosystem players have recognized that the payments market is unlikely to deliver the scale they initially envisioned,” Sealy adds. “Despite the shift toward access control and crypto wallets, where biometric security can provide real value, it remains an extremely challenging market. “This is echoed by the recent news that one of the market pioneers, Zwipe, has filed for bankruptcy.” “Without any tangible market success over the next 12 to 24 months, further consolidation and/or pulling investment away should be considered a more feasible likelihood.”

Visa cardholders in Jordan are now able to use Google Wallet for the first time to make contactless NFC mobile payments. The service is available at launch for customers of three local banks — Arab Bank, Investbank and Al Rajhi Bank Jordan. The launch by Google and Visa follows the introduction of Apple Pay in Jordan in January. “We are excited to show our continued commitment to enhancing Jordan’s digital payment ecosystem through this partnership with Google," Mario Makary, Visa's country manager for the Levant region, says.

MOBILE ID: South Korean's can now store and use their digital ID on their smartphones All citizens and foreign residents of South Korea are now able to add a digital version of their government-issued resident registration card to their mobile phone and use it as an official replacement for their physical identity card. The country's Ministry of the Interior and Safety has been gradually rolling out availability of the service in several stages and has now completed nationwide availability with a final stage of rollout to residents of Seoul, Busan and Gwangju.

NFC PAYMENT: Bank Indonesia governor Perry Warjiyo launching the new service at Bundaran HI Station Indonesia's central bank has added support for NFC payments to the country's QRIS national QR mobile payments platform. The move follows the central bank of Brazil's move last month to add NFC payments support to its national Pix payments system. "QRIS Tap provides a fast, convenient, affordable, secure and reliable alternative payment method for the public, particularly to support public services and digital retail transactions," …