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October 8, 2018
On the web
Mobile payments surge among Chinese travellers: Alipay
ZDNet
“Popular overseas destinations for Chinese consumers saw mobile payments surge during the week-long Chinese public holiday between October 1 and 7, according to Alibaba’s mobile payment arm Alipay.”
How WeChat faded into the silence in India
“But like a roller coaster in an adventure park, the WeChat trajectory turned direction and began to nosedive fast. The number of uninstalls increased. There was no stickiness to the app. Soon, there were news reports that suggested that the app could be banned by the government. That was the beginning of the end for WeChat in India.”
On the wires
CIMB is first in Malaysia to bring QR acceptance from six mobile wallets on one payment terminal
“CIMB Bank Berhad (“CIMB Bank”) has introduced Quick Response (QR) Payment Acceptance at CIMB terminals, a first- in-the market QR payment acceptance to accept Six major mobile wallets on one terminal. The six mobile wallet partners to be accepted on CIMB terminal are Alipay, Touch & Go Digital, Boost, KiplePay, Mcash, and Vcash. These six mobile wallets have a combined estimated customer base of about 4.5 million in Malaysia and 520 million registered mainland Chinese users.”
October 5, 2018
On the web
Google Pay adds support for 23 new US banks, four international
Android Police
“However many banks Google adds to its list of supported institutions, there are always more waiting. We’ve got quite a few of them here in the ‘States (I think they’re reproducing somehow), but a few previously unincluded international banks also made the cut in the last week or so, adding 27 more in total — 23 in the US and four in other countries.”
October 3, 2018
On the web
How Apple’s update may turn the payments space on its head
Mobile Payments Today (commentary)
“Since September 12, with the newly announced enhancements, any external device can now open an app automatically or trigger an Apple Pay payment by simply sending an NFC signal. The difference from last year is that the user doesn’t have to manually open an app anymore. And it doesn’t stop there: triggering an Apple Pay payment doesn’t require an expensive POS terminal anymore.”
October 2, 2018
On the wires
76® Launches Mobile Pay in Seattle to Bring Easy Pay-at-the-Pump Features to Locals
“Fuel brand 76® launched Mobile Pay, a new payment feature in its My 76® app, a mobile app that allows drivers to find the nearest 76® gas stations, track KickBack® Points and stay up-to-date on promotions. With Mobile Pay, people can now pay at the pump and in-store on their mobile devices to quickly get back on the road to enjoy their journey – whether a road trip or daily commute. Mobile Pay launched this month in Seattle and is rolling statewide throughout the end of 2018 and into 2019.”
September 27, 2018
On the web
Grab PH expands mobile wallet services to bills payment, purchases
Rappler
“While majority of Filipinos still transact using cash, Southeast Asia ride-hailing giant Grab expanded its mobile wallet services in the Philippines to promote cashless transactions. In a statement on Thursday, September 27, Grab said it is expanding its mobile wallet services “GrabPay” to include bills payment, food orders, and in-store and in-restaurant purchases.”
Announcing A New Feature: Set It & Forget It
Paytm Canada blog
“With Set it & Forget it you have the ease of knowing that all your bills are being paid on time. You won’t have to worry about remembering the passwords for every service provider, or worse trying to remember where you placed that paper bill! We have the largest number of service providers on our app, so you can easily schedule your bill payments and rest assured that they will get paid on time. And, the best part is that you can still collect Paytm Points for every bill payment that you make with our app, and redeem them for tons of great stuff!”
On the wires
ANZ launches Google Pay
“”From today, ANZ New Zealand personal Visa debit or credit card customers can make contactless payments with compatible Android smart phones using Google Pay…Google Pay replaces ANZ’s goMoney Wallet, ANZ’s current Android mobile wallet, which will be phased out from October this year. When ANZ launched its goMoney Wallet in 2015 it was the first bank in New Zealand to offer a mobile wallet within its banking app.”
September 25, 2018
On the web
Google Pay may add QR codes for peer-to-peer payments
XDA Developers
“There are a number of digital payment services out there and, of course, Google has their own as well. Originally called Android Pay, the recently rebranded Google Pay service has had a number of different features added to keep it competitive. This year alone it has added support for boarding passes, money transfers, event tickets, and has continued its work on expanding its availability around the world. If true, some new screenshots reveal that the online payment service could add support for QR codes to make peer-to-peer payments faster and easier.”
Chinese payment giants are light years ahead
Raconteur
“China’s two mobile payments giants, Alipay, an affiliate of the Chinese ecommerce group Alibaba, and WeChat Pay, owned by the messaging and social media powerhouse Tencent, are streets ahead of their Western rivals in terms of technology, user friendliness, number of users and ubiquity. To put their scale into perspective, each organisation handled more payments in a single month this year than PayPal’s $451 billion for the whole of 2017, according to research firm Analysys.”
September 6, 2018
On the wires
BillMo Adds Virtual Debit Card Feature to its Digital Wallet Application
“BillMo, LLC, a US and Mexico-based digital wallet application, has added a Virtual Debit Card feature to its Digital Wallet. BillMo users can now shop online at any of the thousands of retailers in Mexico where major credit cards are accepted. This is a major step in a series of key deliverables to increase the value of its network.”
August 22, 2018
On the wires
Samsung Pay Now Available in Six Continents, Accelerating Global Expansion
“Thanks to the support and partnership of thousands of banks and countless network, merchant and service providers across the globe, Samsung recently passed more than 1.3 billion transactions globally.”
July 31, 2018
Top Post
Chase Pay Finds A Link With Samsung Pay
Mobile Payments Today
“Chase Pay customers with compatible flagship Samsung Galaxy smartphones can now link Chase Pay to Samsung Pay, according to a press release. Consumers that link Chase Pay to Samsung Pay can earn both Samsung Rewards points and for eligible Chase cards, Chase Ultimate Rewards points, for the purchases they make.”
July 30, 2018
On the web
Apple Pay To Account For 1 In 2 Contactless Mobile Wallet Users By 2020
TechCrunch
“The number of mobile payments users who tap to pay using a contactless payment solution provided by their mobile device’s maker will grow to 450 million people worldwide by 2020, according to a new forecast from Juniper Research. This includes mobile payment solutions like Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay, and others. By this time, Apple Pay will have amassed the largest audience, with Apple accounting for 1 in 2 of these “OEM Pay” users globally – meaning those using wallets provided by the original equipment manufacturer, as opposed to a third-party app.”
July 16, 2018
On the web
Tier II And Tier III Cities Are Leading The Wave Of Digital Payments Adoption
Paytm
“We have been able to create a network effect among our consumers and merchants. Given the multiple use cases, consumers prefer paying through Paytm, while the merchants accepting Paytm are seeing increased business and are also being able to pay digitally across their supply chain. We are powering the largest offline payments network with over 8 Million offline merchant partners who accept payments via the Paytm QR. We have a 3x larger merchant base compared to any card payments network in the country.”
Letter From Shenzhen
Logic Mag
“While using ApplePay in San Francisco is similar to paying with WeChat in Shanghai, the scale of technology’s pervasiveness is more apparent in rural China than the rural US. For example, imagine paying for a long-distance bus ticket or a coffee from the local diner in Cheyenne with a cell phone. There are still parts of the rural US without cell phone service, places where you feel untracked and like you might disappear. Yet even in one of the poorest provinces in China, QR codes will follow you from towns to villages.”
July 12, 2018
On the web
The Chinese Tourists Will Be WeChat Pay’s Focus For Next Three Years
Jing Travel
“In an unsurprising move, Grace Yin, Director of WeChat Pay’s International Operations, confirmed in an interview that Tencent’s WeChat Pay would continue to focus almost exclusively on Chinese outbound tourists for the next three years. A move abroad would seem to be the logical next step for both Alipay and WeChat Pay, as both platforms have become wildly popular in China and have few avenues to garner more customers domestically. Still, the challenges of integrating the platforms into banking systems and lack of brand recognition outside of China have prompted both companies to continue focusing on Chinese customers. With more Chinese tourists going abroad every year, making sure WeChat Pay is usable abroad makes it more likely that when users return home they will continue using it.”
June 12, 2018
On the web
UK Small Businesses Increase Acceptance Of Mobile Payment Apps
Mobile Payments Today
“The independent report, conducted by Verve Partners Research and commissioned by Verifone for MoneyConf, shows that more than a quarter (29 percent) of U.K. small and medium businesses now give their customers the option to pay using an app in store — an increasingly popular payment method for consumers, fueled by the popularity of mobile payments apps such as Google Pay and Apple Pay.”
May 23, 2018
On the web
Why China’s Payment Apps Give U.S. Bankers Nightmares
Bloomberg
“The future of consumer payments may not be designed in New York or London but in China. There, money flows mainly through a pair of digital ecosystems that blend social media, commerce and banking—all run by two of the world’s most valuable companies. That contrasts with the U.S., where numerous firms feast on fees from handling and processing payments. Western bankers and credit-card executives who travel to China keep returning with the same anxiety: Payments can happen cheaply and easily without them.”
May 18, 2018
On the web
Apple Pay Expands To Ukraine And UK App-Based Bank Monzo
9to5Mac
“Apple Pay has today expanded to the Ukraine; customers who bank with PrivatBank can now register their cards on their iPhones, iPads, Apple Watch and Macs. The Ukrainian Finance Minster announced the news on Facebook. Apple Pay support has also rolled out for Monzo, a UK ‘bank of the future’ which is an internet-only bank that lets customers access its services only through its iOS and Android apps. Despite its innovative brand, it has taken a long time for the bank to support Apple’s contactless mobile payments offering. Better late than never, naturally.”
May 15, 2018
On the wires
The Future of Pay is Here! New ADP Innovation Helps Employers Tailor Payments to the Preferences of All Employees
“ADP is continuing its innovation momentum by revolutionizing the way people are paid by introducing Wisely Pay by ADP. Wisely Pay is the next step in ADP’s constant evolution to put clients and their workers at the forefront of macro trends shaping the employment landscape, including the growing number of freelance individuals.”
May 7, 2018
On the web
Microsoft Pay comes to Outlook, integrating Stripe, Braintree, Sage, Wave and more
TechCrunch
“Microsoft Pay — Microsoft’s answer to Android Pay and Apple Pay that was originally launched in 2016 as Microsoft Wallet — is getting a little more useful today. At Build, Microsoft announced that it will be integrating its digital wallet service into Outlook. This means that, for the first time, when a company sends you an invoice in an email, and you are using Outlook to read it, you can pay that bill directly, without needing to leave Outlook and open a different app or service.”
April 30, 2018
On the wires
The “UnionPay” app can be used in 25 countries and regions outside mainland China
“With the app, users can pay with UnionPay QR code or activate thecontactless payment function of their NFC-enabled mobile phones. Some merchants will provide discounts for the “UnionPay” app users around the upcoming May Day Holiday.”
April 26, 2018
On the web
53% Of Consumers Want Smartphone Payment Option
Retail Touch Points
“Smartphone-based payment solutions have so far been slow to take off in the North American market, but that trend could be shifting. Nearly one in three (31%) of consumers already use mobile wallets such as Apple Pay, and 53% of consumers feel stores should accept smartphone payments. That figure rises to 67% for Millennials, who collectively account for $200 billion in purchasing power.”
March 28, 2018
On the web
WhatsApp beta for Android gets QR code support for payments
Techradar
“With competing digital payments services regularly adding new features to their apps, WhatsApp has seemingly decided to continue to roll out new features for its users too. The latest beta version of WhatsApp for Android has added a new feature that lets users send money by scanning QR codes.”
March 23, 2018
On the web
Bank Of America Steps Up Its Mobile Wallet Operations
Payment Week
“The company announced that it was adding some PayPal options to its wallet, which would allow for quick and easy adding of credit and debit cards to a PayPal account direct from the mobile banking app.”
March 20, 2018
On the web
Singtel Taps 50 Million Users Making Mobile Payments in Asia
Bloomberg
“Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. plans to create a platform that connects mobile wallets across Asia, enabling users to pay digitally in the countries its partners operate.”
March 9, 2018
On the web
Paytm being biggest payment network on UPI is false: PhonePe
NewsBytes
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