Dear Readers,

At the end of a long year that promised a lot for contactless and NFC payments and didn't always deliver, at least someone got it right. I am talking about Transport for London (TfL) and the news that - from last week - you can use your contactless card to pay on London's buses. This could be the push forward that everyone needed to start using their contactless cards in greater abundance. 

If awareness of contactless payments is getting higher,  that's good news. But beyond the initial stage of customer awareness and interaction lies 'favourability', followed by 'consideration' before customers finally take 'action', followed by the all important stage of 'advocacy'. With TfL now accepting payment by contactless cards on their buses, this really allows millions of Londoners (and visitors - hopefully) to use their contactless credit cards in a purchasing scenario that will once more move contactless payments along the road to mass acceptance. As one would expect, the announcement was welcomed by the major players in the industry and rightfully so! Well done, Transport for London, for once again showing the way forward. 

I say this, not because I am a big public transport fan (don't get me wrong - I've taken a bus or two in my time - they even gave me a little piece of paper as a souvenir), but because two reports came out last week that, if they could, would wag a finger at retailers for not doing enough to get people to adopt the contactless payment option. The first report from eDigitalResearch says that consumer awareness surrounding contactless mobile payments is on the rise. One third (33%) of all consumers now claim to have seen a contactless mobile payment point, a figure which has doubled since the first Mobile Payment Index from eDigitalResearch back in May 2012. However, Derek Eccleston, Head of Research at eDigitalResearch, comments, “Our results show that, whilst awareness of contactless mobile payments is on the increase, one third (30%) of the consumer that we surveyed don’t think that there are any benefits to the technology whatsoever. For example, whilst you can use the technology to swiftly pay for goods in coffee shops, customers still need to wait exactly the same amount of time for the coffee and the end result. It is essential that retailers, handset manufacturers, banks and technology provider’s work together to communicate benefits better to potential users and quash growing concerns amongst consumers”. 

The second report came from ICM  Research highlighting consumer awareness but low usage of the technology. Richard Moller of ICM’s retail team said: “Retailer investment in contactless payment is essential to drive take up because consumer awareness and appetite already exist. More than half of the stores we visited didn’t even take contactless payment. In-store promotion is also vital. Of the 11 stores we visited with contactless payment technology, only three were actively promoting it, and only two – Marks & Spencer and EAT – had signage at checkouts. It is important that staff receive training too. Half of the sales assistants we spoke to in-store didn’t know if the shop took contactless payments, and over a quarter gave out the wrong information on payment limits.” (You can read the whole article here). It seems silly that, as the build up to Christmas continues, the need for shorter queues is of paramount importance. Perhaps retailers could learn a little from what is happening 'On The Buses'? (you had to have been watching TV in the UK in the 1970's to get that last get that last remark).

But all in all, it's been a year that started in a fury of hype and hope for contactless and NFC, whipped itself up further with the build up to the Olympics and then settled down as reality met expectations and reality won. Contactless and mobile payments will happen, but 2012 wasn't the year for the breakthrough. Like all things that need to permeate through society, this needs time, perseverance and commitment. Perhaps, retail was never the answer, perhaps public transport was, and will remain, the very best educator of contactless and NFC technology in our society. Let's see what 2013 hold for the industry.

That's my final editorial for Contactless Intelligence this year. We do have one more week to go in the year but I doubt if anyone will read our newsletter on Christmas Eve. I'll be honest, some weeks the editorial writes itself, some weeks it's pure blood, sweat and tears (not mine). However, I hope you feel that we have touched upon some salient points in the industry and at the very least have acted as a spring board to your week. We would like to wish our readers a Merry Christmas and if you would like to drop into Contactless Intelligence, this lady has a small message for you all.

And finally - don't forget, the December Intelligence is still live until Christmas day, so do yourself a favour and click on this link, read a text, answer 5 questions, press the send button, and you could win a SAMSUNG Galaxy SIII. Now wouldn't that be worth coming back to in January?

Until the 7th January.

Happy Holidays.

Regards,

Steve Atkins

Contactless Intelligence
 

This week on C-ITV

It's begun. The final INTELLIGENCE of 2012. Win a Galaxy SIII! http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-18V 

SumUp drives Taxi.de app payments http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-19f 

Tyfone, In-Q-Tel to Bring Mobile Security in Cloud and NFC Transactions for U.S. Government http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-196 

MoSoCo Poland Chooses Sequent for NFC Mobile Technology Platform and Services http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-194 

Contactless payment awareness getting better but retailers are letting the side down. http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-18Z 

Cirque claims 'first to demonstrate secure touch screen with integrated NFC' http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-19x 

Giesecke & Devrient chosen by CIBC as Trusted Service Manager for mobile payments in Canada http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-19K 

MasterCard to stop people wasting a day a year queuing to buy bus tickets http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-19F 

allpay hits the mark for MasterCard PayPass Programmes http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-19P 

Payments & m-Commerce

Australia: 'Tap and go' payment system makes credit card fraud easier, police warn http://bit.ly/YT5BdK 

South Africa: Mobile money needs closer scrutiny http://bit.ly/YT65R1 

Square Wallet offers gift cards with Passbook integration http://bit.ly/YT5UFj 

Cardfree Raises $10 Million to Enter the Crowded Mobile Payments Business http://dthin.gs/Ud1SzV 

Verizon explains lack of Google Wallet in letter to FCC complainer http://bit.ly/Ud2dTm 

China Mobile, China UnionPay drive m-commerce in Chengdu http://zd.net/Ud29Dc 

Isis still has room to grow before finding place in payments landscape http://bit.ly/Ud23ez 

Bhutan Telecom to launch mobile wallet service http://bit.ly/TUliwn 

Two more really smart phones join the Touch2Pay family http://bit.ly/TUlgo6 

VeriFone Blankets Las Vegas Taxis with Payment and Media http://bit.ly/TUlStT 

Mobile payments through smartphones to reach $1.3 trillion by 2017 http://bit.ly/TUlOud 

Watching VeriFone as Mobile Payments Explode http://onforb.es/TW1tEO 

Axfood, Seamless complete m-payment deployment across Sweden http://bit.ly/TW2pcn 

Portugal's SIBS prepares NFC pilot http://bit.ly/TW1uII 

Three could join mobile payments venture Weve http://bit.ly/TW2v3H 

MasterCard and Wallet Software Provider C-SAM Announce Partnership, Investment http://bit.ly/TW2rkq 

New Zealand: Consumer-led demand for contactless technology http://bit.ly/TW2AnQ 

China: Mobile payment: a boon for mass consumption http://bit.ly/SVt5ss 

Which will come first: mobile payments or flying cars? http://bit.ly/SVt3Rw 

NFC & Mobile

Chinese carriers’ NFC plans emerge http://bit.ly/YT6gvK 

Christmas app conjures up Santa with an NFC tap http://bit.ly/YT6i6P 

UK catalogue giant Shop Direct tests NFC shopping http://bit.ly/TUlpbc 

Broadcom Launches Industry's First Certified NFC Quad-combo Wireless Connectivity Solution http://bit.ly/TUtTiz 

Smartphone Chip Supplier Broadcom Introduces First Combo Wireless Chip with NFC http://bit.ly/TUtOeG 

Sony signs agreement with Watchdata in bid to bring SIM-based NFC solutions to more mobile devices http://tnw.co/SVtXxa 

Transportation, Ticketing, Access, Security & Loyalty

Brands Connect with NFC http://bit.ly/TW1hp2 

London buses to start accepting contactless bank cards http://bit.ly/RX2uhK 

London Bus Riders Can Tap Bank Cards to Pay Fares; NFC Acceptance Unlikely for Now http://bit.ly/SVtv1Y 

SmartDebit respond to TfL confirmation of NFC payments to go live on London buses http://bit.ly/SVtriV 

Seven in ten London public transport users welcome an alternative to complement Oyster and cash http://bit.ly/SVtpaS 

Savvy shoppers drive to cash in on loyalty cards points costs Nectar an extra £52m http://bit.ly/YT5Fu0 

Oyster card celebrates 150th Tube anniversary http://bbc.in/YT5SgH 

Tag Supplier Enables Data Analytics with New Content Management Platform http://bit.ly/YT6cMu 

Myki card mess continues as operator Kamco threatens legal action to recoup millions of losses http://bit.ly/Ud1Isp 

Transport for London to Begin Open-Loop Fare Collection This Week http://bit.ly/Ud1Yrw 

Other News & Opinion Articles

Algeria to launch 3G, m-payment in Q1 2013 - minister http://bit.ly/TW1bhk 

RIM’S new BlackBerry 10 smartphone leaked in video walkthrough [VIDEO] http://bit.ly/TW1rNj 

Turkcell taps Timwe http://bit.ly/TW1o3U 

Merchant Customer Exchange hires lobbyist to promote 'Contactless' payment system http://bit.ly/SVtmMc 

CorFire Integrates PayPal to Enhance Mobile Commerce Services for Variety of Merchants and their Customers http://bit.ly/SVtdIr 

‘European Square’ iZettle Expands To Spain, Taking Total Markets To Seven http://tcrn.ch/SVt9Zh 

VeriFone Shifting Mobile Payments Strategy to Resales http://buswk.co/SVtGub 

Kiwi Retailers Recognising Benefits of PayPass ‘Tap & Go’ http://bit.ly/SVtDi1 

allpay hits the mark for MasterCard PayPass Programmes http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-19P 

Dear Readers,

Let me start this editorial by wishing all our readers a very happy, if belated, New Year. If some of the early January blogs from companies involved in the contactless payment industry are to go by, 2013 is to be the year of widespread adoption of contactless and mobile payments. eMarketer even went so far as to say that m-commerce sales were expected to rise 55% in 2013 with mobile accounting for 15% of all retail e-commerce experiences. Hurrah! 

Unfortunately not everyone thinks so. UK research company ICM put it fairly bluntly "Mobile wallet adoption in 2013? 'Don't bet on it', they say (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1cc ). They were pretty damning in why 2013 will not be the year for mobile payments, citing everything from retailers to the users of mobile phones themselves. However, while the likes of Google and MasterCard may agree, they were more circumspect when asked about such things as this year's CES in Las Vegas. Peter Hazelhurst, who heads up Google Wallet admitted that "This is an evolving process. It's not as if suddenly everyone has it. People have to learn new behaviours like using coupons stored on their phone or tapping an NFC-enabled phone to pay". Ed McLaughlin, chief emerging payments officer at MasterCard was a little more bullish, "It's not when will it happen -- it's happening," McLaughlin said. "This is what a technology transition feels like. Consumers are going to find things that make their lives easier ... and they're going to adopt that." (http://bit.ly/VLwElp ) So, what we should take away from that is that 2013 will be a year when companies take a deep breath and keep chipping away at the mobile payment mountain. Oh, and be prepared for even more competition from alternative payment methods. Competition from companies such as Index, headed up by ex-Google Wallet team members (http://tcrn.ch/WU5uaI). It may be a tough market to crack, but everyone wants their shot at it.

The good news when it comes to NFC is that it was very much in evidence at this year's CES. Albeit not so much on show in its payment form but in its ability to pair up with other NFC enabled devices. An NFC-enabled mobile will remain the key to a connected future but if some of the consumer white goods manufacturers at CES have their way, a connected future may be inside your own home. Everything from washing machines to refrigerators, fromTVs to audio equipment, seemed to be NFC connected (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1cp ). 

Allure Energy Inc. went one better and described how NFC would allow you take control of your entire home environment (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1c7). The video that accompanies the article shows a tired woman (well, not really tired - she still seemed to have a bounce in her step!) arriving home to soft lights and music  - all courtesy of proximity-based NFC technology and a central NFC-based, home computer-type hub controlling her environment. All I can say is that she doesn't look like she has kids. If you have kids, you know how often the TV remote gets lost. Try losing the hub that controls your entire home! Still. It's encouraging to see NFC technology being adopted across a wide range of appliances.

What will really move (no pun intended) NFC this year, though, will be public transport. Each UK local county seems to be introducing some kind of Oyster-type payment card on its public transport offering (http://bit.ly/11lOZLM , http://bit.ly/13mU6tC , http://bit.ly/TKwH2i ) and there are even reports of China gathering speed in issuing more and more smart cards to enable inhabitants to pay more easily for public transport. Latest report say that 440 of approximately 600 cities in China have set up smart card payment systems for public transport (http://bit.ly/VLvsOH).

Which nicely brings us to our last two topics, both of which have a connection to public transport: The first topic concerns the transport and ticketing industry. Transport Ticketing 2013 is Europe’s largest transport ticketing and fare collection event. Back for the 5th time, the event brings together more transport operators, local authorities and passenger transport executives than any other. The event attracts the entire ticketing ecosystem to help visitors and transportation companies offer their passengers a more cost effective, efficient and easy to use service. With over 200 operators already in attendance, organisers are want to remind our readers that now is the time to confirm their place. Click the banner on the top right to go to the site. The event runs from 28th - 30th January 2013, London, UK.

Our final topic concerns January's -- drumroll, please -- INTELLIGENCE! Once more Samsung (supporting the OSPT Alliance) is offering a Samsung Galaxy SIII if you can go to this page on the Contactless Intelligence site, read a bit of text, answer five simple questions, note the answers in a pre-prepared form and hit the 'send' button. What could be easier? And let's face it - the way things are going, not only will you need an NFC-enabled phone to pay with or catch a train in the future - you may need it to switch on your lights and television!

So enter the INTELLIGENCE now! Please.
Until next week.

Regards,

Steve Atkins

Contactless Intelligence
 

This week on C-ITV

The January Intelligence has begun! Win a Samsung Galaxy SIII http://wp.me/P1Jrjn-1c0

GURU POST: The promise of NFC and the importance of Trust. http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1an 

Samsung takes to Las Vegas strip with NFC tiles http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1d5 

Sony, LG embrace NFC for entertainment and appliances at CES 2013 http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1cp 

Mobile wallet adoption in 2013? 'Don't bet on it', says ICM. http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1cc 

Allure let's you make changes to your home environment thanks to NFC technology http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1c7 

NXP takes Identive’s Cashless Betalen™ mobile payment solution – for lunch… http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1bs 

Payments & m-Commerce

Beam Money Launches Wallet App For iPhone http://bit.ly/11lOGjP 

Can Corporate Mobile Payments drive Merchant Acceptance? http://bit.ly/11lOAJ5 

Bluefin, Vokal partner on m-payments services http://bit.ly/11lOtxc 

Former Google Wallet Team Members Ready Their New Startup, Index, For Launch http://tcrn.ch/WU5uaI

Peter Hazlehurst, Google Wallet, "Why we're a long way from 'blink to pay'" http://bit.ly/VLwElp 

Comparing business cases of Kenya & the US in terms of mobilewallet infrastructures http://bit.ly/VLwbPU 

TIM Brasil teams up with Caixa, Mastercard for m-payments http://bit.ly/TKtWhl 

Ideal Launches Cashless Express Card System For Smaller Locations http://bit.ly/Zf9tAo 

Future of shopping is mobile and contactless says ATCM http://bit.ly/Zf9kgm 

Payair, Swedish fishing organization partner on m-payments http://bit.ly/Zf8BvF 

SBI Launches Prepaid Mobile Wallet Mobicash Easy http://bit.ly/Zf7UCz 

Mobile payment startup PicPay lets Brazilians make purchases via a QR code http://tnw.co/Zf7OuA 

How secure are RFID contactless payments? http://bit.ly/UsN16C 

Wincor Nixdorf joins digital wallet wars http://bit.ly/136J4Zj

Mobile Banking for U.S. Corporate Customers: Catching On Slowly http://bit.ly/X08DIe 

PayPass Locations Double in Europe in 2012, Adding Impetus for NFC Launches http://bit.ly/X08ynJ 

China's Mobile Payments Will Reach Over CNY700 Billion By 2015 http://bit.ly/10bg9pa 

AT&T’s new platforms to tempt devs: Digital Life, Mobile Payments, Connected Car http://bit.ly/10bgbNV 

NFC & Mobile

NFC security monitoring solution launches in Tonga http://bit.ly/TKvDLC 

Incipio announces NFC-enabled iPhone wallet http://bit.ly/TKuzrp 

MegaFon adds low cost NFC phone http://bit.ly/10bePmh 

Seoul hotel provides guests with NFC keys http://bit.ly/10beEY0 

Ingenico trials NFC phone payment at Milan university http://bit.ly/Zf838W 

PS4 uses NFC to crack down on used games http://bit.ly/Zf7k7y 

5 Reasons You Want NFC On Your Mobile Device http://bit.ly/UsMVM7 

The Year Ahead for NFC: Commercial Launches at Hand http://bit.ly/YWoKWw 

Turkcell uses Timwe's technology for NFC service http://bit.ly/YWoHtR 

The future of NFC: why Apple should join the party http://bit.ly/YWogja 

Transportation, Ticketing, Access, Security & Loyalty

UK: New fleet of buses lined up for West Midlands - plus our own Oystercard http://bit.ly/13mU6tC 

UK: New Oyster style smartcard introduced for bus users in Coventry http://bit.ly/11lOZLM 

China: More citizens use smart cards to pay for public transport http://bit.ly/VLvsOH 

UK: Public transport gets smart http://bit.ly/TKwH2i 

At Disney Parks, a Bracelet Meant to Build Loyalty (and Sales) http://nyti.ms/10bgyIe 

Ballarat commuters prepare for myki launch http://bit.ly/10bgqZb 

Scotland: Trundling closer to a rail network smartcard http://bit.ly/Zf980o 

Australian Myki debacle: We're stuck with a ticket to deride http://bit.ly/Zf8PTn 

Myki: disaster from touch on to touch off http://bit.ly/YWpDyf 

Metrolink fares hike to help fund new trams and smartcards http://bbc.in/YWpjj0 

Other News & Opinion Articles

Mcommerce sales expected to increase 55.7% in 2013 - study http://bit.ly/11lOWzk 

Would You Pay Extra to Pay with NFC? Neither Would We. http://bit.ly/11lOLEg 

US: Ingenico Partners with Shift4 to Provide Merchants with a Processor-Neutral, Secure P2PE Platform http://bit.ly/VLu5iY 

UK: Berlin-based Payleven reveals portable CHIP & PIN terminal http://bit.ly/VLtTjN 

NFC Forum Forges Links with Global Certification Forum, IATA, and Wi-Fi Alliance http://bit.ly/TKuN1I 

Global Near Field Communication Chip Market 2011-2015 New Report http://bit.ly/Zf8b8r 

Survey: Despite initial missteps, mobile payments will boom in 2013 http://bit.ly/YWoUgt 

New report: Payment and Transport: Vectors of Development for Mobile NFC? http://bit.ly/YWoarK 

Google Wallet’s 2012 Struggles Could Mean Trouble Ahead http://bit.ly/YWo43r 

Your Smartphone Will Replace Your Car Keys by 2015 http://bit.ly/X08h46 

Hyundai wants your NFC-enabled smartphone to be your car keys http://bit.ly/YWnItz 

NFC Tag Campaign Company Tapit Plans Expansion with $2.4 Million Series A Funding http://bit.ly/YWnOBy 

Dear Readers,

Please excuse me if this weeks editorial feels a little like a Visa-sponsored affair but the last days were rather Visa centric on the news front. For example, Visa Europe went on record to say that by the end of 2013 there will be approximately 80 handsets certified by Visa to handle payment and 40 issuers with mobile or contactless payment services across Europe. These predictions were made during the release of the company's fiscal 2012 annual results.

Other figures in that release included the amount of payWave cards in the UK (the largest market to date for payWave) at the moment - 26 million approximately - with around 143,000 terminals that could accept payWave. And, looking into the future, it forecasts that there will be 33.7 million payWave cards on issue in the UK by the end of 2013 accepted at 175,000 contactless POS terminals. (http://bit.ly/11E2I0y)

Visa Europe invested over €1billion in its technology and infrastructure over the past six years, building, it says, a robust and secure European payments platform from which to deliver the next generation of payment technologies. Throughout mainland Europe, Visa is continuing to develop the contactless payment landscape. Poland, Turkey, France and Spain have been high on the list of countries embracing contactless payments over the last few years.

Germany, however, still lags behind. According to Hans-Bernhard Beykirch, VP VISA Europe Services Inc., speaking at last week's Omnicard in Berlin, this is currently due to the fact that of the 70+ existing contactless terminals, only three are certified to be used in Germany, and one of those three can't be delivered at the moment. Major retail chains, looking out for their bottom line, will not start tenders for a new terminal infrastructure with this meagre offering, he argued.

But not all is bad on the German contactless front. The massively influential Deutscher Sparkassen- und Giroverband (DSGV) has started to roll out its girogo contactless debit cards nationwide with a planned 23 Mio cards issued by the end of 2013 and 45 Mio by the end of 2015 by which time the complete reader infrastructure will be set up.  German retail giant Douglas is a little ahead there, announcing last week that their retail brands will be accepting contactless and mobile payments from spring this year. A small step for the global market, but a giant step for Germany. http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1f5

It also looks as though this is the year for mobile payments on a BlackBerry. BlackBerry maker, Research in Motion (RIM) announced last week that their Secure Element Manager (SEM) solution for NFC mobile payments has been approved by Visa. This is good news for the beleaguered handset maker and saw its share price rise more than 5% on the news. “RIM’s success in gaining Visa’s formal approval as secure element manager is a crucial step in expanding RIM’s role as a key security partner for mobile payment solutions around the globe,” said Andy Castonguay, Principal Analyst, at Informa Telecoms & Media. RIM should be very happy then, back on the playing field of the growing mobile payments market. http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1eF

V.me - Visa's integrated digital wallet service – will continue to see a rollout through out 2013 in the UK, France and Spain (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1ev). In the UK, banks representing 80% of all consumers are already committed, while by 2020, Visa Europe believes that one-third of all European consumers will be using the V.me wallet. Visa Europe appears to mean serious business on a European scale this year if comments made by Visa Europe's Chief Executive, Peter Ayliffe is to be believed, “As we continue to see the explosive adoption of mobile devices, our priority in 2013 is to give consumers faster, safer mobile ways to pay. The past six years have been about preparing and building the European payments infrastructure to support European commerce and the delivery of new payment technologies. The year ahead will see us putting mobile contactless payments into consumers’ hands and introducing digital wallets on a mass scale for the first time”.

The UK's Payments Council also unveiled plans of its own mobile payments service that is to be launched next spring (2014). According to the Payments Council the new service will enable secure payments to be made directly to or from an account without the need to disclose the sort code and account number, by simply using a mobile phone number as a proxy. Eight financial institutions, including Barclays, Cumberland Building Society, Danske Bank, HSBC Bank plc, Lloyds Banking Group plc, Metro Bank PLC, Royal Bank of Scotland plc and Santander UK plc (representing 90% of UK current accounts) have already committed to offering the new service from spring 2014, with discussions continuing for more institutions to join. The new mobile payments service will move money directly between accounts using tried and tested payment schemes: the Faster Payments service, which processed more than 800 million online and phone banking payments in 2012; and the LINK network, which processed 3.1 billion real-time ATM transactions last year. A service such as this could see Mobile payments/banking really grow up to mainstream acceptance. (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1eO)

Perhaps not contactless as such but definitely cashless, an impending payment service for bars, pubs and restaurant caught our eye last week. The company is called MyCheck, and the app is due to be launched in London on 15th January, providing an alternative way to pay without the need for credit cards and cash in the aforementioned eating and drinking establishments. (http://wp.me/pQLgk-P3) Initially launched in Tel Aviv, where it has been adopted by over 80% of the city’s leading bars, pubs, restaurants, MyCheck is a a free, working mobile phone application that allows people to check themselves out of a restaurant, pub or bar without having to wait for the bill. The application is completely integrated with restaurant / bar point-of-sale systems and that removes the need for an embedded chip in smartphones to make payments. You can find out more by visiting their site mycheckapp.com.

Finally, 2013 could also be the year that PayPal make it into the high street. In May 2012, PayPal made a commitment to sign-up a total of 20 large national retailers by the end of 2012 for its in-store payments platform, in which consumers pay for items using a physical 'Access' card or by punching a mobile phone number and PIN into the terminal. Reporting from the National Retail Federation show in the US, PayPal says that it exceeded its target and signed deals with 23 large retailers representing 18,000 bricks and mortar locations nationwide. PayPal has openly scoffed at the NFC-based mobile wallet approach, from the likes of Google and Isis. They instead prefer to see the handset as a payment device that can be serviced from the cloud to simplify the shopping experience for consumers. Something that all terminal manufacturers are talking about these days.

NCR certainly thinks they may be on to something. The company will integrate PayPal mobile payment options into the recently announced NCR Mobile Pay application and NCR Aloha Online Ordering. Designed for the more than 60,000 restaurant sites using NCR Aloha point-of-sale technology, NCR Mobile Pay enables restaurant visitors with a smartphone to browse their bill, re-order menu items, alert their waiter, complete surveys (why would you do that over a meal?) and pay. So does this mean that by using my phone I may not have to interact with rude waiters at all? Thanks NCR and PayPal! Now if only my smartphone could get them to bring my food on time.

Of course, this means that even the mobile payment service from PayPal falls down if you don't have a smartphone. Can you guess where I'm going with this? Regular readers will. If you need a smartphone - why not enter the January INTELLIGENCE? Once more Samsung (supporting the OSPT Alliance) is offering a Samsung Galaxy SIII if you can go to this page on the Contactless Intelligence site, read a bit of text, answer five simple questions, note the answers in a pre-prepared form and hit the 'send' button. What could be easier? And I don't want to sound alarmist but what happens if you find yourself in one of these restaurants and you don't have a smartphone and no-one serves you? Oh, wait - that's my normal modus operandi in restaurants. Better bring a sandwich - just in case! Go on, enter this months INTELLIGENCE here

Until next week.

Regards,

Steve Atkins

Contactless Intelligence
 

This week on C-ITV

Payments Council counts down payment on mobile http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1eO 

Crédit Agricole launches first contactless payment project in Portugal http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1eJ 

Change your dining experience with NCR - pay with PayPal⁰ http://wp.me/pQLgk-Pf 

Visa approval for RIM for mobile payment solution http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1eF 

Visa readies V.me digital wallet service for 2013 release – continues focus on contactless payments http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1ev 

VeriFone want retailers to Interact. Impact. Impress. http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1eq 

Eat and run in London, without waiting for the bill... http://wp.me/pQLgk-P3 

The January INTELLIGENCE is open! Win a SAMSUNG Galaxy SIII. http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1e2 

MasterCard extends PayPass reach further into Africa http://wp.me/pQLgk-P7 

Change your dining experience with NCR - pay with PayPal http://wp.me/pQLgk-Pf 

Ingenico partners with Microsoft to ensure secure retail innovation http://wp.me/p20YVg-ez 

DOUGLAS Group gets a strong 'whiff' of mobile payments http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1f5 

Gluu integrates YubiKey for secure hard token USB and NFC Two-Factor Authentication http://wp.me/p20YVg-eF 

Identive Launches New NFC Developer Kits http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1f0 

Bango and Telefónica announce global mobile payments partnership http://wp.me/s1Jrjn-4772 

Payments & m-Commerce

U.S. Bank Launches ‘Go Mobile’ Beta in Two Cities with iPhone NFC Add-On http://bit.ly/SCAQHy 

U.S. Merchant Group MCX to Launch with Bar-Code, Cloud Technologies; Not NFC Initially http://bit.ly/SCC1ql 

Visa’s Gajda sees NFC as the key to mainstream mobile payments http://bit.ly/SCBRzh 

Think&Go upgrades NFC Shopping system http://bit.ly/SCBMM3 

Telefonica Slovakia, Tatra banka offer NFC payments http://bit.ly/SCBBAa 

Visa: e-commerce now a quarter of UK Visa spend at £96bn http://bit.ly/ZW8ntt 

PayPal's assault on the high street picks up pace http://bit.ly/SCEDEF 

P&T Luxembourg launches mobile payments at post offices http://bit.ly/ZW8IfT 

Visa Europe Predicts 40 Issuers of Contactless-Mobile Payment Services in 2013 http://bit.ly/ZW8God 

UK banks get behind m-payments service ahead of 2014 launch http://bit.ly/ZW8zZW 

Visa Taiwan Announces Growing payWave Transactions, Higher Tap-to-Pay Limit http://bit.ly/ZW8vct 
 

NFC & Mobile

How to reprogram NFC tags from a smartphone http://bit.ly/11DEOCq 

Major Smartphone Chip Supplier MediaTek Introduces NFC Chip http://bit.ly/SCANeI 

RIM Pushes TSM Services to Telcos in Competition with SIM Suppliers http://bit.ly/W8aJ72 

Transportation, Ticketing, Access, Security & Loyalty

Outdoor NFC Campaign Promotes Australian Launch of Zero Dark Thirty http://bit.ly/W8aAAE 

South Downs Way gets NFC sign posts http://bit.ly/SCAUa8 

Boston: Straight to ticketing on your smart phone for public transport. http://bit.ly/W8b2Pj 

Vancouver: Civil libertarians fear Compass cards privacy at risk  http://bit.ly/W8aTv9 

Other News & Opinion Articles

Cashless and cardless, take 2 http://bit.ly/SCEuRB 

Apple Doesn't Want To Streamline the Point Of Sale, It Wants To
Tear It Down http://read.bi/13KTSh5 

The Future of Commerce Starts With a Tap http://bit.ly/13KTJtM 

Dear Readers,

It seems that I am not alone in the view that this year will the turning point for NFC technology. By that, I mean moving away from the more ubiquitous applications relating to payment and towards a broader sphere that will encompass all manner of new markets and application fields.

The NFC Forum also shares this view, it seems, and demonstrates it by establishing a number of Special Interest Groups (SIGs) looking into markets such as Consumer Electronics, Health Care, Payment, Retail, and Transport to 'collaborate on NFC solution implementation, interoperability, best practices, and future requirements' (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1gw). A very lofty goal indeed, but it does help to underscore the NFC Forum's view that NFC has a much greater role to play than it does today. If I may be so bold, it reminds me of the implementation and drive for mass acceptance that surrounded the early days of Bluetooth and look where that has led. It's presence can be felt in many a piece of hardware today and we take it for granted, yet originally all everyone seemed to talk about was its incorporation into mobile headsets! Perhaps the same will hold true for NFC technology and payment applications.

Transport is an obvious growth area for NFC technology and so it was no surprise that last week's most passed around article on Twitter was written by Emma Green for the Atlantic and titled 'London's Tube Is Getting 'Contactless' Payments. Could They Work in the U.S.?' (http://bit.ly/VqOv1M). Its a fairly well-balanced article encapsulating the field of contactless within the transportation market and I would advise you all to read it. Ms Green summarizes as follows, "Regardless of the path that U.S. mass transit systems ultimately take to make their payment systems more efficient, those changes seem to be in everyone's best interest: in a perfect world, in which a contactless or mobile payments ecosystem has been well-established, these kinds of payment systems would significantly decrease the inefficiencies of current fare systems." Here at Contactless Intelligence, we agree with that sentiment, too.

There are other indicators that NFC might be taking off in the more B2C arena, too. The NFC tag market seems to be particularly strong at the moment. Remember a few weeks ago the story of Samsung placing tag tiles up and down the Las Vegas strip (just in time for CES)? (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1d5) Not to mention the amount of NFC enabled products at the show itself. "NFC was very present at CES, but it had nothing to do with payments," Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi was reported saying "It's smart because you're getting consumers familiar with the technology so when mobile payments is ready and the ecosystem ready, they'll feel comfortable with it."

But back to tags themselves. Supplier of NFC tags, Identive, reports to have shipped close to 15 million NFC tags during the fourth quarter of 2012. The company claims that it has received orders for 8 million additional NFC tags to be shipped during the first quarter of 2013 (http://bit.ly/VqQAux). I am particularly fond of NFC tags as I think they are a great indicator of the state of adoption for the NFC market in general. The more they are used in marketing campaigns that interact with the consumer on behalf of larger brands, the greater the prospect of education, awareness, familiarity and adoption taking place. That's one of the reasons why, at this years CI Spring Conference, we are encouraging the need of the NFC industry to 'Bring Brands on Board'. Companies engaged in tag developing or marketing will usually pay the cost of tags, printing and programming. and then profit from producing the marketing campaign itself, many making additional revenues from offering detailed data reports of the devices that are accessing the brands' projects and so forth. It seems to be good model at the moment. Sam Amrani, the managing director and co-founder of US company Tamoco, (Tag Mobile Company), says that when it comes to the number of tags used, 1,000 tags would be a medium-sized campaign and would take around two weeks to make live, while a large campaign of 5,000 tags for would take around six weeks and a corporate campaign, with a nationwide retailer would require upwards of 25,000 tags (http://bit.ly/VtIbq6)

We are obviously not alone in the view of an all-encompassing NFC approach. This year's GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona will see  - for the first time  - the introduction of what is being called 'The NFC Experience' (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1gn). Described as an 'interactive experience through which exhibitors, vendors, and attendees will use mobile NFC technology to exchange information and conduct transactions at MWC 2013', the GSMA will showcase an integrated range of mobile NFC services. Attendees with NFC-enabled handsets will be able to take advantage of NFC technology at locations throughout the Fira Gran Via and in the city. NFC touch points will be abundant throughout Congress, rewarding those who ‘tap’ with instant access to information such as downloads on the conference sessions and keynotes, as well as information on restaurants and tourist attractions around Barcelona itself.

“We’re excited to launch the NFC Experience for Mobile World Congress, as it provides attendees to the event the opportunity to experience first-hand the power of NFC technology both throughout the Mobile World Congress venue, as well as in the city of Barcelona,” said Michael O’Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. “We hope that all attendees will take advantage of the many benefits of NFC, from venue access to retail transactions to transport, among others.”

At Contactless Intelligence, we're looking forward to that.

Regards,

Steve Atkins

Contactless Intelligence
 

This week on C-ITV

Watch2Pay - now in the USA http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1gA 

NFC Forum creates SIG's for NFC http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1gw 

European mobile money opportunities to open up through Monitise and CGI alliance http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1gt 

Ingenico serves NFC payment technology to Ukraine's McDonald’s http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1gq 

GSMA Introduces the NFC Experience for Mobile World Congress http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1gn 

The Sony NFC TV http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1gi 

BOKU, U.S. Cellular in mobile payments partnership http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1ge 

Ingenico and Isbank launch a new payment solution in Turkey http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1fX 

Citi to start issuing contactless payment stickers for new credit cards in the Czech Republic http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1fT 

RIM's mobile payment solution to use Bell ID Token Management software http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1fO 

Tech It Easy Ltd and CHARGE Anywhere to deploy mobile payment in Caribbean http://wp.me/pQLgk-Py 

Citi to start issuing contactless payment stickers for new credit cards in the Czech Republic http://wp.me/pQLgk-Ps 

Payments & m-Commerce

5 mobile payment trends to watch http://bit.ly/W5ybVh 

Rakuten Edy launches new coupon site for smartphones http://bit.ly/Wzp3Gq 

Payair powers Davids m-commerce services http://bit.ly/V3HUIJ 

Telefónica Germany to Introduce NFC Payments Next Month, But Begins with Test http://bit.ly/V3HSk5 

Online Payment Companies - Is The Threat From NFC Real? http://bit.ly/V3HL8j 

Time's Running Out for Banks to Get into Mobile Payments http://bit.ly/VqOpHe 

Mumbai: Citibank rolls out integrated mobile payment service http://bit.ly/V3I6rv 

Payment Upstarts Still Can’t Dislodge The King http://on.wsj.com/VqQXFq 

Squaring Payments: The Exploding mPoS Market http://bit.ly/VqQRxC 

Quatrro Launches Next Generation Integrated Processing Services to Support Card and Mobile Payments http://prn.to/VqQMtA 

Kenya: New technology to ease shopping http://bit.ly/W5yqQc 

NFC & Mobile

Print Title Goes High Tech with Near Field Communication http://bit.ly/W5ylfq 

T-Mobile aims to make NFC “a reality” in 2013 http://bit.ly/144ie5B

Samsung tests NFC window shopping in Amsterdam http://bit.ly/VtIiSz 

Tamoco explains how important NFC is for B2C engagement http://bit.ly/VtIbq6 

Taiwan: FTC approves mobile payment operations for 5 telecom carriers

Only 8,000 Poles use NFC payments http://bit.ly/VtHWvp 

Expanding Share In NFC Chips Market Lifts NXP Higher http://onforb.es/VqQCT6 

Identive Announces Record Quarter for NFC Tag Shipments http://bit.ly/VqQAux 

Bluebird cuts care costs with NFC http://bit.ly/VqQrHm 

Sony launches thin and light Tablet Z http://bit.ly/VqOxXl 

NFC benefits hazy for consumers: mHITs CEO http://bit.ly/WzpoZO 

NFC: Not just for mobile payments anymore http://cnet.co/V3HmCP 

Samsung Adds NFC Support to UK Version of Galaxy S III Mini Smartphone http://bit.ly/V3HIZS 

Transportation, Ticketing, Access, Security & Loyalty

Oyster-type travel card may be introduced in Oxfordshire http://bit.ly/W5xPOt 

Five takeaways from Techcircle Payments and Loyalty Forum 2013 http://bit.ly/W5xvzo 

Mauritius: National Transport Corporation to introduce smart card http://bit.ly/VtIJMT 

London's Tube Is Getting 'Contactless' Payments. Could They Work in the U.S.? http://bit.ly/VqOv1M 

Sydney's Opal smartcard more advanced than Oyster: NSW http://bit.ly/V3I2YG 

Other News & Opinion Articles

4G, NFC, Security, New Form Factors, and Connected Consumer Devices to Overcome Slowdown in SIM Card Market Growth http://bit.ly/W5yRKr 

DoubleBeam completes m-payment integration with IBM's ACE POS System http://bit.ly/W5yLlO 

Yankee Group: A Year in Review: Mobile Transactions Show Promise http://bit.ly/W5yIqg 

Corporate mobile payments to reduce cost of 'cash sales by 20%,' says new whitepaper from Mobile Money Consulting http://prn.to/WsKXLQ 

Payleven Takes A ‘High Single-Digit Million Dollar’ Round Led By A Mystery Investor http://tcrn.ch/V3Hwda 

Dear Readers,

If I were more cynical than I already am, I could be making a claim that last week was an example of 'how the mighty have fallen'. I am referring to the the news that Google Wallet has undergone an update with improvements to the interface, application stability and battery life. Yet if you were surprised by this update or are hearing it for the first time or have read next-to-nothing on this piece of news – then I rest my case. From supposed heavyweight 'driver' of the exploding mobile payment industry to barely a mention and even then to a bit of a moan (http://bit.ly/VtXumm), Google doesn't seem to be leading from the front any more. At least in column inches.

No. All the column inches were well and truly aimed at the kid at the back of the class, studying twice as hard as everyone else in the hope that he gets to graduate. I am talking about Research In Motion (RIM). No, sorry, not RIM any more - they've changed their name to BlackBerry in order to keep a unified brand. More importantly though, they have introduced two new phones with the new BlackBerry 10 system. The Q10 will remain with a physical keyboard while the Z10 will have a touch-screen keyboard. Both machines will support NFC, although, despite indications that NFC will be used, BlackBerry has refused to comment further on their plans for NFC technology enablement (http://bit.ly/Wh4DoA). Well, let's just see if they can get through the next six months first, shall we? See – a piece about Blackberry and I never once mentioned that it was 'make-or-break' for the company. …Oh.

A possible catch-all phrase for successful mobile payments implementations could be 'app and mortar'. A play on the wording from early days of the internet - 'bricks and clicks - it describes the challenge between online and physical retailers. A new report out by mobile analytics company Flurry has shown that the term 'app and mortar' is highly relevant in today's shopping environment and that the winners are physical retailers (http://bit.ly/W8fGj9). Specifically, their findings suggest that retailers make more sales if they develop apps that help their customers make buying decisions, stay loyal and make purchasing easier.

In this editorial I have railed against and moaned about those retailers who have yet to incorporate mobile and NFC technology into their marketing efforts for customer attraction and retention. This, we say with perceived wisdom, is the 'real' reason mobile payments are not exploding quicker. Others, though, have pointed to the almost dizzying array of mobile wallets and payment technologies out there today - all trying to achieve that all important dominate first position, with their hardware/software as prime focus. Retailers, we are told, will adopt these payment options later. 

We are, however, starting to see companies who are developing complete payment platforms that bring the merchant into the fold right from the beginning. Be it NFC or cloud-based technology, it doesn't matter. To them, the act of inclusion of all parties makes more sense both strategically and tactically - and in some cases, financially. For instance, we wrote about SALT Technology this week, who are a provider of a cloud-based mobile payments platform. SALT Technology is developing their SALT Payment Platform™, SALT Personal Payment Profile™, and SALT Merchant Services™ that enable MNOs, financial institutions and merchants to bring branded mobile wallets to market quickly, on any device, and with any payment type (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1hf).

Said Brian A. Bogosian, Chairman, CEO and President of SALT Technology, Inc. “According to analysts, 36% of consumers are ready to make mobile payments their standard payment method today, but the market lacks solutions that make the process easy for them. Additionally, MNOs, financial institutions and merchants strive, at great cost, to make mobile payments a reality in their environments. Our innovative platform and integrated merchant solutions help to make mobile payments a reality for our partners, and for consumers, whether they wish to support NFC-based, peer-to-peer, or mobile browser-based payments."

The SALT Payment Platform claims to bring mobile payment alternatives such as NFC, cloud-based, or even remote QR code-based payment products to market within a fraction of the time and cost required by existing approaches. The company’s solution is reportedly being sought by leading MNOs and financial institutions in the U.S. and in Europe. The first implementations of the platform are scheduled to be in market this year.

And they are not alone in their general thinking. Merchant Warehouse are also looking at mobile payment and retailer specific mobile loyalty apps. In their view, technologies such as mobile, NFC, QR codes and EMV are driving commerce forward, often faster than merchants can keep up. Therefore the recent announcement of The Genius Customer Engagement Platform™ available for the U.S. market (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1j3). Genius is a software platform that lets merchants accept any kind of payment, discount or loyalty program within a single transaction. The goal is that merchants can increase their revenue with loyalty-building incentives and offers that attract new customers and retain current ones. After a limited trial phase, Genius is now available to any merchant in the U.S. market. The premise, say Merchant Warehouse, is simple: merchants can download any mobile commerce or loyalty partner app available within the Genius platform, such as LevelUp or Isis. As merchants grow and their mobile commerce opportunities expand, they can easily add apps to their Genius platform from the growing collection of third party integrations. I see this as another type of 'App' that will engage shoppers within physical retail outlets and bring forward 'real' sales.

And finally, we also reported that Sequent have released their Sequent Wallet Management Platform, available immediately for phones with secure element technology running Android 4.0 and up (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1j8). The Sequent Wallet Management Platform makes it possible for any authorised mobile app to use any card stored in the phone’s secure element, turning the app into a wallet. It also allows any card to be used in many authorised wallets, unlocking new value for both MNOs and card issuers. The Sequent Wallet Management Platform tracks which wallets are authorised to use each credential in the secure element, while protecting the secure element from use by unauthorised apps.

This type of approach appears to go down well with industry analysts. Nick Holland, Principal Analyst at Yankee Group, says “The question of wallet ownership has been a significant challenge to acceptance of mobile payments. Consumers want to be able to choose which wallets, and how many wallets, they want on their phones."

I think the thread that is running through this week's editorial is that it is  becoming harder and harder to go to work on your mobile wallet in isolation and certainly next to impossible if you do not involve the merchants and their requirement for loyalty or in-store apps right at the beginning. Just as consumers want an all-encompassing choice when purchasing, they also want the same feeling when dipping into their wallets. Perhaps it's the platform and partners that matter more than the technology and the issuer? 

If this past week is the shape of things to come, 2013 could be all about partnerships and interdependence rather than a specific connectivity technology.
 

Regards,

Steve Atkins

Contactless Intelligence
 

This week on C-ITV

SALT Technology's mobile payment platform http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1hp 

Identive expands Tagtrail with enhanced feature set http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1hl 

SALT Technology secures $2M funding for mobile payments platform http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1hf 

Infineon's Coil on Module package helps secure contactless payments http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1hV 

MIFARE gets an image video from NXP http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1hQ 

Confidex wins ITSO smart ticketing contract for Glasgow subway http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1gL 

NXP, exceet Card Group to provide contactless smart card solution for Scotland’s local councils http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1i0 

Opera and Neomobile to bring one-click mobile payments to Opera Mini http://wp.me/s1Jrjn-4999 

Secure NFC from Infineon http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1ii 

Wirecard supports Telefónica’s mobile payments http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1is 

Juniper says 10 Billion mobile coupons to be redeemed in 2013 http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1io 

Vancouver's Green City Plan to use NXP's MIFARE DESFire http://wp.me/pQLgk-PO 

China predicted to lead the field in Contactless Payments http://wp.me/pQLgk-PG 

Sequent releases mobile wallet management platform for Android http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1j8 

Merchant Warehouse has a Genius Engagement Platform http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1j3 

Payments & m-Commerce

India: Now, pay using Android phone card reader http://bit.ly/1232kc1 

Eximbank, MasterCard installs contactless payments in Vietnam http://bit.ly/1232fVS 

French m-commerce market grows 150% to EUR 1 bln in 2012 http://bit.ly/1232v7c 

Mobile Payments, Apps, & QR Codes Lead Consumer Trends http://yhoo.it/1232CzG 

Mobile Payments: Much Hyped But Not Ready for Prime Time http://bit.ly/1232Bvv 

“App and Mortar” Is One Way to Describe the Trend in Mobile Commerce http://dthin.gs/1232wIs 

T-Mobile Poland mobile payment system users hits 5,500 http://bit.ly/1232yzP 

VIBE Mobile Wallet Launches in St. Louis http://bit.ly/WkayIM 

LevelUp, PayPal and Square Take Early Lead in Mobile Wallet Marathon http://on.mktw.net/WLHUys 

Google Wallet updated with new layout, performance enhancements http://bit.ly/WLIdtl 

Starbucks still feeling a buzz from mobile payments http://bit.ly/WLItIM 

Credit Unions May Gain Mobile Payments Edge with Shared Tech Platform http://bit.ly/WLIs7w 

T-Mobile Poland: 5,500 Registered Users for NFC after Two Months http://bit.ly/WLIpsy 

Non-Banks Take Early Lead in Mobile Wallet Race http://bit.ly/WLIyMu 

Google underwhelms with new Wallet release http://bit.ly/VtXumm 

Germany: Checkitmobil, mr.commerce team for mobile payments http://bit.ly/YDuiKR 

Commentary: Mobile payments in 2013, the future is cashless http://bit.ly/Wh4Acu 

Czech Telco and Bank Launch NFC Payments Service with PayPass http://bit.ly/Wh4zoQ 

AsiaPay and PayEco prep voice mobile payment service http://bit.ly/Wh3P3f 

Google Expected to Win Mobile Wallet Wars, Study Finds http://bit.ly/Wh3BZM 

South Korea: PayOn Service Completes Your Purchase with a Single Tap http://bit.ly/Wh4K3D 

Mobile Payments Heat Up in Canada http://bit.ly/WCgnBM 

Verizon finds it's hip to be Square, starts selling card readers http://bit.ly/WCglK7 

Are We About To See The Rise Of Proximity Payments? http://bit.ly/WCgey6 

TIM Brasil starts NFC mobile payment trial with Itau http://bit.ly/WCgdub 

NFC technology absent in new US Cellular mobile payments launch http://bit.ly/WCgoFW 

In the UK, Will Mobile Payments Go Mainstream? http://bit.ly/WCgtt4 

PayGo™ Announces Featured Provider Agreement With Aclara for Mobile Payment Solutions http://mwne.ws/WChGk3 

NFC & Mobile

Number of NFC-enabled smartphones in Australia to skyrocket 467% http://bit.ly/WCgu07 

BlackBerry Maker Unveils First BlackBerry 10 Devices with NFC Technology http://bit.ly/Wh4DoA 

What IT needs to know about near-field communications http://bit.ly/WLI6hm 

HTC unveils NFC remote control for Butterfly smartphone http://bit.ly/WLHXu5 

MTS launches staff location app with NFC http://bit.ly/WLIxrS 

NFC: How wireless charging can drive nfc growth http://bit.ly/YDumdp 

Transportation, Ticketing, Access, Security & Loyalty

SkyCash mobile parking payments launches in Torun http://bit.ly/Wh4IZI 

Charles hops on the tube with an Oyster card http://itv.co/Wh4EZQ 

TfL denies double-charging bus passengers for contactless fares http://bit.ly/WLIbBt 

UAE: Central Bank and Emirates ID discuss activation of smart card applications http://bit.ly/YDucCU 

Cubic develops sensor-based crowd management system for large scale events http://bit.ly/YDuNV1 

Other News & Opinion Articles

Why I Had To Get Rid of My Contactless Credit Card http://zd.net/11eRuQi 

FIS Advances Leadership Position in Mobile Financial Services through Acquisition of mFoundry http://bit.ly/WCgsFt 

Intuit’s New Payments Directions In NFC, Passbook And Facebook
Revealed In 20+ New Products http://tcrn.ch/Vn84Gu 

Ingenico to acquire onine payment services provider http://bit.ly/YDvZb8 

Hungary: EU invests in modern AFC  http://bit.ly/YDvH40 

AmaTech: Contactless technology for cards and documents http://bit.ly/1232qR7 

TORO opens R&D centre in Spain http://bit.ly/YDuzNI 

NXP CEO: ‘We Know We’re Going to Have More Competition’ http://bit.ly/WCg8GY 

Dear Readers,

I, for one, am looking forward to to our annual pilgrimage to Barcelona this year for the Mobile World Congress. With the congress organisers brining NFC on board as a focus technology this year, I hope to see great things. But perhaps not so many of them mobile hardware oriented. Instead, I hope to see a veritable cornucopia of NFC-inspired objects and accessories that will allow the technology to demonstrate its abilities.

And there are many. In fact, last week there were a few such gadget and accessories stories. First off, baseball caps: Capify claims that a cap is an 'extension of your personality' and as such the company see the addition of NFC tags into the caps as a natural extension. Capify's Robert Wingrove said that "…one of our key features is that people can update the tags in the hat themselves, using a web based interface that is a bit easier than tagging a tag with an app. We will be working with Flomio to develop this system off the back of their NFC Actions system." Capify is aiming at two markets for its NFC baseball caps, direct to consumer and commercial/content partnerships. In the commercial arena, for instance, the company is looking to set up deals to provide exclusive, one-off content through the cap for high visibility brands. "We plan to work with record labels, sports teams and brands to let the cap be the springboard into getting exclusive content and building a relationship with a brand. Some ideas for this would be if a record label is launching a new album they could send caps to journalists and super fans, where they can download an exclusive song from the link in the cap. Or a sports team can update the link with exclusive team news or info, or tie the cap into loyalty at their stadium where they can tap the cap and earn points when making purchases." said Wingrove. (http://bit.ly/YFyZjz).

In another related story, a team of designers are using Kickstarter to in order to rise capital to bring their anti-theft service for tablets, wallets and bags. NFC will prove the items authenticity, provenance and give access to an owners club. The Belgium-based startup Cherry On The Bag has unveiled a range of luxury leather goods that include NFC tags contained within the brand's logo, and is seeking to raise $70,000 to put them into production. The product range comprises a keychain, weekender bag, messenger bag, wallet and tablet sleeves. Prices via Kickstarter range from $50 for a keychain to $650 for a weekender bag (http://kck.st/WxQcfE).

And finally, Miami start-up Flomio has launched a new service that makes 3D printed objects that carry NFC tags. The NFC Custom 3D Printables can be produced from standard '.stl' 3D files, which can be created using three dimensional modelling templates offered by services such as Blendswap and Shapeways. Models of up to 15cm by 15cm by 15cm can be produced, at a cost of US$0.50 per cubic centimetre plus a $4 handling fee, along with the cost of the NFC tag and shipping.

(http://bit.ly/WV3uzK). This looks pretty cool - any takers?

Last week also saw the end of the joint venture between Germany-based Giesecke and Devrient and Taiwan-based Phison Electronics that was created to market microSD cards to store mobile payment applications. The investment, which NFC Times calls at €3m, (http://bit.ly/11AyhIX ) came mostly from Giesecke & Devrient but with €900K coming from Phison Electronics. The intention was to provide secure micro SD cards for NFC payments, initially with an integrated NFC antenna, then later using the phone's antenna over the Single Wire Protocol. But the industry is moving towards embedded and SIM-based secure elements, leaving NFC company Device Fidelity holding the flag for removable memory. The shelving of the plan, which involves bringing staff back in-house and ending the collaboration, isn't that surprising given the way that SD cards have fallen out of favour as secure elements, with embedded and SIM-based options, now becoming dominant.

Isis was also in the news after spokespeople for the joint venture between Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile spoke at a media briefing from the Smart Card Alliance’s 2013 Payments Summit in Utah last Tuesday. Isis Chief Sales Officer Jim Stapleton said that its trial in Salt Lake City is producing positive results from both consumers and merchants. Stapleton said the average Isis user pays for goods or services with the mobile wallet five times or more a week. Stapleton added that the typical Utah Isis customer follows five different merchants using the wallet’s loyalty card and coupon features, and a customer who signs up for a business’s loyalty program tends to visit that business twice as often as a regular customer. Stapleton, however, did not say how many customers Isis actually has to date. Perhaps the reason that Isis is seeing a steady uptake in usage may be due to free fares that users of the wallet can 'cash' in on by using the Utah transit Authority. Isis Mobile Wallet users in and around Salt Lake City are tapping for transit fares with their NFC-enabled mobile phones more than 600 times a day and that number is growing, according to the UTA. Jerry Benson, chief operating officer for the Utah Transit Authority, speaking to NFC Times said that the 600-plus daily transactions from Isis Mobile Wallet users were in addition to around 400 transactions the UTA records each day from riders tapping contactless bank cards. However, Benson is reported to have also said that the contactless bank card transactions combined with the Isis wallet transactions account for fewer than 1% of total transactions on trams, trains and buses. Even with the growing Isis wallet transactions, he doesn’t expect that to top 2%. Still not the success story that Isis was hoping for, I expect.

Away from mobile applications and the big news last week was, that UK banks RBS and Natwest are to issue contactless cards to their customers (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1jC ). Over two million eligible RBS and NatWest customers will receive a contactless card over the next year as part of the bank’s ongoing commitment to innovation and customer service. Steve Rubenstein, Director of Everyday Banking at NatWest and RBS said: “Contactless payments will offer our customers speed and convenience for low value payments, making their day-to-day shopping experience much easier, with all the security and protection of any Visa product.” Mark Austin, Vice President – Contactless at Visa Europe said: “We’re delighted to announce that RBS and NatWest will be rolling out Visa contactless cards in 2013. Many major merchants like Marks & Spencer, the Post Office and London’s buses are now accepting contactless payment as the service becomes a high street reality. We are expecting to see contactless transaction volumes quadruple in 2013 as momentum in this exciting space continues to grow.”

Talking about exciting spaces that are growing - did you see what I did there? - the Contactless and Mobile awards have taken on its biggest amount of entries ever! Over 80 entries to date from all corners of the globe and some of the most interesting uses for NFC you will ever see. From payment apps to loyalty, from newspaper vending machines to NFC business cards, from the Michelin Guide to ski lifts in Texas, from OAP mobility to NFC-based headstones for your grave, (yes - you read it correctly). There have been some amazing entries this year and we look forward to sharing their stories with you over the coming months. There is a still a little time to enter so click here before it's too late!

Until next week,

Regards,

Steve Atkins

Contactless Intelligence
 

This week on C-ITV

GURU POST: The need for hardware-based security on NFC platforms http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1jd 

NFC Wireless wins SMARTRAC NFC tag partner competition http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1kq 

CalypsoKey for NFC door control http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1ki 

Visa Europe, GE Money Bank cooperate on contactless payments for the Czech Republic http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1jo 

New comScore study focuses on digital wallet market potential and adoption barriers http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1jH 

Over two million RBS and NatWest customers will receive Visa contactless cards in 2013 http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1jC 

PayPass growth in Asia, Vietnam takes contactless payments at last http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1ju 

New study includes NFC as one of key challenges for media agencies http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1k9 

NXP and Barcelona Mobile World Capital Join Forces to Accelerate the NFC Market http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1k4 

ShopKeep POS and LevelUp launch mobile loyalty platform for iPad POS http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1kI 

Blackboard expands support to MIFARE Standard http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1kD 

Visa says 'yes' to payleven chip & PIN device http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1ky 

Payments & m-Commerce

Kenya: A Cashless Society Is the Way Forward http://bit.ly/11Ay9sR 

Vivo, Bradesco launch NFC m-payments pilot in Brazil http://bit.ly/11AytI5 

At It Again: Apple’s Slow But Sure Reception of NFC and Mobile Wallet Payments http://bit.ly/11AynQD 

Weve gains strength as Vodafone joins EE and O2's mobile commerce platform http://bit.ly/WXwx8y 

Alipay sees massive growth in mobile payments in China http://bit.ly/WXwRo3 

Survey Says Consumers Worry About Mobile Wallet Security. But Does That Matter? http://bit.ly/WXxHkB 

Google Extends Payout Schedule For Developers By 2 Weeks, As
“New Forms Of Payment” Are Added To Google Play http://tcrn.ch/WXxBcK 

Whatever Happened To Google Wallet? http://onforb.es/WXxdem 

Analysis: Why Starbucks is so far ahead on mobile payment http://bit.ly/WXx2iX 

NFC SD crew gives up: No one wants our safe bonking tool http://bit.ly/WXwTvY 

Sequent Wallet Management Platform Selected by CIBC http://bit.ly/YCuaHJ 

ICICI Bank partners Aircel for Mobile Money http://bit.ly/YCu8Q8 

Isis: Salt Lake City mobile wallet users average 5 transactions a week http://bit.ly/YCuK8o 

Viableware Establishes Mobile Wallet Strategy for the Full-Service Restaurant Industry http://bit.ly/YCuTIY 

PayPal destroys Google Wallet, MasterCard, Square, and Visa in digital wallet study http://bit.ly/YCuRAA 

Isis Seeks to Speed Adoption of Wallet in Salt Lake City with Free Rides http://bit.ly/YFyHJp 

Mobile Payments: The How vs. the Who http://bit.ly/YFySEx 

Commonwealth Bank Working On NFC Payments For iPhone 5 http://bit.ly/YFyOES 

Korea: BD Card Unveils Barcode-based Mobile Payment Service http://bit.ly/YFyJRB 

NFC & Mobile

Capify debuts NFC baseball caps http://bit.ly/YFyZjz 

Cherry On unveils range of luxury leather goods with NFC http://bit.ly/YFyW7m 

Flomio launches 3D printed NFC objects http://bit.ly/YFyUwh 

NFC - The magic touch (from Gemalto) http://bit.ly/11k99qx 

NFC – An Unavoidable Mobile App Technology in 2013 http://bit.ly/YCusy9 

New EMV dates from Visa could have broader implications for NFC http://bit.ly/YCuOVC 

AFSCM reports 2.5m Cityzi NFC phones in France http://bit.ly/YCuMgw 

Gema debuts multi-chip NFC super tag with built-in keyboard http://bit.ly/YCuLsR 

Wii U NFC: 'We'll have something to show by the end of the year,' says Iwata http://bit.ly/YCuW7t 

My top 5 requests to Handset Manufacturers to consider when implementing NFC http://bit.ly/125m7mW 

France gears up for mobile NFC services http://bit.ly/125kBRQ 

Transportation, Ticketing, Access, Security & Loyalty

Passengers fleeced by myki machines cash grab http://bit.ly/11AybkA 

Contactless Transportation and Ticketing Market Update http://bit.ly/WXvfdP 

London bus contactless system charging wrong cards http://bbc.in/WXuO3i 

Xiamen traffic police launch trial of smart parking service http://bit.ly/YCuGFF 

Caen to get NFC tickets http://bit.ly/YFyIwX 

Dubai: Pay by Nol or credit card on taxis http://bit.ly/125ls4Y 

Lufthansa ditches voucher system for Citi pre-paid loyalty card http://bit.ly/125kVzM 

Other News & Opinion Articles

Secure MicroSD Venture Led by Giesecke & Devrient Liquidates http://bit.ly/11AyhIX 

Cubic Board names CEO; makes changes to its Executive Management Team http://bit.ly/11AyxaW 

CreditCall, MasterCard, PayPal, Intuit Outline Mobile Payment
Opportunities and Challenges at Apps World 2013 http://bit.ly/WXwOZm 

SIMalliance Publishes UICC Device Implementation Guidelines for Device Makers and MNOs http://bit.ly/WXwCJC 

Weve appoints former Travelex man to lead mobile commerce joint venture http://bit.ly/YCumqd 

Electronic Payments Stimulate Economic Growth According to New Study http://bit.ly/125kQw6 

Panel: Mobile payments could reach $1 trillion by 2015 http://bit.ly/125kIwC 

Dear Readers,

Did Matthew Hudson, head of business development for fares and ticketing at TfL (speaking at the Westminster eForum last week) just say out loud what we have been thinking for a while? Hudson claims that he is just not convinced about NFC and mobile phones because there are too many stakeholders – with banks, retailers, mobile network operators, device manufacturers and advertisers all fighting for a share of the revenues.

“It's taken ages. How much money is there to make with all these parties trying to get a piece of it?” Hudson is reported to have said, “We've just sat back and said we're not interested. When you've worked it out come back to us and we'll engage.” he continued in this train of though (pun intended) “Who do you call when it doesn't work? It's very clear with Oyster – you go and call TfL. Any other system that isn't clear about where you go will not work. When I'm doing transactions on my mobile phone, who do I contact? Is it my operator? Is it the scheme? Is it the bank card that's linked to it? If it's confusing I won't use it.” He may have a point (http://bit.ly/VjO2Cm ) and if you want to ask him about his comments - then ask him at our conference in April, where he will be speaking (http://wp.me/P1Jrjn-Qs). 

A few weeks ago at the Apps World conference in San Francisco, Nick Holland of the Yankee Group also confided to attendees that "..we're still looking at very low percentages for actual uptake for mobile transactions." Jackie Moran, chair of the mobile payments committee and executive director of federal relations at Verizon even went so far as to say that, ""The biggest challenge with the regulation of mobile payments is the education of regulators. They don't come to these conferences, they're not up to speed. They're perhaps a year or two behind." (http://bit.ly/UWlnDp ) Other issues that created barriers for NFC-based mobile payments, brought up at the conference, included the reasoning that because the regulatory environment is still in its early stages, new entrants may take shortcuts in developing their apps, making security breaches more likely. And when there is a security breach or fraudulent activity, consumers won't know where to turn to for help – their bank, the carrier or the app developer. Or the fact carriers, handset makers, integrators etc all call their products surrounding the NFC ecosystem something different. Some Android smartphone makers call it NFC, but others refer to it by other names, such as "tap and send." This may indeed be indicative of problems suffered by those involved in the mobile payment sector but when it comes to advertising, a little education and exposure may bring about a certain familiarity with the technology in general.

Clear Channel, an out-of-home media company, is to introduce more than 10,000 NFC tags and QR codes to the streets of the United Kingdom during 2013. Towards the end of last year, Clear Channel made the decision to include a new, digital method of advertising into their products, alongside existing methods, in announcing the UK’s first national permanent high street mobile platform for outdoor media. As well as more traditional print-based media advertising such as posters, there will now be a large tag positioned next to the advertisement. This tag is an NFC tag, with the inclusion of a QR code for those devices not yet NFC-enabled. Throughout 2013, more than 10,000 of these tags will be positioned around the UK. I expect after possible favourable feedback, even more will be placed around the UK (http://nokia.ly/XDSLwX ).

Fantastic opportunities for NFC are bound to exist within the social media and marketing sphere. The Cavendish Arms pub in Stockwell, London, has installed a platform developed by LifeSynk that uses NFC and QR codes to promote the venue via social media (http://bit.ly/XDTmi9). Customers scan the QR codes or tap their NFC phones to tags located throughout the pub to pick up a special offer, such as a free drink. When they do, a message is automatically sent to their friends on Facebook and Twitter that says they are at the pub and details current events, such as the band or comedian performing that night. “Asking people to tweet or check in at pubs is difficult, they just don’t do it and also the pubs can’t control or track what is being said. When using this tool, the pub gets all the control and users will follow the steps required to get their incentive,” says Lifesynk founder Mike Gamaroff.

We did a piece on PassWallet and codeREADr last week (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1lB ), that's interesting for the Android crowd who are looking to use the Apple Passbook on their devices. Attido Mobile's PassWallet app has also been configured to allow beaming and redeeming of Apple Passbook compatible passes via NFC — on Android devices. "Apple created the Passbook standard for card, coupon and ticket delivery to iOS devices. My team built PassWallet to fill the gap for the Android platform," said Attido's Andy Nugent. "We then expanded the technology to support NFC redemption on Android through our partnership with the CodeReadr team." “Beaming NFC passes has the potential to eventually offer a fast, secure and seamless tap-to-validate process for passes. As the technology matures and becomes broadly available, we expect consumers will find convenience in a simple tap,” added Rich Eicher, CEO of Skycore (the developers of codeREADr).

And where can you get an Android device? How about in the last of our Samsung sponsored INTELLIGENCE quiz. Regular readers should know the score by now. Read a bit of text. Answer five simple questions. Put the answers in the form provided and press send. Nothing could be simpler. Here's the link (http://wp.me/P1Jrjn-1lq) and all I want to do is wish you good luck - so, Good Luck!

Until next week,

Regards,

Steve Atkins

Contactless Intelligence
 

This week on C-ITV

Your last chance to win in the SAMSUNG INTELLIGENCE - enter now! http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1lG 

Further contactless payment rollout for Boots UK stores http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1lU 

Nationwide to offer V.me by Visa to customers in 2013 http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1lQ 

Online Authorisation to be protected by FIDO http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1lL 

PassWallet & codeREADr now beam and redeem passes via NFC http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1lB 

Membership of OSPT Alliance grows with a wide range of transit ecosystem partners http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1mh 

Nordisk e-handel and Payair enables mobile commerce for 1 000 online stores http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1ms 

First-ever NFC Chronicle to launch at MWC 2013 thanks to
SMARTRAC and Patrick Meyer http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1mo 

Payments & m-Commerce

Using NFC and not even thinking about mobile payments http://bit.ly/UWltL3 

Hurdles seen to widespread use of mobile payments http://bit.ly/UWlnDp 

Nedbank reveals mobile POS solution http://bit.ly/UWnXJx 

MasterCard Reports 700,000 Merchants Worldwide Accepting PayPass http://bit.ly/UWnNld 

Monitise working with BlackBerry & Permatabank on Mobile
Payment service on BB Messenger in Indonesia http://bit.ly/11DjgXQ 

Mobile Money/Payments Market Worth $278.9 Billion by 2018 http://prn.to/11DjL49 

Mobile money firms up controls as fraud rises http://bit.ly/11DjIVK 

How Mobile Payments Will Transform The Shopping Experience http://bit.ly/12x3CrJ 

Thales and Miura Help Reduce the Cost of Mobile Payments http://on.mktw.net/12x3zfv 

eBay CEO Says No One Will Hold a Monopoly on Mobile Payments http://bit.ly/12x3pVn 

PayPal partner Vend not taking sides in mobile payments tech debate http://bit.ly/12x3h8g 

T-Mobile Netherlands says m-payments in development http://bit.ly/XDT1Mi 

Visa eyes 'mainstream launch' of mobile payments http://bit.ly/VjOyjX 

NFC & Mobile

Samsung Puts NFC Stickers In Coffee Bean In Singapore http://bit.ly/11DjDS4 

Near Field Communication – A Game Changer In Event Technology http://bit.ly/11Djwpu 

Tokyo launches trial NFC-based mobile guide service http://bit.ly/12x3PLF 

Apple and the Future of NFC http://bit.ly/12x3Lv7 

Meet your favourite brands at a bus stop with NFC http://nokia.ly/XDSLwX 

Z10 packs Inside NFC chip http://bit.ly/XDT22N 

Clear Channel to Launch Its Permanent NFC Outdoor Advertising Panels in March http://bit.ly/XDT9LM 

Hoverkey adds NFC security to Android apps http://bit.ly/XDT5vu 

Apple Passbook gets NFC — on Android devices http://bit.ly/VjOK2p 

Moo's NFC tagging app hits Google Play, NFC business card not required http://engt.co/12nPPbx 

Transportation, Ticketing, Access, Security & Loyalty

South Ayrshire rolls out RingGo replacing existing Pay by phone solution http://bit.ly/UWlSgC 

Seamless SEQR Mobile Payment System a Success for Public Transport in Western Sweden http://bit.ly/UWmymc 

TransLink’s new Compass Card causes confusion http://bit.ly/UWn43G 

Solving Parking Woes, One App at a Time http://bit.ly/11DjI8e 

Siemens wins Transportation Ticketing Award 2013 for innovative smartcard http://bit.ly/11DjC0A 

The impact of mobile payments on public transit http://bit.ly/12x3eta 

London pub picks NFC for social media marketing http://bit.ly/XDTmi9 

Smart card: What your ORCA never forgets http://bit.ly/XDTyOc 

Edinburgh and Glasgow to get ScotRail Smartcards http://bit.ly/VjOd0u

Transport for London ticketing chief dubious about mobile NFC http://bit.ly/VjO2Cm 

Digital Lifestyle: is the Octopus card on its last legs? http://bit.ly/WMe0Nj 

Other News & Opinion Articles

Top 30 nol card users to get smart phone http://bit.ly/UWmB1j 

AnywhereCommerce Inks Deal with Heartland Payment Systems®
for Mobile Payments Solution http://prn.to/12x4b4L 

Integrity Payment Systems Partners with ROAM™ to Offer the
ROAMpay™ Mobile Payment Solution http://bit.ly/XDTgXD 

Banks threatened by web, mobile payment systems - study http://bit.ly/XDTcHs 

3 in 4 mobile users conduct banking activities using smartphones, tablets - report http://bit.ly/VjOErL 

Visa Launches Mobile Managed Service http://bit.ly/VjOQHm 

Weve appoints former Travelex man to lead mobile commerce joint venture http://bit.ly/YCumqd 

Electronic Payments Stimulate Economic Growth According to New Study http://bit.ly/125kQw6 

Panel: Mobile payments could reach $1 trillion by 2015 http://bit.ly/125kIwC 

Dear Readers,

If you are reading this news review, there is, I suspect, a greater than average chance that you are NOT at Mobile World Congress 2013. Lucky you. However, just because you are not there doesn't mean I cannot keep you abreast of what is happening out here in sunny Barcelona. OK, so I'm writing this on a Friday evening in snowy Berlin and taking a gamble that it's sunny on a Monday morning in Barcelona - you got me. But you know what? I have a feeling that its sunny here. Call it intuition. That and the iPhone weather app. 

However, back to the point. The point being that there have been a lot of companies working together to make this MWC conference an NFC extravaganza. Not least due to the fact that there are heaps of NFC tags around the place. Those tags are courtesy of Connecthings. 

The company is to launch a panel of NFC services within the Catalan capital. Smart access points are installed throughout the city, the airport, hotels and at the heart of the event for the “NFC Experience”, allowing to access dynamic and contextualized services.

To make this new experience possible, Connecthings is building on its AdTagTM platform, a tag and contactless services management solution with unique capabilities. This cloud-based tool allows to optimally and dynamically deliver a wide range of mobiles services on every type of NFC handset: contextualized pages, campaign management, analytics tools and, since the latest release, couponing features.

The Connecthings platform will be showcased in the NFC Centre (NFC Pod 3) of the MWC. The GSMA, producers of the Mobile World Congress, and the city of Barcelona selected Connecthings to provide and deploy a reliable system available to the visitors and attendees. The services launched by Connecthings comprise smart posters displayed throughout the venue and at the airport as well as a NFC tourist trail linking 9 major city sites.

Not to be outdone, Visa and a load of partners are also involved in what they say is the delivery of a mobile contactless payment experience. They are CaixaBank, Gemalto, Telefónica, while Visa Europe will deliver a payments application which will be offered to 3,500 delegates at this years Mobile World Congress.

The app, developed by Telefónica Digital, will allow delegates to make mobile contactless payments using a pre-paid card especially developed for mobile payments, which has been enabled to work with Visa’s contactless payment technology. The card is issued by MoneyToPay, the new subsidiary for the prepaid business created by CaixaBank.

Delegates will experience the service on an Xperia™smartphone provided by Sony Mobile Communications, and using wallet technology developed by Telefónica Digital. The app will come pre-loaded with €15, allowing delegates to make payments at contactless payment terminals across the Fira Gran Via. In addition, the app will allow payments at any of the 16,000 Visa contactless payment terminals in stores, commercial centres and city markets, as well as 700 taxis installed by CaixaBank around Barcelona.

Sandra Alzetta, Senior Vice President at Visa Europe, said “Contactless transaction numbers quadrupled across Europe in 2012 and will quadruple again this year. In the UK there are now more than 2.5 million contactless transactions every month. There is a natural evolution from contactless cards to mobile devices and we’ve seen a fantastic response from the markets where this kind of service is commercially available.”

Just to make sure that everyone is aware that Visa is heavily into mobile and NFC payments, Visa have also announced that they are starting a 'Visa Ready' partner program. The program is designed to accelerate the introduction of innovative payment solutions globally and further drive the global migration from cash to electronic payments. The Visa Ready Partner Program paves the way for mobile device manufacturers, technology partners, mobile network operators and others, to easily navigate the complexities of the payments ecosystem, and to gain access to Visa IP, licenses, and best practices.

“The pace of innovation in the payments industry requires a new approach that ensures innovative payment methods can be tested, approved and commercialised quickly,” said Mariano Dima, Executive Vice President, Visa Europe. “While it is critical that we ensure new payment methods are secure and reliable, it is equally important to allow great ideas to become new ways to pay and be paid.”

The Visa Ready Partner Program is designed to provide innovators a path to ensure that devices, software and solutions used to initiate or accept Visa payments are compatible with Visa’s requirements, which may vary by country. It also provides a framework for the collaboration with Visa, as well as guidance and best practices to access the power of the Visa network. Mobile point-of-sale acceptance (mPOS) providers, and mobile NFC-enabled device manufacturers, chip and platform providers are among the stakeholders who are already playing a critical role in enabling new ways to pay and who will benefit from the Visa Ready Partner Program (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1qb ).

In other news, Gemalto has been busy in Brazil in the field of both NFC payments and mobile marketing campaigns (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1pS ). The company has announced that its UpTeq NFC SIM and AllynisTrusted Services Management (TSM) platform are at the core of Brazil’s first mobile NFC payment program. TIM Brasil, a mobile operator with 70 million subscribers, and Banco Itaú, one of the world’s largest banks, are using Gemalto’s technology to transform smartphones into convenient mobile payment solutions that enable secure, on-the-go transactions by simply waving the handset close to a contactless payment terminal. Gemalto’s TSM platform will enable the secure integration and management of NFC services across the country. Smart move on gemalto's side as Brazil is looking to fully embrace mobile payments if all the press that is coming out of the country is anything to go by.

Not to be outdone and to show everyone how well their embedded secure element is doing, Oberthur last week announced their successful completion of the MasterCard Certification and have received certification by Google for the newly released PEARL Secure Element 800k Classic, a state-of-the-art NFC embedded secure element, which can host the most secure NFC payment applications. (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1pW)

Oberthur is at pains to point out that the PEARL 800k Classic is also the first of its kind to be certified by Google. This allows compliance to Google Wallet to host NFC payment, loyalty, promotional offers and couponing applications which require stringent levels of security. Already deployed in Google Nexus 4 smartphones and in Google Nexus 10 tablets, the PEARL embedded secure element is ready to be integrated into any type of any Android^TM device.

 “This certification is the result of a best-in-class embedded secure element and Google Wallet integration work by joint teams” said Cédric Collomb, Telecom Business Unit Managing Director at Oberthur Technologies. “We are delighted to be recognised by Google as a trusted partner for the deployment of secured NFC services in the Google Wallet”.

Well done to Oberthur!

Finally, this year I think it would be worthwhile to stop by the Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) booth, if their press description is anything to go by. G&D, together with two German automakers and four international network operators, will be demonstrating how network-operator-specific information (subscriber data) can be installed in a customised and secure way via the mobile network at the time of vehicle delivery and later amended if required. (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1oO)

With “Securing Mobile Life” as its motto, G&D will also be presenting other solutions that they consider makes life in the digital world more secure. Taking the example of mobile payment as it's foundation, G&D will be presenting its multi-application NFC SIM card, its interoperable mobile wallet and its TSM service, which enables secure installation of payment applications on cellphones. Further highlights include managed services for the secure roll-out of sensitive smartphone apps and a concept for how to use open cloud-based storage services such as Dropbox in a secure way. G&D booth (hall 6, booth D70).

I also want to remind everyone that this is the last week of the SAMSUNG sponsored INTELLIGENCE and it would be a shame not to have a go at the quiz. Come on, if you are reading this news feed it should be easy peasy/as pie/falling off a log (delete as applicable) for you. Regular readers should know the score by now. Read a bit of text. Answer five simple questions. Put the answers in the form provided and press send. Nothing could be simpler. Here's the link (http://wp.me/P1Jrjn-1lq) and all I want to do is wish you good luck - so, Good Luck!

If we see each other in Barcelona, and you have read this on your mobile device, and you see the Contactless Intelligence team, please say hello and invite us on your booth for a drink! I can pretty much guarantee we won't say 'no'.

Until next week,

Regards,

Steve Atkins

Contactless Intelligence
 

This week on C-ITV

Visa introduces Visa Ready Partner Program http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1qb 

OSPT Alliance bring heavyweight Samsung to board of directors http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1q1 

Oberthur receives certification from Google Wallet, MasterCard for embedded secure element. http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1pW 

Gemalto helps launch program for NFC payments and improves mobile marketing campaigns in Brazil http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1pS 

Orange and Morpho to unveil breakthrough for healthcare data mobility at Mobile World Congress http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1pK 

Wirecard’s card reader added to myTaxi Payment http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1pG 

Paydiant Awarded Comprehensive Mobile Payment and Mobile Wallet Patent http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1pz 

simpleshow explains Near Field Communication http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1pv 

Connecthings 'tags' Barcelona and the Mobile World Congress http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1pl 

Giesecke & Devrient is Securing Mobile Life: in Cars, in Payments, and in the Cloud http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1oO 

Responsibility for UK digital payments adoption passed back to banks http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1nW 

INSIDE Secure increases NFC deployment in consumer electronics with ComboPulse http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1nT 

Galeries Lafayette Selects VeriFone Managed Payment Services Solution - incorporates NFC into future plans http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1nP 

Etisalat and Wirecard present future of mobile payments at MWC 2013 http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1nJ 

Payments partners confirmed for GSMA's NFC Experience http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1nl 

Payments & m-Commerce

Oxygen8 takes mobile payments tech global http://bit.ly/139Dbgq 

NFC Social Marketing Panel Seeks to Shift Attention Away from Payment http://bit.ly/139D9Ft

Isis to Change Wallet Design; Hires New Wallet App Developer http://bit.ly/139D6sZ 

Norway’s Largest Telco and Bank to Launch NFC Commercially http://bit.ly/139D4Bq 

Mobile Payments Getting Ready for Prime Time http://bit.ly/139D2cR 

PayPal takes mobile payment service to Europe http://reut.rs/139CYd8 

Paypal launches chip-and-pin device http://bbc.in/139CSSJ 

Analysis: Contactless cards - are they the future for payments? http://bit.ly/YqJTaj 

Visa Showcases Mobile Payments at Mobile World Congress 2013 http://bit.ly/15xlQ0E 

M-Commerce Is on a Tear, Survey Says http://bit.ly/W4VWKz 

Visa Gearing Up For NFC Launches in UK, Working with Banks and Telcos http://bit.ly/W4VV9w 

mPowa consolidates its m-commerce position http://bit.ly/W4VRXm 

MENA regions calls for advances in mobile payment industry http://bit.ly/W4VPPe 

South Africa: FNB moves towards contactless payment http://bit.ly/Y0KByE 

Australia: Coles testing new mobile payment system http://bit.ly/Y0KyTs 

Banco Santander and iZettle Form Partnership http://bit.ly/15xl0RA 

Visualizing the Impact of Credit Card and Mobile Payments http://bit.ly/XuwaBQ 

MWC Preview: Are Women the Answer to Mobile Payments Adoption? http://bit.ly/15xlqHw 

Trak Taps Growing Brazilian Middle Class with Feature Rich Mobile Wallet http://bit.ly/15xloiW 

How far can Mobile P2P Payments take us? http://bit.ly/15xlln8 

Dutch Banks Form Group to Launch Large NFC Payment Pilot http://bit.ly/15xlhDU 

Belgian firm launches QR code-based P2P payments app http://bit.ly/YqKj0k 

Dutch Police optimizes mobile payment administration http://bit.ly/139Disn 

MasterCard to Focus on ‘Digital Convergence’ as It Revamps Mobile-Payments Effort http://bit.ly/139Dho9 

NFC & Mobile

World’s First Dynamic NFC-Screen adds a new dimension to consumer communication http://bit.ly/YorniM 

TAMOCO Provides Analytics About NFC Use http://bit.ly/Xuw4tT 

HTC One to come with NFC http://bit.ly/XuvY5r 

Tizen 2.0 ships with NFC http://bit.ly/XuvU5T 

Vertu launches luxury Android NFC phone http://bit.ly/XuvSLj 

PayPal sees mobile applications growing faster than NFC http://bit.ly/XuvPPG 

GoMo discovers a NFC campaign that actually works http://bit.ly/WRCchi 

eServGlobal Announces East African Mobile Money Deployment http://prn.to/Xuvz34 

Dominican shops, grocers pay bills through Citi's new mobile payment service http://bit.ly/Y0Ljfx 

China: Mobile payments soar http://bit.ly/Y0Lc3z 

China Mobile promotes NFC mobile payment in full scale http://bit.ly/Y0L6Zw 

Orange launches the "Orange NFC Awards" competition to support developers and companies creating new NFC services http://oran.ge/XuvNr2 

Fiat investigates NFC car keys http://bit.ly/139DeJg 

Transportation, Ticketing, Access, Security & Loyalty

We need Oyster cards in Bristol http://bit.ly/W4VMCV 

A common ticket to ride for NCR http://bit.ly/W4VKev 

Jerusalem: Bus Smart Card Validation Outside the Bus http://bit.ly/W4VIDl 

Orange, EMT complete NFC m-ticketing trial on Malaga buses http://bit.ly/Y0KPGa 

MetroCards now carry unlimited & pay-per-ride balances http://bit.ly/15xlfvR 

India: Transport card shelved http://bit.ly/Xr7xEa 

Other News & Opinion Articles

Square introduces “Business in a Box” to set stores up with hardware http://bit.ly/15xl4AE 

Research and Markets: Emerging Opportunities in Malaysia's Cards and Payments Industry 2013 http://bit.ly/W4VFY2 

PayPass credit cards easily breached by cellphone app: Security firm http://bit.ly/W4VDQ1 

Heads-up, marketers: NFC will do more for you than QR codes http://bit.ly/W4VOLh 

Increasing Demand for SmartCore™ Establishes Identive in High-growth Contactless Smart Card Market http://bit.ly/15xlMht 

Dear Readers,

I didn't put out a news feed last week, direct from the MWC 2013 in Barcelona, unlike many of my colleges in the industry. The reason? I honestly didn't know what to write about. Now that sounds funny doesn't it? Perhaps you are thinking that there was too much to report on? Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the problem is that I felt very disappointed in this years NFC offering, despite the fact that this particular technology was a focus at this year's conference.

Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of NFC applications on offer all over the place, and the companies involved did a very good job. However, perhaps it was just me, but I felt that the industry as a whole hadn't really moved on that much in demonstrating the effects that NFC can have on a complete ecosystem. We've been covering this industry since 2007 and by now I really wanted see NFC being integrated into complete systems and merged with other products rather than being held up as a stand alone technology. There are still doubters out there when it comes to NFC – BBC's technology reporter, Rory Cellan-Jones  (http://bbc.in/YvDWLb ), amongst them - but what I think they fail to see, and what I think is not really being demonstrated, is how the technology can be (and should be) integrated as a modular part of a greater system.

Readers of this newsfeed will know that I have long pointed to retail as being the key element of bringing NFC technology in all its facets (payment, marketing, loyalty, etc) together and being key to establishing mass adoption of the technology. Apparently I am not alone. This week SAP released their findings that highlights the need for mobile wallets and services targeted to be at retail (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1vI ). In its third consecutive GSMA Mobile World Congress survey they reported that 53 percent of industry leaders believed that improving customers’ retail experience would be essential to creating a successful mobile payments scheme.

Survey results revealed that the 'secret sauce' for creating a better retail experience includes location-based point-of-sale offerings (24 percent), point-of-sale services such as near field communication (NFC) (28 percent) and facilitating universal acceptance of mobile payments (25 percent). Less popular services included targeted offers based on consumer preferences and shopping history (12 percent) and integration with mass transit (nine percent).

It seems that more and more companies are stepping into the NFC space and bringing forward services and solutions based on the technology accordingly. During the MWC, Samsung announced that they were stepping into the mobile wallet space with a product, called, appropriately enough, 'Wallet' (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1rX). I have my own views on this but after speaking to management at Samsung Semiconductor, during the show, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the company is looking towards retail as the next big application space that would allow them to pull their offerings together to create something for the NFC eco-system. They are currently referring to it as the 'Endless Shelf' and we will have more this later on the Contactless Intelligence site. However, for now, I believe that they are on the right track in developing a modular approach to a specific ecosystem. An approach that I expect others to follow. We certainly will. So convinced are we that this is the future for NFC technology that we are creating a section on the site called 'Connection' (http://wp.me/P1Jrjn-1rC). We will devote this space to retail over the next twelve months and will no doubt be speaking to some of you as this topic expands.

If you look on the right, you will no doubt notice that we have announced the finalists for this years Contactless and Mobile Awards (sponsored by Visa). We had a far greater than normal amount of nominations this year and getting it down to just 4 finalists per category was really hard. In fact we had toyed with the notion of increasing the number of finalists to five or six but decided that this would become unworkable. So if you are a nominated finalist - well done for getting even this far! We look forward to seeing you in London on the 30th April.

In fact, we look forward to seeing all of you this year at the Contactless Intelligence Spring Conference as well as the Contactless and Mobile Awards. The theme is bringing brands on board and we are looking to hear from some of the biggest names in retail as they speak about life for NFC and contactless 'on the shop floor'. I am sure you will find it rewarding and well worth attending. If you wish to do so, please click on the link here (http://wp.me/P1Jrjn-Qs)

Until next week,

Regards,

Steve Atkins

Contactless Intelligence
 

This week on C-ITV

SAP survey highlights need for mobile wallets and services targeted at retail http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1vI 

Live Gamer partners with Fortumo to expand international mobile payment options http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1vD 

TELUS selects Gemalto SIM to enable secure NFC mobile payments http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1vz 

Morpho supplies Colombia’s first debit card for contactless payment to Bancolombia http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1v8 

ATCM announces NFC reward scheme agreement with MoLo Rewards http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1v4 

Finalists announced in 2013 Contactless & Mobile Awards! http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1tf 

The New York City Library, the Subway and NFC http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1tv 

GURU POST: Security for NFC relies on a Standalone Secure Element http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1sV 

NEC provide integrated e-money through cloud http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1sR 

SIA uses Gemalto's TSM platform to speed up NFC rollout in Italy http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1sN 

Spire Payments acquires Thyron, makes debut in mobile payment market http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1sI 

Clear2Pay test solution validated by NFC Forum http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1sz 

One million payWave cards now in Singapore http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1sw 

VeriFone, MasterCard integrate MasterPass in cloud-based payment option http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1s9 

'Unstoppable' mobile NFC: Infographic http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1s3 

Samsung releases mobile wallet called 'Wallet' http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1rX 

VeriFone and SK C&C team on mobile wallet acceptance http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1rx 

Gemalto's UpTeq NFC SIM is highly visible at MWC 2013 http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1rk 

MasterCard and Orange join forces to deliver leading mobile payments in Spain http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1rc 

MaserCard launches MasterPass while social media study shows confusion over mobile payments http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1r9 

Visa and Samsung sign global alliance on mobile payments http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1r4 

TAMOCO releases official corporate video http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1qJ 

What a smartphone can do with a car http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1qN 

Payments & m-Commerce

Mobile Payments and Mobile Advertising Have a Promising Future Together http://huff.to/XZyNK8 

Key players in the mobile banking revolution http://bit.ly/XZyMGn 
LevelUp accepted at SXSW concessions http://bit.ly/XZyJdq 

U.S. Bancorp Rolls Out Photo Tool for Mobile Payments http://bit.ly/XZyIGk 

Are mobile wallets really in our future? http://bit.ly/XZyGhR 

EMV Chip Technology, Secure Electronic Payments http://onforb.es/XZyv6i 

PayPal, Apple Seen As Future Mobile Payments Leaders http://bit.ly/XZyrTO 

PassKit Raises $1.2 Million, Helps Clients Manage Mobile Wallet Passes on iOS and Android http://bit.ly/XZyqze 

SmartDebit responds to Mastercard study on mobile payments http://bit.ly/16aKxQO 

Mobile payment infringement suit filed against Home Depot by Payone http://bit.ly/16aKvZb 

Pret a Manger sees growing appetite for contactless payments http://bit.ly/13IoMZj 

Expansion of Mobile Payment Solution PayPal in Japan Enables
Growth of Small and Medium Sized Businesses http://bit.ly/10dODHi 

Alaric, Mistral Mobile partner on mobile payments http://bit.ly/10dOljy 

CorFire Provided Retailers with Insights into Mobile Payments Trends http://bit.ly/10dNMGx 

WePay Joins the Fray in Mobile Payments http://bit.ly/10dNFed 

“Mobile Wallet to Launch in Georgia,” MasterCard http://bit.ly/XPPs5Y 

ShopSavvy Partners With Capital One, Turns Its Mobile Wallet Into A Platform For Deals http://tcrn.ch/XPPf2M 

Mobile Payment Platform Wars: LevelUp, Paydiant, PayPal, & More http://bit.ly/XPOV3Y 

Norwegian Telco and Bank Latest to Announce Plans to Try NFC Payment http://bit.ly/XPOR4m 

German smartphone users wary of mobile payments http://bit.ly/15ssDaJ 

T-Mobile Czech Republic offers payments via QR code http://bit.ly/15ssfZO 

Etisalat to launch mobile wallet services in UAE http://bit.ly/15ssd4f 

Analysis: Banks find NFC a buyer's market http://bit.ly/YFKozm 

The Co-op extends contactless payments to 2,000 food stores http://bit.ly/YFHLxH 

Wirecard and Vodafone form partnership for mobile payment services http://bit.ly/13ki6jn 

T-Mobile to launch m-payment service in Macedonia http://bit.ly/13khWbH 

PayPal co-founder Levchin launches new mobile payment start-up http://bit.ly/ZIa4jE 

NFC & Mobile

NFC Smartphone Chip Shipments in 2012 Surge Past Projections http://bit.ly/XZyJKp 

Secure Element Issue Weighs on Airline Industry Evaluation of NFC http://bit.ly/XZyFKT 

Battle Continues for Control of NFC Phones as Samsung Weighs in http://bit.ly/XZyDCx 

Hointer adds NFC to next generation store concept http://bit.ly/16aJZdw 

AccelerateNFC offers funding to startups http://bit.ly/13IoEJ4 

NFC Task Launcher App Maker Tagstand Partners With T-Mobile On Tap Tag App, Plus Other Carriers And OEMs http://tcrn.ch/13IoAJA 

New boosted NFC tag front end from ams enables secure payment transactions on µSD and µSIM cards http://bit.ly/13Ioqlj 

Seos rides NFC wave at Mobile World Congress http://bit.ly/10dOrHZ 

Sharetapes mixes music with NFC http://bit.ly/10dOfIU 

NFC Forum Welcomes Google to Board of Directors http://bit.ly/10dO1l3 

Bike Identificator debuts NFC and RFID tracking service http://bit.ly/10dNBLu 

Bankinter circumvents secure element hassle for mobile NFC payments http://bit.ly/XPPjzv 

Sony to launch 50 new accessories to sell NFC connectivity story http://bit.ly/XPP6wp 

Transportation, Ticketing, Access, Security & Loyalty

Small shopkeepers in UK towns targeted for mobile NFC rewards programme http://bit.ly/16aK7K6 

MTA Implements "Green Fee" for MetroCards http://bit.ly/13IoT7b 

Octopus to widen reach with phones http://bit.ly/10dMwDi 

BlackBerry pushes Z10 with NFC prizes in UK malls http://bit.ly/XPPc77 

Canadian Kiosk launches NFC rewards http://bit.ly/XPP7jZ 

Online accounts: Making it easier to be Oyster smart http://bit.ly/XPP5Z9 

What a waste! 19 million Oyster cards worth £53m lie unused http://bit.ly/15sspAC 

New Tyneside student travel scheme launched http://bit.ly/15ssrs8 

How Parkeon helps the Polish City of Lublin to solve its parking issues http://bit.ly/15sskNl 

Norfolk bus trial to inform government's smart ticketing strategy http://bit.ly/YFHsmt 

NFC Laundry Tag new Near Field Communication product http://bit.ly/X7S4N1 

Gemalto demo turns NFC phones into convenient identification http://bit.ly/15PSoD6 

Other News & Opinion Articles

Keeping it Real - Wooshping Blog http://bit.ly/ZkRc7W

German smartphone users wary of mobile payments http://bit.ly/15ssDaJ 

Cardtronics buys i-design http://bit.ly/XZysHt 

Billabong Creates the Perfect In-Store Customer Checkout
Experience with Ingenico’s Secure Payment Devices http://bit.ly/16aJq3C 

Inside Secure to Cut up to 20% of Its Workforce To Stem Losses http://bit.ly/13Io4ey 

OTI contactless reader receives AmEx certification http://bit.ly/10dMJXf 

Companies struggle to popularize mobile money http://bit.ly/15sstAi 

Redefining easy money http://bit.ly/15ssq7r 

Asian SESAMES Awards Launches New Categories
http://bit.ly/15sskg6 

CARTES Asia: Payment processing gets sexy http://bit.ly/15ssm7V 

Consumers yet to trust mobile banking, alternative payments - report http://bit.ly/YFK6bR 

Dear Readers,

Well, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is finally 'unpacked'. After a highly produced, broadway style ceremony, the phone was introduced to a worldwide audience. However, what we were really after was the chance to finally see what Samsung and Visa had cooked up together ever since their announcement at MWC last month concerning their global alliance on mobile payments http://wp.me/1Jrjn.

During the performance or 'unpacking', Samsung informed its audience that additional payment applications would be preloaded in the next few months in the Galaxy S4. According to the agreement, financial institutions that are planning to launch mobile payment programs will be able to use the Visa Mobile Provisioning Service to securely download payment account information to NFC-enabled Samsung devices. In addition, Samsung has agreed to load the Visa payWave applet onto its mobile devices featuring NFC technology. Visa payWave is Visa’s mobile payment applet that enables consumers to make “wave and pay” contactless payments using mobile devices. The deal with Visa is nonexclusive, and Samsung said Thursday that “more payment applets from multiple brands are planned to be preloaded into the embedded secure element in coming months.” Looks like some companies are betting heavily on the Galaxy S4.

Other payment options are also incorporated within the Galaxy S4. Leaving absolutely nothing to chance, as well as NFC, light based communication (LBC) technology is also incorporated within the device. This incorporation opens up the payment and loyalty industry to companies such as mobeam (whose technology based on LBC is also embedded within the phone). With mobeam’s technology, the Galaxy S4 can beam traditional 1-D barcode data to any laser scanner with no new equipment, such as optical scanners or backend systems, required by the retailer http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1y3. As Samsung noted during this year’s Mobile World Congress, retailers prefer barcodes because they don’t have to install any new infrastructure to support them http://bit.ly/V8scQQ. It will be interesting to see how LBC stacks up against NFC in terms of user adoption.

Oh, and instead of the more staid, corporate video explaining mobeam's offering - they decided to film a musical instead. I kid you not. Watch it here.

Another thing that was interesting to read last week, was the news that Weve has selected The Logic Group as one of its first technology providers to help design and build its loyalty and coupon pilot. For those of you who have been living on the moon for the past six months, Weve is a joint venture between the UK’s three largest mobile network operators (MNOs) – EE, Telefonica UK (O2) and Vodafone UK – delivering a secure, highly integrated m-commerce platform based around mobile marketing and wallet services for businesses http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-ZU.

The Logic Group and Weve technology collaboration will see the company designing and building the required central database infrastructure to support Weve’s first loyalty pilot delivered via a wallet later this year. The customer behaviour insight generated through this pilot will help guide the future development and direction of Weve’s planned loyalty service.  In addition, The Logic Group are also assisting Weve with business development activities around its loyalty services and are providing consultancy around the merchant EPoS environment http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1xl.

In further Logic Group news, they are with Proxama to create a complete NFC-based services offering for its retail clients. According to Proxama, The Logic Group is keen to commence the distribution of vouchers and coupons via NFC-enabled in-store smart posters. Proxama has been chosen to be its NFC partner. It will provide the NFC technology and platform to enable fully branded incentives to be delivered to consumers’ mobile devices following a simple tap on an NFC tag embedded in a poster. These incentives are then redeemed at an NFC-enabled terminal during the checkout process. Subsequently, offers will be provided over the air into NFC enabled retailer apps.

Speaking of retail, don't forget that this year at the Contactless Intelligence Spring Conference, instead of the usual collection of demos, we will be hosting the NFC Interactive Lounge. In this area, you will be able to find the likes of Samsung, Infineon, VeriFone, Ingenico, Giesecke & Devrient and NXP. We will be filming and highlighting the lounge on the various news outlets of Contactless Intelligence so if you are interested in taking space in the Lounge, please get in touch. we think it is going to look great!

And finally, talking about things that are new: we are announcing a new category in the CMAs this year. In what we think will be a bit of fun(!), we are opening a category called the INDUSTRY CHOICE Award. It is open to all category finalists and the rules are very simple. You get as many people to go to the Award page on our site and vote. It doesn't matter who they are, you, your colleges, your boss, even your mother! The winner will simply be the company who gets the greatest number of people to vote for them. Voting will start on the 8th April and end at midnight on the 19th April. The only thing to remember is one person - one vote. Unless, you are smart enough to mask your IP address that is! Forget I said that...

Until next week,

Regards,

Steve Atkins

Contactless Intelligence
 

This week on C-ITV

PKO Bank Polski launches IKO - 'mobile payment service to cover all payment situations' http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1yB 

VIDEO: mobeam. The musical. Really. http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1y7 

Samsung Galaxy S4 – mobeam makes barcodes relevant again http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1y3 

INSIDE Secure reinvents the NFC tag http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1xX 

Invengo Technology Corp. Launches New NFC Product Line http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1xR 

The Logic Group announces loyalty and coupon pilot with Weve http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1xl 

SMARTRAC shows NFC at MWC 2013 http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1x7 

iPhone voice encryption from KoolSpan and DeviceFidelity http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1x1 

Adspace Digital Mall Network, Blue Bite, bring interactive NFC to 140 US Malls http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1wP 

Payments & m-Commerce

Samsung to Support Multiple Payment Brands on New Galaxy S4  http://bit.ly/Z9qNZB 

GoPago Sees History Repeating With mPayments Revolution http://bit.ly/14MwI7r 

Mobile payments are like unicorns... The tangled future of mobile payments. http://bit.ly/14Mt0L8 

PayPal revamps developer program with new iOS SDK, retooled APIs http://bit.ly/14Msixu 

Is PayPal Apple’s solution to mobile payments?  http://bit.ly/14Ms8WM 

Italian Payments Processor Seeks to Launch Independent TSM ‘Hub’  http://bit.ly/14Ms75r 

Dutch retailers get cashless 'thank you http://bit.ly/14Mx12a 

Adelante and Anderson Zaks team up on mobile payments http://bit.ly/14MwQnJ 

FTC urges transparent, secure mobile payment systems http://reut.rs/14MwNIh 

Banks have a new competitor — it’s in your pocket http://bit.ly/X26VVR 

Paylife rolls out contactless payments for Austrian bakery http://bit.ly/X2auer 

New Report: Mobile and Alternative Payments in Canada http://bit.ly/X278rV 

NAB blows Kiss to mobile payments competitors  http://bit.ly/Yaj4Is 

MTN revisits mobile money space http://bit.ly/YajO03 

The Mobile Wallets Race: Placing Multiple Bets  http://bit.ly/YajMp3 

Samsung launches NFC m-payments pilot in Zaragoza  http://bit.ly/YakhPS 

Telcos losing mind-share in mobile wallet race http://bit.ly/ZBYq3T 

Natwest and RBS launch mobile payment app http://bit.ly/Wp7prN

PayPal Acquires Mobile App Development Studio Duff Research To Work On Its Mobile And Digital Wallet http://tcrn.ch/ZBYGQC 

76 per cent of UK smartphone users haven't made a mobile payment  http://bit.ly/ZBYKQa 

Mobile payments from Western Union make it easier to pay the bills  http://bit.ly/Z9rjqr 
 

NFC & Mobile

Apple iPhone 5S to feature NFC, fingerprint recognition technology? http://bit.ly/ZF8gDB 

More NFC applications needed to drive mobile wallet revolution http://bit.ly/X271MZ 

Wolfsoniana Museum adds NFC tags to exhibits  http://bit.ly/YakaUu 

SuperBeam pairs NFC and WiFi  http://bit.ly/Yak7bd 

EMT pushes NFC in Estonia http://bit.ly/Yak67j 

Pokemon Rumble U' to support NFC with a new toy line http://bit.ly/ZBYeBS 

A smart move with NFC http://bit.ly/ZBYOiS 

NFC Devices, Strategies, and Form Factors: Update and Roadmap: ABI Report http://bit.ly/Z9qWMH 
 

Transportation, Ticketing, Access, Security & Loyalty

IATA to report on NFC for airlines http://bit.ly/YajuhT 

Certified Payment Processing Adds Mobile to Proxima Product Line http://bit.ly/Yakgvx 

Samsung promotes Galaxy Note II with NFC campaign  http://bit.ly/YakcM8 

ABI report: Transportation Ticketing Standards – CiPurse, MiFare, Calypso & FeliCa http://bit.ly/Z9qHRM 

PayPal launches iPad point-of-sale device  http://bit.ly/Z9qCxs 

10,000 NFC ad panels go live across the UK http://bit.ly/Z9mddN 

Smart Card Alliance Continues Webinar Series on Mobile and NFC Security with 'Secure Elements 101' http://bit.ly/Z9qRss 

Other News & Opinion Articles

Finalists: 2013 Contactless & Mobile Awards  http://bit.ly/Z9rrXb 

Identive Selected as Contactless & Mobile Awards Finalist  http://bit.ly/Z9rnXe 

Intuit launches UK chip and PIN mobile card reader  http://bit.ly/ZBYTTY 

WINCOR NIXDORF: Connecting the mobile money ecosystem and the cash world  http://bit.ly/ZBYRLB 

QR codes scanning apps present on 32 percent of German smartphones  http://bit.ly/ZBYPmW 

Midcounties Co-operative Upgrades to Contactless and Point-to-Point Encryption with TNSPay http://bit.ly/Yan37L 

Students Develop Secure New Procedure for Online Banking  http://bit.ly/YakqD7 

1 in 4 Tablet Users to Pay Bills via Their Devices by 2017, Juniper Report Finds http://bit.ly/YakbYB 

Estonian Based Mobile Payments Company Fortumo Raises $10
Million From Intel Capital And Greycroft http://bit.ly/14MwKfM 

WalletBit Founders Come Out With New and Improved Platform BIPS http://bit.ly/14Mx1PT 

Retailer sues Visa over data breach penalties  http://bit.ly/Yaj3nO 

Mobile Money: A Technology Game-Changer for Tackling Global Poverty?  http://bit.ly/YajheO 

Layar introduces update to augmented reality application http://bit.ly/Yaj9fh 

Mobile Wallet Market - Global Forecast, Market Share, Size, Growth and Industry Analysis, 2012 - 2018 http://bit.ly/ZBYEYW 

UGANDA: Mobile money deals hit Shs11 trillion in four years http://bit.ly/ZBYy3m 

Global mobile money adoption will be slow process  http://zd.net/Z9qMF6 

Redefining easy money http://bit.ly/15ssq7r 

Asian SESAMES Awards Launches New Categories
http://bit.ly/15sskg6 

CARTES Asia: Payment processing gets sexy http://bit.ly/15ssm7V 

Consumers yet to trust mobile banking, alternative payments - report http://bit.ly/YFK6bR 

Dear Readers,

Various MNOs went out of their way last week to remind us just how well they were doing in countries adopting contactless and mobile payments. Turkcell is successful in Turkey with their mobile wallet service, for example, and T-Mobile is also doing very well in the Czech Republic with their m-payment service.

“Recently, we have seen increased interest of both customers and vendors in using the m-payment service. A year-on-year increase of 111% is a very nice figure indeed,” said Milan Haba, Vice President Category & Product Management at T-Mobile, adding, “People particularly appreciate the convenience offered by payments for purchases via mobile telephones. We believe that in the near future we will be able to further extend the payment options, for example using NFC technology.”

Not to be outdone, Turkcell's management also reminded us that, with the aid of Garanti Bank and MasterCard, they have had their own mobile payment system, Turkcell Cüzdan (Turkish for “wallet”) since October 2012. So far, they say,  they have reached almost a million customers and 400,000 credit cards are linked to their customers mobile wallets. Those figures indicate that the project appears to be running ahead of expectations. Cenk Bayrakdar, the former CTO of Turkcell was reported late last year to have said, “We hope to activate 500,000 users by the end of the year and we hope to have two million active users by the end of 2013.”

Of course, Turkey is well known as a hotbed of contactless and mobile payments but new quarterly figures, published by BKM (Interbank Card Center of Turkey), show just how well they are doing in the area of contactless card payments. Dr. Soner Canko, CEO of BKM, is reported to have said that, "the number of contactless cards had reached to 6.3 million in 2011 from 3.4 million in 2010 and now it reached to 10.3 million in 2012 following 61% increase. 1.4 million of them are prepaid debit cards whereas remaining 8.9 million are credit cards. It is possible to make contactless payments with 16% of 54 million credit cards that we use today." Further figures contained within the report show a very promising figure for the region in terms of contactless card usage and penetration. The volume for contactless cards has increased by 243% and has reached €50 million. Transactions with contactless cards, the total amount of which was 19 million Euro in 2011, have reached to 63 million Euro in 2012. When the distribution of contactless payments was further examined, it was found that two distinct areas took the lead. Supermarkets, of which 67% of the total amount of shopping was made with contactless cards, followed by dining payments, in at 14%. 

This wasn't the only time we came across the magic number of 67% last week. That percentage figure cropped up again in another report by Strategy Analytics in their consumer survey,  conducted in the US, UK and China. The survey showed that smartphone owners were much more likely than feature phone owners to use their devices either while shopping or for shopping. Usage at home demonstrated that smartphones are frequently used for research on products. Sixty one percent of smartphone owners use the device for shopping at home. Usage while out and about shows a very similar pattern to usage at home, although slightly more users overall have used their smartphone while out and about (67 percent compared to 61 percent). The least popular shopping activity on all devices is the actual point of purchase itself. Big difference between cards and mobiles then...

However, as the readers who are attending our conference 'Bringing Brands on Board' on the 30th April (click here for details) know, it is imperative that potential mobile payment makers become familiar with NFC and contactless technology. This is best done through a close relationship with agencies who then suggest incorporating the benefits of mobile into their clients campaigns. Weve seem to have gotten the message and have started the process last week with a breakfast at Ronnie Scotts in London.

Vodafone, O2 and EE sent their respective CEOs to the famous jazz club, hoping to excite the UK's advertising industry with the promise of SMS and banner deliveries across networks, with NFC capabilities to follow. The event was part of Advertising Week Europe, and the operators were pushing their cross-network advertising platform "Weve". Eventually, it will host pay-by-tap vouchers and cards based on NFC, but it is already powering SMS campaigns targeted on the location and profile of the 15 million customers who've opted in to receive messages. The operators are hoping that it will become the default platform for mobile advertising in the UK, and, eventually, the world. Next up will be video messaging and banner adverts on operator portals, followed by vouchers using NFC and, eventually, NFC payment applications such as credit cards and Oyster-style ticketing.

It is a good move on Weve's part to get agencies ready for even more NFC enabled phones. After all, the market looks very buoyant at the moment. Well, perhaps not for everyone. But NXP certainly had a good year: They shipped 125m NFC chips for smartphones and tablets in 2012, beating previous projections. The chip maker's figures received a boost when Samsung shipped 40m Galaxy S III smartphones equipped with NXP chips in the final six months of the year. Samsung is, however, believed to be using Broadcom NFC technology in the new Galaxy S4. The switch to the Broadcom NFC controller paired with the ST33 embedded smart card chip could be seen as a big loss for NXP, which had supplied Samsung with all of its NFC technology until recently. That includes the 40 million-plus unit shipments of the Galaxy S III, the popular predecessor to the forthcoming Galaxy S 4. In a statement to NFC Times, NXP noted that it is the co-inventor of NFC technology and had “known for years that other companies would follow us once the NFC market is ramping up,” said Jeff Miles, NXP’s head of mobile transactions, “And we also believe that a growing market actually needs more than one vendor,” he said. “But NXP is well positioned to continue its lead in this more competitive and growing market.”

Talking of leading a growing market, I am going to use my final paragraph to remind those finalists in this years Contactless and Mobile Awards (sponsored by Visa Europe) that the Industry Choice Award voting will open up on the 8th April (don't worry - we'll send you an email reminding you). It is open to all category finalists and the rules are very simple. You get as many people to go to the award page on our site and vote. It doesn't matter who they are: you, your colleges, your boss, even you mother! The winner will be the company who gets the greatest number of people to vote for them. Voting will start on the 8th April and end at midnight on the 19th April. The only thing to remember is one person - one vote. I can't wait!

There will be no news review next week as we incorporate the Easter Holidays. Normal service will resume on the 8th April.

Until then.

Regards,

Steve Atkins

Contactless Intelligence
 

This week on C-ITV

T-Mobile say Czech customers have embraced m-payments http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1AR 

67 percent of smartphone owners use devices for shopping http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1As 

Swap launches eWallet cloud solution http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1Ao 

Auriemma Consulting Group say mobile payment security is essential http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1Ai 

Atos Worldline is awarded for 'Pay with Finger' solution http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1Ae 

Belgian Mobile Wallet brings in-app commerce to merchants and consumers http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1zG 

Payments & m-Commerce

2013: The Breakout Year for Mobile Commerce http://bit.ly/YlCtWZ 

Africa, the Case for Consumer Goods and Mobile Payments http://bit.ly/YlComc 

Planet Payment Launches UnionPay Solution  http://bit.ly/ZaM0PI 

Mobile payments leaders battling it out in Europe  http://bit.ly/ZaLZLC 

Women bank on cheaper phones for easy payments http://bit.ly/15uRgC3 

Nokia teams up with LevelUp to boost mobile payments  http://nokia.ly/15uR5X7 

Turkcell’s mobile payment system reaches 1m customers, says CIO Ilker Kuruöz http://bit.ly/ZaMchY 

Mobile wallet technology raises privacy, security concerns http://bit.ly/ZaM8yM 

Mobile Payments and Banking - The 'Real' Security Riskhttp://bit.ly/ZaMdm5 

Vodafone Italy has more than 200,000 users of mobile wallet  http://bit.ly/15uRIQG 

Korean banks launch NFC payments service  http://bit.ly/WDwb7F

Cashless in Southwark - but where is my watch?  http://bit.ly/15uS9ub 

Walmart inches toward mobile checkout with Scan & Go app for iPhone http://bit.ly/15uRQzt 

Canada's merchants wary of mobile-payment costs http://bit.ly/15uSop5 

Banco Sabadell pilots NFC payments in Spainhttp://bit.ly/15uT5in 

Mobile payments firm Droplet launches in London with new developer tools and retailer support http://tnw.co/15uSL2Y 

Is NFC Finally Becoming Mobile's Next Big Thing? http://on.wsj.com/15uSEof 

Mobile wallet technology raises privacy, security concerns http://bit.ly/Y37HFT 

MasterCard adds mobile receipt application to Smart Data http://bit.ly/Y37JxB 

Visa chief: Fee on digital wallets seems 'appropriate' http://cnet.co/Y37G4I 

Turkey sees strong contactless card take-up http://bit.ly/Y37C58 

Mobile payments show signs of taking off in US http://bit.ly/Y38ff4 

The New Ecosystem for Mobile: Technology Alliances for M-Payments and M-Banking  http://ubm.io/Y3896V 

Interchange Fees Are For Suckers: LevelUp Hints At The Future Of Mobile Payments http://onforb.es/Y37ORS 

Companies bet on 'mobile wallet' adoption  http://bit.ly/Y38lmN 

Mobile money network targets Pakistan’s unbanked http://bit.ly/Y38iaC 

Heartland Payment Systems® and LevelUp on a Mission http://mwne.ws/Y38gzy 

NFC & Mobile

Samsung Chooses Broadcom NFC Chip over NXP; Embedded
Strategy Begins to Take Shape http://bit.ly/YlCw5b 

Sony adds Xperia SP and Xperia L NFC phones http://bit.ly/ZaLQbf 

NXP beats NFC forecast  http://bit.ly/ZaLQYI 

Lenovo bringing contactless payments to certain NFC-enabled ThinkPads in 2013 http://engt.co/YlCMkB 

How NFC Connects The Real World With The Virtual World  http://soc.att.com/Y3uweI 

Telecom Italia tests NFC food deliveries  http://bit.ly/Y3ut2G 

Transportation, Ticketing, Access, Security & Loyalty

Mobile kingpins to marketing mavens: Bonking is brilliant, wanna try? http://bit.ly/Y37Au1 

Mobile coupons enter grocery aisleshttp://bit.ly/Y37nHd 

New NFC Tag Campaign Rollouts, Partnerships, May Signal Uptake in UK Market http://bit.ly/YlCv14 

Canada: Compass smart card can’t prevent fraud, police sayhttp://bit.ly/YlCJVO 

RTA's "eWallet" makes payment easy for business  http://bit.ly/YlCGJy 

DC Metro Wants Smarter Fare Card, Including FarePhones  http://wny.cc/YlCEl9 

Whoosh! – Parkeon’s mobile phone parking service goes live http://bit.ly/YlCASt 

The Evolving Context-Aware Ecosystem: Location, Proximity & Privacy  http://bit.ly/Y3udRj 

DC Metro Wants Smarter Fare Card, Including FarePhones http://wny.cc/YlCEl9 

Researchers present Inverse Reader Mode concept for NFC ticketing  http://bit.ly/Y3tD5U 

Bill Ford (yes, that Ford) invests in public transit, backing mobile ticketing firm Masabi http://bit.ly/15uSf5b 

The Future of Contactless Payment for Open-Loop Transit to Be Discussed at CARTES America http://bit.ly/15uTj93 

Other News & Opinion Articles

Consumers use their smartphones in-store for research, not payment  http://bit.ly/Y38mY0 

Smart-Card Chipmakers Said to Face European Antitrust Complaints http://bloom.bg/16Jfv2H

Beyond NFC and QR, the next m-payment acronym might be BLE  http://bit.ly/Y3uljw 

Cash or card? Soon we'll be paying by handshake  http://bit.ly/Y3tmQk 

RFID: ‘Contactless’ or clueless?  http://bit.ly/ZaM4iD 

Gemalto Sees Future in Platforms and Services, Including TSM Business http://bit.ly/YlCytC 

FIS Completes Acquisition of mFoundry http://bit.ly/YlCn1n 

Watchdata’s SIMpassTM solution selected as the finalist for 2013 Contactless & Mobile Awards  http://bit.ly/15uRvgo 

Spindle Announces Closing of MeNetwork Acquisition http://mwne.ws/Y37Lp3 

Dear Readers,

I take my hat off to Barclaycard for their April Fools story concerning contactless payment for pets - PayWag. A pet wallet, so to speak. Included with the press release was a smart little video, showing a dog walking around a shopping mall with his owner. Just paying for things, basically. Taking it easy, looking at the latest in squeaky chew toys - you know how it is.

Tammy (a member of the contactless team at Barclaycard) tells us that the system is in pilot phase at the moment and introduces us to a dog called Basil – one of the first dogs who will be testing the payment system. I have to admit, Basil really didn't look all that impressed with being such a trailblazer. More 'what now?', rather than 'up and at 'em'! They should leave the system with dogs, though. Cats are a non-starter for a project like this. A cat wouldn't care less and is more likely to make a break for the border if they know they've got your money. Never let a cat get its paws on your credit card - they have no fiscal sense and can't be trusted. But that's cats for you. Check out the video here: http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1Eu

After writing the last couple of paragraphs I suddenly had this feeling of dread. It was an April Fools joke, wasn't it? I mean - just how desperate do you have to be to want the contactless revolution to take off before even the most preposterous and crap ideas stop sounding preposterous and crap and start sounding 'creative' and 'innovative'? Have we reached that point yet?

Anyway, in the 'real' world, and staying with Barclaycard, the company promoted its contactless payments being accepted on London buses with a secret gig from rapper Professor Green. Research has revealed that the proportion of people using contactless cards in London has doubled in three months to 25%. Of the 80% of people that are aware of the cards, 42% have them and only a quarter have used them. ICM Research first conducted the study in November 2012 and repeated it last month. The results show that 12% of all respondents now use the cards compared to 8% in November. Of those that use the cards, 9% make contactless payments every day, compared to 5% last November, and 28% use them most days, compared to 12% in November. So it looks as though London is moving in the right direction.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business is stating that retailers should be given the right to refuse mobile transactions. The CFIB believe that the next stage of payment evolution would be nothing more than a 'fee palooza" for banks, credit-card companies, payment processors and and wireless carriers. Citing a "breakdown of trust" between small businesses and the payments industry stemming from the introduction of premium credit cards that slap merchants with higher processing fees, CFIB is pushing for 'amendments to the federal code of conduct governing payments to give retailers a choice to refuse mobile-based transactions'.

This is in spite of news that the Canadian market for mobile and contactless payments has great growth potential and is currently 'unsaturated'. Industry researchers estimated that currently just 13-15% smartphone users in Canada use their handsets for making payments.The first credit card-based mobile payment system in Canada was established in 2012 by Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and Rogers Communications Inc., the country's largest wireless and cable operator. Last week, Canada's first-ever mobile-based debit card transaction was introduced by debit card service provider Interac Association in collaboration with Royal Bank of Canada and payment processor Moneris Solutions Corp. This transaction was completed through a BlackBerry (as you would expect). Interac stated that the main reason for introducing debit-card mobile-payment system is that Canadians use debit-card the most for executing financial transactions.

It will be interesting to see if this kind of resistance from smaller retailers will take hold over in Europe, should any 'extra' fees be levied against mobile payments.
 

Talking of leading a growing market, I am going to use my final paragraph to remind those finalists in this year's Contactless and Mobile Awards (sponsored by Visa Europe) that the Industry Choice Award is now open for vote http://wp.me/P1Jrjn-1Gk.

All category finalists are included and the rules are very, very simple. You get as many people to go to the award page on our site and vote. It doesn't matter who they are: you, your colleges, your boss, even your mother! The winner will be the company who gets the greatest number of people to vote for them. Voting has now started and will end at midnight on the 19th April. The only thing to remember is one person - one vote. I can't wait! Go to our voting page http://wp.me/P1Jrjn-1Gk and make your choice - there is no registering, we don't need to know your name, email - none of that rubbish! You don't even have to be associated with any of the companies in the  competition - you could vote just to express your support! So please, vote, get everyone else to vote and let's see who the winner of the inaugural CMA Industry Choice will be!

Thanks.

Regards,

Steve Atkins

Contactless Intelligence
 

This week on C-ITV

Introducing the 2013 CMA Finalists: Competitive Advantage http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1Ep 

Introducing the 2013 CMA Finalists: Mobile Payments http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1F0 

Introducing the 2013 CMA Finalists: Transportation & Ticketing http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1EA 

Introducing the 2013 CMA Finalists: Innovation http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1Ge 

PayWag for dogs from Barclaycard - but is it real? http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1Eu 

Wheels in motion on contactless bus payments says Barclaycard http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1BF 

O2 in Germany looks to G&D for wallet payment security http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1BR 

GURU POST: Evolution of the NFC Ecosystem & NFC Vision http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1Fk 

KFC, Airtag to launch mobile ordering and payment app in UK http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1FY 

From Russia with MIFARE Plus http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1FU 

Payments & m-Commerce

Vodafone staff helping to build mobile wallet http://bit.ly/10hTRip 

Mobile payments: The customer is king http://bit.ly/10hTvZ5 

Global Payments confirms support for V.me by Visa http://bit.ly/10hSRel 

Scentsy and PayAnywhere Smell Success  http://bit.ly/10cKcd7 

Will Professor Green help contactless go mainstream? http://bit.ly/10cK8Ke 

Mobivity, CheckAlt merge payments, marketing for local merchants  http://bit.ly/X37y5R 

Stripe partners with Parse on mobile payments for app developers  http://bit.ly/X37uTv 

Canadian FIB says retailers should be given right to refuse mobile transactions. http://bit.ly/X37enF 

Mastercard's goes digital with e-wallet 'Masterpass' http://bit.ly/X37SS3 

Coca-Cola Seeks to Increase Use of Mobile Phones for Payments and Rewards at Vending Machines http://bit.ly/X37PFQ 

New iPhone Security Exploits Undermine Trust In Apple's Mobile Payment Ambitions http://onforb.es/X37HWR 

G&D and PayPal Enable Top-Ups of Prepaid Accounts in Brazil  http://bit.ly/15PyuVT 

Italian banks commence roll out of MyBank payment scheme  http://bit.ly/15PzkCh 

Mobile Wallets Facing Hurdles To Broader Adoption  http://bit.ly/14uBjzI 

Square mobile payments losing steam at Starbucks http://bit.ly/14uBfjI 

More banks join mobile transfer platforms http://bit.ly/14uB6wx 

Investors in India dial up mobile payments http://bit.ly/101l1dk 

Canadian M-Payment Market Thriving - Analyst Blog http://bit.ly/101kPLb 

Visa hopes for payWave success in PHL http://bit.ly/14uBr2a 

April Fool? Barking innovation set to change the nation’s shopping habits http://bit.ly/101n4OD 

Tap-and-go Mobile Payment: What’s the hang-up? http://bit.ly/17bfUuX 

Point-of-Sale flexibility is key: Mobile payment in the world of retail  http://bit.ly/10uCUA4 

Global Payments strengthens UK mobile payments offering #intuit http://bit.ly/XpnRLg 

Philippines: BPI Globe BanKO, Dorelco team up for mobile-payment facility http://bit.ly/XpnLDq 

Forrester: PayPal Google Wallet Contribute to Digital Payment Evolution http://bit.ly/XpnEYH 

NFC & Mobile

NFC technology based keys can be securely shared  http://bit.ly/X37CT5 

InfoChip adds Sniper device for reading tiny tags with NFC phones http://bit.ly/101LJRW

FRANCE: Metz gets NFC parking http://bit.ly/14uBlaU 

Harvard Medical School develops NFC medication tracking system http://bit.ly/10hTHaY 

Transportation, Ticketing, Access, Security & Loyalty

Singaporean Telco to Launch NFC Movie Ticketing, Though Wallet Off to Slow Start http://bit.ly/10hTLaJ 

Making contact in London http://bit.ly/10cKuQZ 

MTS launches NFC transport tickets in Novosibirsk http://bit.ly/10cKm3X 

Film festival says it’s showtime with NFC posters  http://bit.ly/15PykxU 

No new problems with Presto, says OC Transpo GM  http://bit.ly/15PzcCB 

Three launches NFC marketing campaign in Stockholm subway carriage http://bit.ly/15PyTHX 

Universal Music launches NFC poster campaign in Paris http://bit.ly/15PyAgf 

Domino’s Pizza launches NFC offers in the UK  http://bit.ly/14uB5sl 

Other News & Opinion Articles

Fear and Loathing with the Digital Wallet http://bit.ly/10cKAIv 

JWT Vietnam wins MoMo, Vietnam's first mobile money service http://bit.ly/10cKY9Z 

Can VeriFone Systems Achieve Organic Growth Amid Rising Competition? http://bit.ly/10hSKPO 

‘Nigeria Can Surpass Kenya’s Success in Mobile Money’ http://bit.ly/10hSAbb 

Nigeria: 'E-Wallet Scheme Saved FG N29.7 Billion in 2012' http://bit.ly/10hSuQZ 

NBS Technologies Announces Another Sale of Xpressi Trusted Service Manager http://bit.ly/10hSm3W 

Open Source Mobile Payment Innovation in the Middle East Generates Arabic Language Interface on the Fly http://bit.ly/10hTPXN 

Dear Readers,

It's that time of year again. As we move into mid-April and with only 2 months left until the Apple WDC, we are once again being teased by those 'in-the-know' that this time, for sure, Apple will release a mobile wallet. With NFC incorporated into their iPhone 5S (if that's its name) to boot!

The reasons for this are varied covering old arguments such as the 'they-already-have-the-iTunes-store-and-so-have-credit-card-details' argument http://bit.ly/10MBnnC  to the 'Apple don't want to miss the NFC boat and they have passbook so a wallet is sure to arrive any day now'. The argument that has got me thinking that this time it could happen, is the recent news that Apple are updating their iOS system to iOS 7.0. This will be, we're told, a major overhaul and their determination is to get everything right this time. Remember maps? Apple’s design chief Jonathan Ive is working on iOS 7 and already, rumours are out  that iOS 7 is running behind, and engineers have been pulled from OS X 10.9 to work on it. With a new phone out mid 2013 and a completely overhauled operating system - perhaps this really is the time Apple releases a full wallet experience.

After all, NFC appears to be gaining ground. A recent Dutch pilot in the high end fashion retailer 'Vic' found that NFC tags were more popular than QR codes. NFC World reports that , "The project, which is managed by tag platform provider SenseMe, uses NFC tags and QR codes located around the store and on individual product items. When a customer reads a tag they can be provided with a promotional video, sent to a brand's website to view detailed product information, or offered a coupon or voucher." The store found that customers preferred using NFC to QR codes because they were easier to use. Good for them. http://bit.ly/YnRmN0 

Other news last week included a piece from Transport for London reporting that one million bus journeys in London have now been paid for using a contactless debit, credit or charge card. Around 1,000 new contactless payment cards are touched on to the readers on London's 8,500 buses each day, indicating that it isn't just the same people each week who are choosing the convenience of paying their fares this way. Transport for London say that this take-up is encouraging as plans are in progress for the roll out of contactless payments on to the Tube, DLR, London Overground and trams at the end of the year. http://bit.ly/ZMy8eI 

Attempting to bring ticketing and retail together, Queensland's government has called for a technological fix to allow retailers to reload the state’s public transport smart cards using the same contactless payments terminals consumers now use to make so-called tap-and-go purchases. The government see merchant acceptance as a critical issue in their transport ticketing smartcard deployment because without critical mass, it becomes more difficult for travellers to top-up credit needed to make journeys without risking being caught short of change.The government is trying to persuade merchants that taking-on the new technology is worthwhile and is pointing to the potential for increased incentives for commuters to shop at their locations if they know they can charge-up their tickets. “It’s an attractive proposition with the commercial benefit to retailers of additional foot traffic generated by more than 40,000 go card top-ups daily,” Queensland Transport Minister Scott Emerson said. I wonder if anyone in Europe is thinking of marrying the two spheres of ticketing and retail together? http://bit.ly/ZqkPRu 

Talking of retail, that bastion of British retailing - Marks & Spencer - is taking the plunge and deploying their own shopping app. Following an initial trial throughout May, the app –called 'Paddle' – will allow M&S customers to pay for in-store merchandise with their mobiles. The system will be available exclusively in selected M&S coffee shops, where menus will be compatible with the app. Users will be able to scan bar codes with their camera, allowing them to make orders and payments without leaving their table http://bit.ly/147BbqE . Not exactly a complete mobile payment app but perhaps a start. If I remember rightly, many many years ago, being taken by my mother to an M&S coffee shop, I would suggest that what M&S customers really need on the app is the ability to reserve a table and chairs while they wait in the queue to buy things the old fashioned way. I remember my mother insisting that I was to drape myself over two chairs so that she could be sure of a place when she returned with her coffee and so could have a 'good sit down'. Now, would that would work well as an M&S app, I'm sure.

Finally, apologies to those of you who experienced problems accessing our site last week. Our system was down a couple of times, thanks to the OVERWHELMING response to the Industry Choice Awards! I cannot tell you how many people voted last week, but it was breathtaking! And there is still five days to go. All I want to say is this: If you think you've done well - you cannot be sure! People are actually voting like mad and if you want to win this - DO NOT GIVE UP GETTING PEOPLE IN YOUR COMPANY TO VOTE! Just to re-cap, It is open to all category finalists and the rules are very simple. You get as many people to go to the Award page on our site and vote. It doesn't matter who they are, you, your colleges, your boss, even your mother! The winner will be the company who gets the greatest number of votes. Voting will end at midnight on the 19th April (this Friday). Here is the link http://wp.me/P1Jrjn-1Gk and best of luck to you all!

Until next week.

Regards,

Steve Atkins

Contactless Intelligence
 

This week on C-ITV

Industry Choice Awards – voting open to everyone! http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1HJ 

Introducing the 2013 CMA Finalists: Public Domain http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1J3 

Introducing the 2013 CMA Finalists: Customer Experience http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1If 

Introducing the 2013 CMA Finalists: Loyalty http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1IP 

MasterPass digital wallet launches in Canada http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1JB 

VIDEO: OSPT's CIPURSE: more than travel and tickets http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1HY 

VIDEO: Mobilizing Possibilities with Samsung http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1HT 

Payments & m-Commerce

Brewers to take Advantage of Mobile Payments? http://bit.ly/Zqkher 

China UnionPay and Intel join forces for secure mobile payment http://engt.co/Zqke2a 

Apple’s “Killer App” Is a Mobile Wallet http://tchno.be/Zqknmg 

Apple e-Wallet Will Get a Jump Start with iTunes http://bit.ly/ZqkmPj 

UKFraud sets up SIG for mobile payments sectorhttp://bit.ly/ZqkpdS 

Orange develops NFC app, interactive wall for Paris exhibit http://bit.ly/ZqkLRF 

NFC house buying system promises more privacy for sellers http://bit.ly/ZqkL4d 

VIDEO: Contactless payment: Has it arrived? http://bit.ly/10MACLq 

iTunes accounts with credit cards a 'tremendous asset' for potential Apple e-wallet http://bit.ly/10MBnnC 

Who Will Win As Mobile Payments Go Mainstream? http://read.bi/10MBjEo 

Mobile payments begin at 40 http://bit.ly/10MBhMN 

Rabobank’s Zanaco Taps Mobile Money to Boost Customer Numbers  http://bloom.bg/147B5zi 

Mobile payments trial to start with the hopes of Marks & Spencer http://bit.ly/147BbqE 

DIMOCO Expands Mobile Payment Market http://bit.ly/ZMyCBB 

Mobile payments: The next great debate http://bit.ly/YnP54o 

Could Apple Give Mobile Payments a Shakeup?  http://bit.ly/YnPbcx 

Mobile payment security under scrutiny http://bit.ly/YnRfRN 

eBay’s PayPal and Magento join hands to offer a mobile payment service http://bit.ly/YnRaxu 

M&S to trial ‘Paddle’ mobile app http://bit.ly/YnSu3i 

NFC & Mobile

Samsung adds Galaxy Mega 6.3-inch NFC phone http://bit.ly/ZqkkXy 

HTC includes NFC in Facebook phone http://bit.ly/10MBbVv 

Rosenberg launches new NFC business http://bit.ly/ZMyx0Y 

Vendors Shipped 30 million NFC SIM Cards in 2012, Led by Demand in Korea and Japan  http://bit.ly/ZMyG4r 

Panasonic launches Lumix GF6 camera with NFC  http://bit.ly/ZMyEtk 

NFC Wireless Communication Technology Embedded into Award-Winning Pet ID Tags http://bit.ly/ZMzjem 

Continental tests NFC car keys http://bit.ly/YnP6W0 

NFC tags beat QR codes in Dutch retail pilot http://bit.ly/YnRmN0 

Transportation, Ticketing, Access, Security & Loyalty

Retail therapy prescribed for Queensland transport smartcards http://bit.ly/ZqkPRu 

MacKay Meters Partners with UIC for Contactless/NFC Payments in Parking Meter http://bit.ly/HdP0rY 

The way to use mobile wallets for proximity payments with… or without Mobile http://bit.ly/10MBrUq 

As mobile payments field grows, so do security concerns http://bit.ly/ZqkMoB 

Orange, Vodafone extend m-payment service to entire Bucharest metro system http://bit.ly/147B3Ym 

Contactless payment cards used for one million bus journeys in London http://bit.ly/ZMy8eI 

South Korea to Tighten Mobile Payments Security http://bit.ly/ZMyouv 

Other News & Opinion Articles

Best Apps To Turn Smartphone Into A Digital Wallet  http://on.wusa9.com/ZMyjXv 

OSPT Alliance named as finalist in 2013 Contactless & Mobile Awards http://bit.ly/YnPMLj 

Vodafone includes M-Pesa in Myanmar bid http://bit.ly/ZqkiPm 

Aeroexpress rolls out Visa contactless card processing solution http://bit.ly/Zql6Us 

Infineon’s SOLID FLASH™ Security Controllers Selected by VISA for New GlobalPlatform Payment Cards http://bit.ly/ZqkYUY 

IDC Financial Insights Redefines e-Wallet Landscape http://bit.ly/147B2Ua 

Digital Wallet Race Is Far From Over http://bit.ly/147B12u 

How Mobile Payments and Mobile Marketing Are Converging in Retail http://on.mktw.net/147Bbag 

PayCanada Mobile Payment System Is Available As IPhone and IPad Application on Apple Store http://bit.ly/147BhPd 

Giesecke & Devrient to Cut 400 Jobs in Europe http://bit.ly/YnPBj6 

Emerging Opportunities in the Netherland's Cards and Payments Industry http://bit.ly/XCRBo6

Dear Readers,

My apologies if this editorial appears to be a little short this week. However, as most of our readers will (hopefully) know - next week is the Contactless Intelligence Spring Conference and the Contactless & Mobile Awards 2013 (sponsored by Visa Europe). So, as you can imagine - things are a little hectic around here, to say the least. But that doesn't mean we don't have the time to point out one or two gold nuggets that we discovered in the news last week.

Last week, we read an interesting editorial titled 'What if we've got the mobile wallets all wrong?" by Brian Cohen, who is the EVP and General Manager, Etailing Solutions. Mr Cohen makes an eloquent pitch for the reasons we should ignore all of the technology hardware around mobile wallets. Thus; "The fact is, the current roadmap requires a significant investment for all parties involved. Manufactures and retailers alike must invest in hardware upfront - a sunk cost with a short shelf life. Those who have been willing to invest, like Macy's through Google Wallet, have been left with nothing more than technological eye candy at their registers; an unused screen occupying valuable real estate at checkout while serving as a reminder to innovators that mobile wallet is 'ahead of its time.' Those who have succeeded, like Starbucks, are blessed with a closed system in which they own the hardware and software, a younger and more affluent user base, and a new set of purchase motivators that encourages prepayment".

Mr Cohen points out that the future is in cloud-based payments and that while Google, Visa and others invest millions in perfecting an NFC-based solution, and while wireless carriers invest hundreds of millions in joint ventures in their quest to dominate any mobile payment system that emerges, there's another player who's quietly winning convincingly already. This player may be providing the best roadmap of all. It's… Wait! Perhaps you should read this yourself. http://bit.ly/101Fonm 

The idea of using cloud-based payment systems continues to not only linger but also to grow in the eyes of retailers, especially in the US. Last week saw the news that Wal-Mart Stores, 7-Eleven, Shell Oil US, Best Buy and other big brands are to be served by a new, cloud-based mobile payments system. Their mobile payments provider MCX (Merchant Customer Exchange) has signed a deal with Gemalto to provide a cloud-based electronic payment system and support mobile-wallet apps that run on consumers' mobile devices.

The initial MCX wallet, which will be primarily barcoded and cloud-based, will run on Gemalto’s Allynis Mobile Payment platform. MCX will also use Gemalto’s mobile wallet software for a "rich smartphone application" as well as for development kits to enable retailers to embed the wallet functionality within their own applications, said MCX. Once it is fully deployed the wallet will be accepted at all MCX members, which collectively operate more than 75,000 stores. MCX said consumers will have access to a "personalised payment experience integrated with merchant offers, promotions, loyalty and location-based services".

Talking of the MCX, last week petrol service station company RaceTrac Petroleum Inc. announced that they will join the MCX mobile wallet initiative. Which could mean more gas companies following in RaceTrac's wake. http://bit.ly/11cxied 

Amazon also made the headlines with news that they were also looking into ways to limit the amount of data exchanged when two parties engage in a mobile payment transaction. Participants who want to keep their information to themselves would have to first register with the service, which presumably would be operated by Amazon. They’d then be issued temporary tokens, which expire once a transaction is completed to help initiate and complete the payment. No information about either party would be revealed, with Amazon itself the only one involved with the identity of buyer and seller. http://tcrn.ch/101Flb5 

Amazon have intimated that any payment system would also be cloud based - after all - Amazon have nothing but servers and already offer cloud storage facilities. It would not be a big step for them. As for Apple with their iTunes system, well… I think you get where this is going.

Now, as I reminded everyone at the start of this editorial, the main Contactless Intelligence Spring Conference and more importantly, to some of you, the Contactless & Mobile Awards Show is next week. The votes have been cast and we now know who the winners are. If you want to know who they are - you should really be there. We even know who won the Industry Choice Award and let me say this - I have never seen so much effort go into voting for such an award. Our servers have crashed a couple of times in the last ten days thanks to the voting, so trust me when I say that people really got involved. It was interesting to see that the winner was… 

Well, you really didn't think I was going to let it slip here, did you?

We will not be putting out a news review next Monday because of the CISC conference (of which we have the top 8 UK-based digital agencies attending) but please look out for updates during the day (Next Tuesday 30th April) on Twitter (@KOBN). I really hope that I will see you there, though.

Until next week.

Regards,

Steve Atkins

Contactless Intelligence
 

This week on C-ITV

Merchant Customer Exchange Mobile Platform get real with Gemalto http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1Lu 

Wooshping buys a new bike http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1Ll 

Introducing the 2013 CMA Finalists: Marketing Campaign http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1Le 

Introducing the 2013 CMA Finalists: Infrastructure http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1Mj 

NXP and ALIOTH Drive Smart Card Convergence http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1Mb 

Payments & m-Commerce

RaceTrac Joins MCX Mobile Wallet Venture http://bit.ly/11cxied 

Contactless Payment Solutions Available to Small Businesses from Prodigy Payment Systems, Google Wallet http://bit.ly/116foZb 

Vodafone Spain, Samsung, Taxitronic launch m-payments app http://bit.ly/116fkbV 

Mobile payments service to stem from PayPal and Magento deal http://bit.ly/11cwQN1 

Mobile payment to drive prepaid cards sector http://bit.ly/11cwPbT 

Another First for Turkey from Turkcell: Use of Turkcell Wallet on Public Transportation http://on.wsj.com/11f7XyF 

Amazon Patent Describes A Mobile Payment System That Keeps
Transactions Anonymous http://tcrn.ch/101Flb5 

Carta offers turnkey kit for NFC payments pilots http://bit.ly/101FlYy 

Banks must tap credibility edge in battle for mobile payments market share http://bit.ly/15lvVPL 

NFC & Mobile

Wroclaw restaurant tries NFC table tents http://bit.ly/116ftvH 

SkyeTek Releases Gemini NFC and Mifare Reader Module http://bit.ly/116fr7d 

INSIDE Secure NFC Solution supported in Linux Kernel 3.9 release http://bit.ly/116fDDv 

CheckinDJ uses NFC, social media and Spotify to reinvent the jukebox http://bit.ly/11cxavq 

Two Major Airlines Diverge on Initial Approach to NFC http://bit.ly/11cxjPn 

DBS expands One.Tap NFC payments to all Singapore carriers http://bit.ly/11f7CfC 

German transport operators pick NFC Netstore’s durable outdoor tags http://bit.ly/11f825B 

CUP demos Intel NFC payments http://bit.ly/101FgUO 

PFS picks Carta for NFC http://bit.ly/101FcEr 

It Pays to Go Omni-Channel with YESpay’s Integrated Managed Payments Services http://bit.ly/17rqJGG 

ST Provides Near-Field-Communication Controller for New Android-Based Smartphone http://bit.ly/15lvx3M 

iKaaz launches NFC mPOS reader add-on for mobile phones http://bit.ly/15lvogw 

DeviceFidelity Adds Multiple NFC Patents to Extensive Portfolio, Totalling 40 Granted and Allowed Patents Worldwide http://bit.ly/15lvZPn 

Japanese Video Game Retailer Rolls Out NFC-Enabled Game Boxes http://bit.ly/15lw45K 

Transportation, Ticketing, Access, Security & Loyalty

Virgin turns airline loyalty into contactless credit cards http://bit.ly/15lwPvD 

South West Trains provides passengers with special offers via NFC http://bit.ly/116fik6 

Surprises, higher fares mark SEPTA's new smart-card system http://bit.ly/116fbVK 

Alipay Launches Sound Wave Mobile Payments System In Beijing Subway http://tcrn.ch/116fy2x 

TfL urged to act over £53m of unused cash on Oyster cards http://bit.ly/11cxkD3 

Cash payments on London buses could be phased out this year http://bit.ly/11cxsCt 

Mayor Bloomberg Announces the Launch of PayByPhone in New York City http://bit.ly/11cxrOR 

JusTap adds NFC coupons http://bit.ly/11f7GvU 

Sony Sees Demand Soar for NFC Tags in One-touch Consumer Electronics Devices http://bit.ly/11f7NHJ 

Turkcell Introduces Transit Application with Top-Up from Wallet http://bit.ly/15lwhFO 

Full Walrus smartcard roll-out for public transport in Merseyside delayed until next year http://bit.ly/15lwbOH 

Other News & Opinion Articles

Contactless Payment Solutions Available to Small Businesses from
Prodigy Payment Systems, Google Wallet http://bit.ly/11cx86x 

Still an issue - Mobile money and security concerns http://bit.ly/11cxcDm 

Wireless Key Fob offers proximity arming/disarming. http://bit.ly/11f7NYc 

I&M Bank partners with MasterCard to launch Kenya’s first multi-currency Prepaid card http://bit.ly/11f8e4E 

US supermarket data breach exposes 2.4m cards http://bit.ly/11f8bpB 

PayLane registered as Visa Europe Merchant Agent http://bit.ly/101FzPp 

Vodafone, ICICI Bank enable mobile wallet to tap rural east India http://bit.ly/101FwTF 

mPowa's Early Preparation for Chip and PIN Puts Them Ahead of
Mobile Payment Rivals http://on.wsj.com/101Fs6C 

What if we've got mobile wallet all wrong? http://bit.ly/101Fonm 

Former Hearltand CIO and Google payment strategist Steve Elefant to lead GoPago strategy http://bit.ly/101FBqo 

Visa makes instant person-to-person payments possible anywhere in Europe http://bit.ly/17rqNWY 

Using a digtial wallet http://bit.ly/15lwvNh 

Dear Readers,

Last week's Contactless Intelligence Spring Conference and the Contactless & Mobile Awards were our biggest and best ever! So it would be remiss of me not to exploit my position of editor and publisher of C-ITV to use this newsletter as a platform to thank the very kind and generous individuals and companies who made these two events such a great success.

First, a big thanks goes out to all our speakers and panelists. Thank you for making the day interesting and perhaps more importantly - relevant. CI has always tried to report 'in the moment'. We focus less on future roadmaps, forecasted results and long-term strategies. Instead we embrace what is happening 'right here, right now'. It is only by looking at case studies of actual implementations that we believe the industry can truly move forward - so I want to thank everyone who shared their stories with the CISC attendees. It is more important to the industry than you can imagine. 

So 'thank you' all around for the following people who spent their time to speak and work at our conference; Samee Zafar, John Conlon, Matthew Hudson, Nicky Kaye, Kieran Fitsall, Chris Wright, Christian Lackner, David McEvoy, Jose Quesada, Bjoern Scharfen, Gerry Kelliher, Rob Harper, Raja Ray, Piotr Lubiejewski , Sergio Cozzolino, Jill Nickerson, Tim Daly, Ben Reason and last but by no means least, Rupert Englander. 

A big 'tip of the hat' to our sponsors, without their help it would be far more difficult to put on this event. Thanks goes to Giesecke & Devrient, Infineon, NXP, VeriFone, Samsung, Ingenico and Proxama for supporting the conference and an even bigger thank you goes out to Visa Europe for supporting, once more, the CMAs. 

The 2013 Contactless and Mobile Awards were the biggest we have ever done. It always impresses me that our finalists travel so far to receive their awards. From Turkey, USA, Canada, France, the Netherlands – they all came along to share in the evening. We had a truly impressive cast of winners this year who richly deserved to win. The press releases and social media output on these awards are still rolling out as I write this. Not an hour goes by when I don't see another release on my RSS feeds or roll across Twitter (and I am talking global) - it is truly breathtaking that our little show is having such an impact! Thank you to Wendy Atkins and her team of expert judges.

I would also like to single out a few individuals whose support and guidance helped shape the awards this year. Thanks goes out to Mark Austin, Patricia Brolly and Caroline Hawkett of Visa Europe.

Finally, a big thank you goes to some of the key players behind the scenes at Krowne who host the Contactless Intelligence events. Thanks goes to Karen Brindley from Krowne Communications (UK) Ltd and to Susan Hicks and in Germany, to Veronica Atkins and Katja Wiedner from Krowne Communications GmbH. To Steven Lake, Shaune Fradley and Ruth Davies. And of course, a thank you goes to our chairman of the day - Ram Banerjee. For a single day and evening event, it takes a awfully long time to plan, develop and implement so that all goes off without a hitch. My personal thanks to you all.

That's all I wanted to say on the matter apart from my thanks to you, the reader, for patiently indulging me in this editorial. I can assure you that normal service will resume next week but in the meantime - look out in the near future for video footage shot on the day and for some interesting films to come out on CI, including a film about an Endless Shelf!

Until next week.

Regards,

Steve Atkins

Contactless Intelligence
 

This week on C-ITV

Infineon launches Next Gen. embedded secure element, supports multiple NFC apps on same device http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1RU 

OSPT brings CIPURSE Open Security Standard to NFC Phones http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1RM 

Guest Post: From POi to POS http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1Oo 

New NFC tag orders and deployment of Tagtrail helps expand
Identive NFC business http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1Oa 

Speed and demand drive payments industry, says Visa Europe http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1O2 

Contactless Intelligence Announces Winners of 2013 Contactless & Mobile Awards http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1OP 

Introducing the 2013 CMA Finalists: Eco-System http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1NS 

Watchdata’s SIMpassTM wins“Best Customer Experience”at the 2013 Contactless & Mobile Awards http://bit.ly/10w9csr 

*Connecthings, winner of 2013 Mobile & Contactless Award! http://bit.ly/10w9jUX 

Payments & m-Commerce

Has NFC missed the mobile payments boat or will the industry rise to the cloud payments challenge  http://bit.ly/15dNLp2

Germany: Dortmunder Volksbank launches NFC payments with O2  http://bit.ly/11GIfEW

Demand for mobile payments grows in the Middle East http://bit.ly/Zfx485 

Mobile payments sector seeing a decline in wallet applications http://bit.ly/Zfx1ce 

Is Amazon Entering The Mobile Payments Market? http://bit.ly/ZfwYxi 

Tieto helps MTS Bank to launch a new mobile payment service http://bit.ly/Zfx9sh 

Retailers 'set for m-payments boost' http://bit.ly/11zSLhv 

Mobile payments sparking concerns http://bit.ly/11zT3oE 

Toshiba GCS adds Isis SmartTap support to POS system http://bit.ly/11zT0ZY 

Mobile payments success for banks will depend on credibility http://bit.ly/13u2maW 

Apple CEO Cook: Mobile payment technology still 'in its infancy' http://bit.ly/17VTqM0 

The rise of the low-cost smartphone and the spread of mobile commerce http://bit.ly/17VTwU4 

Mobile POS could transform the American shopping experience http://bit.ly/17VTRWJ 

Australian Supermarket Chain Sees Fast Take-Up of Contactless Payment http://bit.ly/17VTVG5 

Will mobile payment adoption come from a vending machine? http://bit.ly/10w9gbE 

US: Cashless Technology Company Announces Rollout of Isis SmartTap on Vending Machines  http://bit.ly/135Spkk

Dortmunder Volksbank Introduces Payment with Cellphones  http://bit.ly/164YyBm

MasterCard blames carriers for NFC payments delays http://bit.ly/ZrOmLI

Should Amazon Stay Out of Mobile Payments? http://bit.ly/108xeLd

Incentives, m-financial tools encourage m-payments adoption http://bit.ly/18haqj1

NFC & Mobile

NFC Phones Will Surge 138% in 2013 http://bit.ly/11zSKdt 

NFC Israel launches NFC pet ID tags http://bit.ly/11zSWt2 

STMicroelectronics Announces First Design Win for NFC Controller Chip http://bit.ly/11zSOK9 

Jabra Revo headphones get NFC http://bit.ly/13u2yH4 

Creative Proximity connects NFC toys to mobile devices http://bit.ly/17VTviN 

HID Global Drives Initiative for Partners to Develop NFC Trusted
Tag Applications at RFID Journal Live! 2013 http://bit.ly/10w9nnD 

Luxury watches get NFC authentication  http://bit.ly/18h9DP5

French bar adds NFC tags    http://bit.ly/ZZBks4

Samsung to issue new TecTiles that meet NFC Forum standards http://bit.ly/ZrO07Z

Sony to add NFC soundbars  http://bit.ly/YiQVlZ

Vendor Group: NFC Secure Element Market to Grow by Two-Thirds This Year  http://bit.ly/120maCV

Transportation, Ticketing, Access, Security & Loyalty

Clear Channel Mobile Platform: Your Bus Stop Just Got Smarter http://t.co/Zx4miawEGP

Madrid gets NFC bus stops http://bit.ly/13u2APg 

Strasbourg begins ticketing pilot http://bit.ly/13u2CXh 

TfL teams up with policing partners to crack down on Oyster card fraud http://bit.ly/17VTNWV 

Airplus pilots NFC virtual cards for travel expenses http://bit.ly/10w9aki 

German Bank and Telco Hold Small NFC Trial; Larger Launches Planned in Country This Year http://bit.ly/10w9bVx 

Australia: Ballarat commuters give myki thumbs down http://bit.ly/103FLU9

Other News & Opinion Articles

Impulse shoppers be warned! Coming soon to a high street near you... the gadget that lets you pay with a fingerprint  http://bit.ly/135UuNg

Nigerian mobile payment company may give glimpse of the future  http://bit.ly/108xwBR

European M-Payments Startup SumUp Partners With Revel Systems, An iPad POS Provider, For Its Push Into Europe  http://bit.ly/135Uj4v

Square hires ex-Googler to handle global expansion, partnerships http://bit.ly/YiR6O0

Mocapay White Paper Reveals Mobile Payment Security  http://bit.ly/17AY9Vg

Aussies embrace contactless payments as merchant terminals become more widespread http://bit.ly/123AMjR

VeriFone Enables Channel Partner Success with New EMV-Capable, Portable and Mobile Payment Solutions  http://bit.ly/108wSUU

Square Selects Socket Mobile Barcode Scanner for Apple iPad Point of Sale Solution http://bit.ly/ZE5YYg

2 Ergo Wins Contracts for Podifi Contactless Technology http://fxn.ws/Zfx5ZE 

Vendor Group: Contactless Payment Card Shipments Soar in 2012 http://bit.ly/13u2Duk 

NXP Reports Slower Growth for NFC Chips, But Notes Market is in ‘Early Innings’ http://bit.ly/13u2Iy4 

Zooz Closes $2M Series A Funding: Making Mobile Payments Easier Worldwide http://bit.ly/13u2FTc 

uTouchPOS Integrates with VeriFone PAYware Connect http://bit.ly/10w9aRh 

Starbucks counts 10M active mobile customers, 4M mobile payments per week http://bit.ly/123AVDU

Dear Readers,

We haven't covered mobile payments too much in the last month. Primarily because there was very little to report. Despite rumblings of increased acceptance by various merchants, both in Europe and the US, there has been very little in terms of actual news. This week, however, did appear to bring new insights into the state of play for the mobile wallet in general.

First and perhaps most telling was the news that Google's Osama Bedier has left the company after two years, during which time he tried to establish the Google wallet for payment and other mobile commerce services. It has also been reported (from unverified sources) that Google has been making other changes to the wallet team in recent months, including reassigning some members of the contingent in the U.S. and disbanding or sharply cutting back the wallet teams in Europe and Asia. It is not known where Bedier has moved to. Google only confirmed that “Osama Bedier has decided to leave Google this year to pursue other opportunities." The only other statement that Google made, was "Payments are a big part of what people do every day, and we're committed to making them easier for everyone." Google had tried to enter the market and set dominance but observers felt that the company didn't really understand the role that mobile wallets would play in the future. As we pointed out in this news feed when Google first announced their entry into the mobile wallet arena – the company has a habit of 'swinging for the fences' in any market that it enters into and if that isn't enough in the short term, quietly takes its bat and ball and goes home. Is that what we are seeing here?

However, another company that IS committed to making the mobile wallet a reality is MasterCard. Last year, after launching its PayPass Wallet, (now rebranded MasterPass) MasterCard discovered that consumers who had already adopted mobile payment solutions had much less affection for the wallet solution than those who had never used mobile payments before. They found that only 58% of early mobile payment adopters liked the wallet product, compared to 76% of non-adopters. MasterCard found this out, thanks to a social media monitoring tool called Conversation Suite that it developed with Prime Research, a marketing researcher. The Conversation Suite allows MasterCard to monitor social media and blog posts, as well as traditional online media, and respond to those conversations. Marcy Cohen, Vice President and senior business leader of MasterCard’s worldwide communications team, said in the story. MasterCard employees follow online posts about MasterCard on the Conversation Suite’s 40-foot LED screen at MasterCard’s headquarters, according to the report.(http://bit.ly/14Qi98r) Now there's a company who is looking for long term gains over short term, immediate success.

Mobile wallets WILL happen. What makes me so certain is the fact that contactless payments in general appear to be gaining momentum as banks  issue more and more cards. An article in last weeks Guardian (UK) connects banks to their role in contactless payment card issuance (http://bit.ly/18CN1G3). Retailers are also being more open about their contactless payment results. Marks & Spencer, one of the UK’s largest retailers, reported that it had rolled out contactless payment to 644 of its UK stores and said 14% of its card transactions under £20 are contactless. In a statement, Marks & Spencer’s retail director Sacha Berendji said that contactless increases convenience for consumers, since transactions take less than a second. She indicated in the statement that the merchant also expected customers to adopt mobile payment, which would refer to, or at least include, NFC. “Contactless and mobile payment is set to be an exciting part of the future retail landscape,” Berendji said in the statement, adding that “customers are already embracing” the benefits of contactless.

Certainly, this is good news for a major retailer but another entity is set to be the biggest accepter of contactless payments in Europe. It's the UK Post Office. The Post Office has announced that it has installed contactless payment terminals across 30,000 counter positions in its network of over 11,500 branches across the UK. This move makes the Post Office the biggest user of contactless acceptance technology in Europe allowing customers to pay using contactless cards and NFC phones.
 
The Post Office is currently undertaking the biggest transformation program in its history.  It is modernizing its network to make it as easy as possible for customers to do business with it, with new open plan branches, increased automation and longer opening hours. Nick Kennett, Director of Financial Services at the Post Office said:  "We are delighted that through installing these new contactless payment terminals across our entire network we can improve access to our services by making it as easy as possible for customers to do business with us.  These contactless terminals are part of our investment program to improve customer service and reduce transaction times. The Post Office network is bigger than all the banks combined, with over 11,500 branches.  As the largest provider of contactless payment terminals in Europe we are pleased to be leading the way in bringing this technology to the 20 million customers which visit our branches each week."

I can't think of any other institution where the image of endless queues go hand in hand with its very existence. It will be interesting to see if this image becomes a thing of the past.

And finally, interesting news from Netto. A mobile app that allows you to spend up to 150 Euro. The shape of things to come? Read more here  http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1WI
 

Until next week.

Regards,

Steve Atkins

Contactless Intelligence
 

This week on C-ITV

CMA 2013 Opening Video http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1TS

Guest Post: Visa Contactless Cards http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1UX 

Guest Post: Grasp the Mobile Opportunity http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1TO

Guest Post: Mobile ticketing solutions on the rise http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1UT

Guest Post: Mobile revolution hits retailers http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1V0

VIDEO: NearSpeak – a voice recognition NFC-enabled app http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1W1
 

Payments & m-Commerce

Google Wallet Chief Bedier Departs Company as Wallet Continues to Struggle http://bit.ly/10KemBi 

Post Office becomes the biggest accepter of contactless payment in Europe http://bit.ly/13lME34 

Vendor launches Bluetooth-based mobile payments http://bit.ly/13lMB7s

Taiwanese Bank Gets Approval for NFC-Enabled Credit Cards; Okay for Other Banks Expected http://bit.ly/10KdZ9S 

TIMWE and Opera seal agreement for mobile payments http://bit.ly/106lj3r

How Ironic: Verizon Ad Shows Up in Google Wallet http://bit.ly/106lADw 

Empire Brewing customers now able to pay by smart phone http://bit.ly/106lwnp 

More small firms look at mobile-pay options http://usat.ly/106lvjl 

Next Version of WeChat Rumored to Have Mobile Payments and Paid Publishing Platform http://bit.ly/106lqMD 

MasterCard Uses Social Media to Rebrand Its Mobile Wallet Through Real-Time Monitoring http://ubm.io/106loo2

Imagining a Passbook-powered digital wallet http://bit.ly/106lPOW 

Contactless payments: which banks are in touch? http://bit.ly/106lLyT

Pageonce Changes Its Name And Gets Ready For The Mobile Payments Revolution http://onforb.es/11ei8KA 

Wendy's pilots mobile payment feature in its app http://bit.ly/11ei3GA

SmartDebit responds to research on contactless payment usage http://bit.ly/10kp1IF 

Mobile Media Creations (M2C) Announces New Dining Options In Singapore Using The MOGi Mobile Wallet App http://bit.ly/10koXsb 

One penny solution to mobile payments conundrum http://bit.ly/11eivom

Digital wallets becoming more popular? http://bit.ly/18WEjm4 

Blackberry Live to promote NFC http://bit.ly/18WEbCY

UK Retailer Marks & Spencer Sees Growing Use of Contactless Cards http://bit.ly/18WEqOo

Iceland's Valitor trials contactless and mobile payments software http://bit.ly/18WFpy4

AIRTAG enables Magento e-commerce sites to mobilize in native mobile wallet apps http://bit.ly/18WGZ3e

NFC & Mobile

Samsung 3D camera gets NFC http://bit.ly/11eiqRM 

Loewe unveils Speaker 2go, portable Bluetooth and NFC capable speaker available in June http://bit.ly/11eieSx

Mopius translates speech messages with NFC http://bit.ly/18WEYDY 

Vivo Xplay to come with NFC http://bit.ly/18WEUEt 

NFC technology ready for prime time? http://bit.ly/18WERbv 

Doorbell app answers the door with NFC http://bit.ly/18WEKgc 

Google Wallet, Other Mobile Payments Enhance Mobile Marketing http://bit.ly/18WEEW2 

Vendor Groups Release Ticketing Specs While They Wait for Transit Officials to Move on Mobile NFC  http://bit.ly/18WEuh7 

JAL adds carriers and coupons to NFC boarding pass service http://bit.ly/18WEptY

Easy & fast NFC implementation made possible by ams http://bit.ly/18WFv8Z

Voyantic adds NFC tag test tool http://bit.ly/15MN71y 

BaubleApp launches NFC jewellery for children http://bit.ly/15MN2em

Flashiz adds loyalty to NFC and QR payments service http://bit.ly/15MNmcV

Transportation, Ticketing, Access, Security & Loyalty

Caversham 'Oyster card' scheme to encourage walking http://bbc.in/13lMDfx 

GSMA Proposes Global Standard for NFC-Enabled Loyalty and
Couponing–using SIM Cards http://bit.ly/13lMCs7 

Foursquare adds NFC to WP8 app http://bit.ly/13lMysj 

TapBase Introduces NFC-Less Proximity Payments http://bit.ly/13lMA3d

Cleveland RTA wants 'smart' cards in the hands of riders next year http://bit.ly/106lKuC 

Para users shut out of Presto card system, Non-universal system leaves out disabled people: users http://bit.ly/106lEmR

LTC smart-card program pushed back http://bit.ly/15MNU2H 

National Express hailing Dundee smartcard scheme http://bit.ly/15MNIAi 

Vehicle access control at Vodafone Village http://bit.ly/15MNCcb 

Tabbedout adds another POS partner http://bit.ly/15MNzgi

Other News & Opinion Articles

Mobile and Alternative Payments in Mexico http://prn.to/13lMwRc

MPOS under the Microscope: Mobey Forum Launches New White Paper Series for Financial Institutions http://bit.ly/106loUO 

Square, the mobile payment start-up firm, sets its sights on the food industry http://wapo.st/106lD2o

Mastercard’s Head Of Emerging Payments Says Bitcoin Is ‘Just For Geeks’ http://bit.ly/11eitNb

SIMalliance Collaboration with IEEE Brings Mobile and Internet Authorities Together http://bit.ly/15MMRjh

USA Technologies' 2013 Cashless Knowledge Base Tracks Positive
Impact on Sales by Its Cashless Payment Platform http://bit.ly/15MO3TF

Dear Readers,
 

Ok everyone - how's this for a nightmare scenario. Mobile payments takes off big. I mean really, really big. So big, in fact, that no-one carries cash anymore because it all goes through your mobile wallet application, and so on. People are buying their groceries and spending, oh, I don't know - up to 150 Euro (approx. 125 pounds sterling). Perhaps even up to 250 Euro per transaction (approx. 210 pounds)! Wow! I mean really, the future is here and we were all a part of it! 
 

Except that there is no NFC or contactless technology in sight. Not even a cloud payment and MNOs are not involved in the wallet application - neither are the likes of MasterCard and Visa. Oh, and the wallet app works on iOS, Android and windows OS.

Sound crazy? Well last week it was introduced to what can only be described as huge media fanfare in Germany. This was so big a deal that BILD (the leader in Germany's red top tabloids) did a huge article on mobile payments and put their weight behind it. The company was Netto – the discount branch of supermarket heavyweight Edeka, Germany’s leading food retailer with over 30% market share. They have added a mobile payment function to its App, aptly called NettoApp, and is planning to roll out the service to all 4100 branches throughout Germany. (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1WI)

The App, developed by Valuephone, uses a standing order system by the Deutsche Post Zahlungsdienste GmbH. With strong and experienced partners such as Valuephone and Deutsche Post, this service has real potential.

For starters, it is independent of the customer’s mobile service provider – it merely requires an Android, iOS or Windows smart phone. Secondly, registration does not require special security authorization – but ID card number, address and, obviously, bank account details. After the successful registration, it is reported that customers can shop for up to 150 Euro (no 20 Euro limit!) and, after final security checks, even up to 250 Euro.

So how does it work? Well, at the check-out counter, the mobile payment function is activated using a PIN and, after all the items are scanned, the App produces a payment code which is given to the cashier to type in. The receipt appears on your app or under the users myNetto account. Any coupons and special in-store deals are also credited automatically.

Now obviously, there are readers out there that are going to raise security concerns and perhaps rightly so. However, the point that I am making is that if something like this takes off in Germany - it might accelerate mass mobile payment adoption but on a completely different course than was expected. After all, 150 Euro is more usable than the 20 Euro limit currently enforced per transaction. What do our readers say? I would very much like to hear your reactions and am willing to post them on the Contactless Intelligence site. Please let me know.

Also on Contactless Intelligence, we have the impressions video from this years Contactless Intelligence Spring Conference and the Contactless & Mobile Awards. If you were there - you may be in the video. You should probably check it out! (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1Z6)

Until next week.

Regards,

Steve Atkins

Contactless Intelligence
 

This week on C-ITV

OSPT and ITSO to travel together. http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1Xo 

The silent tourist advisor that runs on NFC tech http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1WZ 

GURU POST: The different methods in securing NFC applications http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1Za 

Networks, updates and awards galore at the 2013 CISC and CMA event! http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1Z6 

Netto pioneers mobile phone payments in German supermarkets http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1WI 

Infineon; We know how important Secure NFC is for commerce http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1ZX 

Payments & m-Commerce

Mobile Payments Startup ZooZ Debuts In-Ad Payments (Yes, “Ad” Not “App”) http://tcrn.ch/103kllY 

Pinnacle, VeriFone Unveil New Mobile Payment Solutions http://bit.ly/165AaA2 

Apple's next trump card is mobile payments http://on-msn.com/165A5wf 

Southwest Airlines, Brinker to offer mobile payment option http://bit.ly/165A2k7 

Clutch Mobile Wallet Launches, Promises Passbook-Like Functionality For Android http://bit.ly/165Ahf5 

Pinnacle, NPCA launch m-payments solution http://bit.ly/YStfHI 

Royal Bank of Canada and Bell Mobility Announce Plans for NFC Launch http://bit.ly/YStdzu 

Analyst: Banks Have More to Fear from Cloud-Based Technologies Than NFC http://bit.ly/YStylC 

Blaze Mobile Awarded Three Key Patents for NFC Mobile Payments http://on.mktw.net/YStzG9 

Did Larry Page kill the Google wallet and the reason Osama Bedier left Google? http://dthin.gs/YSttyj 

ChinaJoy 2013 to Help Boost Mobile Payment in China http://on.wsj.com/17tcWnr 

Contactless payments climb quickly http://bit.ly/17tdHgi 

Compass survey reveals contactless payment expectations overambitious http://bit.ly/17tdpWH 

Telefonica, MasterCard launch m-payments service in Brazil http://bit.ly/103kEgt 

Google Is Rebooting Its Troubled Digital Wallet On The Web http://bit.ly/103kq99 

Google Wallet Rolls Out To More Devices – Nope, Still No Love For Verizon, AT&T Or T-Mobile Owners http://tcrn.ch/16Dxf1i 

Brazilian-based PagSeguro, launches a credit card payment solution for mobile phones and tablets http://prn.to/16Dxh9l 

Google Wallet steps back as NFC’s near field future looks far away http://bit.ly/165Asai 

Eftpos Australia picks C-Sam for NFC payments http://bit.ly/YSteDn 

NFC & Mobile

RapidNFC adds NXP NTAG210 to its range http://bit.ly/16DxdX5 

BMW picks Smart-Tec NFC tags http://bit.ly/165AeQl 

HK bank eyes NFC payments http://bit.ly/19riBa4 

Robokeg serves beer via NFC http://bit.ly/17tcNjE 

Chennai Metro investigates NFC http://bit.ly/17tdhX3 

DeviceFidelity’s CredenSE NFC microSD Supports Mobile Wallet,
Identity and Secure Transaction apps on the Galaxy S4 http://bit.ly/17td8TA 

Leaf adds NFC to Android POS terminal http://bit.ly/103kghZ 

Creative AirWave HD NFC Wireless Speakers Now Available http://bit.ly/103kfdO 

NFC: It Takes A Village http://soc.att.com/103k8iF 

BlackBerry Q5 to come with NFC option http://bit.ly/103kiGw 

Findables case turns your entire smartphone into a business card http://cnet.co/103kndv 

Taxis in Major U.S. Cities to Get NFC-Enabled Video Ads http://bit.ly/16Dx32a 

Can NFC Create the Internet of Things? http://bit.ly/16DwXHN 

Transportation, Ticketing, Access, Security & Loyalty

GSMA calls for feedback on NFC loyalty and coupon proposals http://bit.ly/165AleT 

Tamil Nadu to introduce smart cards in MTC buses http://bit.ly/165AwXm 

Danish national smartcard nears full coverage http://bit.ly/YStfaA 

Dubai plans "privilege cards" for tourists http://bit.ly/103kKVx 

Applications open for Apprentice Oyster photocard http://bit.ly/103kMfO 

TriMet to test mobile ticketing application http://bit.ly/103kFAU 

Turn your smartphone into loyalty card with UAE firm’s NFC patent http://bit.ly/16Dx5qM 

Mobile the boost loyalty programs need http://bit.ly/16DxcSZ 

Other News & Opinion Articles

Mobile payments expansion spawning criminal underground http://bit.ly/16Dxae2 

Gemalto survey claims Dubai residents want NFC contactless tech http://bit.ly/16Dx9GV 

Why mobile payments can’t take up all the space in your wallet http://bit.ly/16Dx6el 

PayPal takes aim at Square with free mobile payment processing http://cnet.co/103khT9 

66% of US smartphone/tablet owners faced with challenges at checkout when making mobile transactions - report http://bit.ly/165zB9F 

Groupon launches mobile payments iPad app to challenge Square http://aol.it/YSthzg 

iPayment Selects ROAM to Deliver Mobile POS Solutions to Merchants http://bit.ly/YSthiI 

Square Takes a ‘Stand’ in War for the Mobile POS http://bit.ly/17tcZ2D 

Dear Readers,

The UK's Daily Mail - plus a few other interested parties -are up in arms  by the apparent failure of contactless payments to live up to their ease-of-use and secure payment promises. To make matters worse, the problems that have arisen have done so in that bastion of English shopping - Marks and Spencer. 

M&S must be wondering what they have done to deserve the wrath of the Daily Mail over a couple of 'isolated' incidents. The story, in a nutshell and reported by a number of tabloids in the UK, goes like this: A customer was surprised when she tried to pay by Chip&Pin at her local store and ended up paying with her contactless card. She says her contactless card was further than 4cm away from the terminal when she visited Marks and Spencer in April and tried to pay with her regular Lloyds debit card.