Near-Field Communication (NFC)

Self-service banking has long had a strong reputation as a safe, trusted, and convenient channel. This is a key part of its value proposition to both financial institutions and their customers. While Covid-19 has temporarily reduced cash use and impacted transaction volumes based on the many restrictions large parts of …

Movie theater chain Cinemark Holdings Inc. announced it is encouraging consumers to use contactless payments when it reopens its locations beginning Friday.Curb, a mobile platform for taxi-ride hailing and payments, said the city of Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection is the first client for a new service aimed at …

More contactless payment options are coming for Las Vegas visitors and shoppers who want to make installment purchases in stores. FreedomPay says it has installed contactless and touchless payment systems at more than 100 venues at the Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Boston Harbor resorts. Meanwhile, installment-payment provider Klarna AB …

Key payment trends now being driven by the Covid-19 pandemic were already gaining a full head of steam much earlier, according to debit card transaction data released early Monday by the Houston-based Pulse electronic funds transfer network. Stay-at-home policies and business closings starting in March drove consumers to spend online and …

The Kroger Co. is testing contactless payments at some of its QFC (Quality Food Center) locations. The test includes acceptance of Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Fitbit Pay, mobile banking apps, and contactless NFC cards. Kroger already accepts its Kroger Pay app. The QFC division is based in Seattle.ATM operator Cardtronics …

Sound Payments Inc., a multichannel technology provider that offers point-of-sale solutions for the petroleum industry, expects its partnership with National Retail Solutions, a subsidiary of IDT Corp., to accelerate adoption of EMV at in-pump card readers among independent gas stations and convenience stores. Sounds Payments argues its EMV in-pump card …

Payments provider Lightspeed POS Inc. reported revenue jumped 51% year-over-year in the June quarter to $36.2 million. Its net loss widened to $20.1 million from $9.1 million. Total gross payment volume increased 17% to more than $5.4 billion.Lightspeed also announced the U.S. availability of Lightspeed Capital, a financing service for merchants.Payments provider ACI Worldwide …

Contactless payments apparently have sway with U.S. consumers. Fifty-four percent of them would switch to a new store that offers contactless payments, according to a global survey by Visa Inc. measuring changes in payments habits in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. The effects of the pandemic, and the resulting …

Apple Inc. has reportedly acquired technology that enables smart phones equipped with near-field communication to act as point-of-sale devices with no other hardware. In the deal, news of which broke as the weekend began, the Cupertino, Calif.-based iPhone maker has bought Mobeewave Inc., a 9-year-old technology firm based in Montreal. …

Payments-technology provider Galileo Financial Technologies LLC announced an integration with data aggregator Plaid Inc. Through Plaid’s links to financial institutions, the tie-in will allow Galileo clients to more readily authorize users for automated clearing house transactions. Visa Inc. announced in January a deal to acquire Plaid for $5.3 billion. Social Finance Inc. (SoFi) agreed in April …