Near-Field Communication (NFC)

When Apple Inc. launched its Apple Pay mobile-payments service in October, the computing giant hoped the new wallet would help sell smart phones and banks hoped it would help drive transactions on their cards. Now new research indicates both hopes are being realized, but the risk for financial institutions may …

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is joining the mobile-wallet and payments fray with its expected launch this summer of Samsung Pay, a service that uses near-field communication (NFC) and technology from LoopPay Inc. it recently acquired. Samsung Pay, available on the coming Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smart phones this summer, could …

When Google Inc. launched its Google Wallet mobile-payments service nearly four years ago, it quickly ran into a formidable obstacle: three major mobile carriers, including two of the nation’s largest, wouldn’t let Google Wallet work on their phones. Now Google has finally found a solution, and it’s one that could …

With technologies like Apple Pay and host card emulation reviving prospects for mobile payments using near-field communication, merchants are starting to install more NFC devices at the point of sale. And, more important, they’re starting to turn on the NFC capability. That’s according to a report issued Tuesday by Berg …

In the far future, when someone sits down and writes the definitive history of payments (riveting), 2014 is going to be a big year. Bitcoin reached historic highs but then went sideways. We had the introduction of Apple Pay, which was a major step forward for mobile wallets. The sheer …

More consumers are satisfied using near-field communications (NFC) technology with their smart phones than express the same satisfaction using Quick Response codes, finds a survey by Strategy Analytics Inc., a Boston-based consulting firm. In the survey, commissioned by NFC advocate group NFC Forum, 76% of consumers said they were satisfied …

Payments security is the top concern of retailers in 2015, finds a Boston Retail Partners report. This comes as retailers contend with increased scrutiny of their data-protection practices and a sweeping transformation of the U.S. payment card system. In the survey of more than 500 retailers, 63% cited payment security …

Here’s a resolution that the payments industry should consider: Stop doubting market capabilities and start anticipating currents within the technological wave. With the unveiling of Apple Pay, naysayers are already coming out in full force. However, I’ve spent considerable time in the card-not-present environment, giving me a unique perspective on …

With Apple Inc.’s record results in the fourth quarter, the computer giant appears to be closing in on long-time rival Samsung for dominance in the crucial worldwide smart-phone market. Meanwhile, Samsung is working to catch up with Apple Pay, the highly publicized mobile-payments service Apple launched in October. For now, …

The newness of mobile payments likely was a contributing factor to Amazon.com Inc.’s decision this week to pull the plug on its six-month-old Amazon Wallet. That’s the theory suggested by Brian Kilcourse, managing partner at RSR Research LLC, a Miami-based retail advisory firm. Amazon.com launched Amazon Wallet in July, selling …