Identity, Security, Payments, Biometrics, Smart Cards and Authentication News

NFC still a ways off

Friday, October 17, 2008

NFC payments finished a distant sixth among wireless providers when asked to rank their investment priorities this year. That’s according to a joint survey of RCR Wireless News and The Yankee Group which found that even contactless payments finished in fourth place. Remote commerce was ranked first, followed by mobile banking, then mobile coupons according to the U.S.-dominant survey.

However, that will likely change next year. “Even though NFC payments received the lowest number of responses for capital investment in 2008, it is quite the opposite in 2009 — 21% of enterprises investing in NFC will be investing in 2009 vs. 13% in 2010 and 2011,” according to the report. Read more here[end] 

Oracle has released a new version of Oracle Retail Point-of-Service that aims to increase security, operational efficiency and functionality in part by integrating biometrics.

Oracle partnered with DigitalPersonal to add integrated biometrics to the POS package. Users of the software will login using their fingerprint, which will replace the need for PINs or passwords. This feature intends to reduce fraud by eliminating the possibility of unauthorized employees using a manager ID or swipe card to access the POS and approve overrides.

read more »

In Europe, the Association for Retail Technology Standards (ARTS) and EPASOrg has developed a new global standard to help accommodate changes in new payment technologies, according to SupermarketNews.com

read more »

MasterCard and Commonwealth Bank have announced the launch of a QkR, a new mobile app that enables movie theater goers to browse and purchase refreshments from their seats.

read more »

Superdrug, one of Britain’s largest beauty and health retailers, has introduced contactless payment for its in-store customers, according to Retail Gazette.

Created by Streamline and Visa Europe, the contactless system will enable customers to make payments of up to £15 (approx. USD $23) by simply waving their contactless bank card at the more than 50 participating Superdrug stores in London and Liverpool.

read more »

Peet’s Coffee & Tea, a Calif.-based specialty coffee and tea retail chain, has announced that it will begin accepting MasterCard PayPass contactless payments at all of its company-owned locations by the end of October 2011.

read more »

Proclaiming its entrance into the RFID space, Honeywell introduced part of a new product portfolio designed to bring efficiency to the retail industry, the Optimus 5900 RFID mobile computer.

read more »