mobile payments

Gartner predicts that over 140 million people will be into mobile payments services this year while mass market adoption of NFC payments is still at least four years away.

The forecast says that more than 141.1 million people will use mobile payments services in 2011, up 38.2% from 102.1 million people a year ago. Over the past year the volume of mobile payments has grown by 75.9% from US$48.9bn in 2010 to $86.1bn in 2011.

Yet, Gartner notes that the mobile payment market is growing more slowly than expected.

ANZ started a limited pilot test of mobile payments via NFC stickers and BlackBerry based micro-SD cards in New Zealand.

The bank is issuing MasterCard PayPass stickers and memory cards to staff to test the technology in retail locations. Earlier ANZ launched its first PayPass-enabled credit cards to consumers.

There are just several terminals that accept contactless payments in New Zealand including Westpac Stadium and Eden Park as well as Hell Pizza, St Pierre's Sushi and Corporate Cabs set to come onstream in July.

Verizon Wireless has partnered with Payfone to implement a new mobile payment system for Verizon Wireless consumers. The service will enable users to make purchases online from their smartphones, tablets and PCs using numerous payment methods, including charging purchases to their monthly wireless statements or using traditional payment methods through financial institution partners.

In association with Citigroup and MasterCard the search giant Google is developing a mobile payment system to allow Android phone owners to use their mobile phones as a kind of electronic wallet, reports the Wall Street Journal, citing people with the knowledge of the case.

With the new technology which is still at its early stage of development customers will be able to wave their Android phones in front of a small reader at the checkout counter to make payments, the Journal reported.

Serbian mobile carrier Telenor is implementing a new payment services dubbed PlatiMo to enable consumers to pay their bills and perform other financial services via their mobile phones directly from their bank accounts.

At the moment Telenor in association with partner banks are working with merchants to have them join the network as soon as possible, which will allow Telenor to offer paying utility bills for electricity, cable TV, water, Internet etc. through mobile payment.

TSYS is partnering with CASSIS International to provide secure mobile payment, loyalty and commerce functionality. CASSIS is a mobile trusted service manager (TSM) for banks, retailers, transit operators and mobile service providers, and is globally certified by Visa and MasterCard.

Barclaycard is launching the UK’s first commercial contactless mobile phone payments system in association with network operator Everything Everywhere. The launch is scheduled for this summer.

The companies said in a statement that they are working with the unnamed handset vendor to allow Britons to make low value payments at the point of sale by waving their phones against specially equipped contactless terminals.

Global Mobile Money solutions provider Monitise is launching its first mobile money apps for Android handsets in the United States,

The new applications are based on the company’s Globe technology platform to offer a range of fast and convenient services to users, including account balance inquiries, mini-statements, money transfer and bill payment.

The new apps complement the existing suite of text, secure browser and smartphone (iPhone, Blackberry and mobile web) services provided in the US by Monitise.

Apple is considering to make next versions of the iPhone and iPad to include near-field communication technology. It means that the iPhone and iPad users will be able to make payments out in the physical world. The speculation was reported by Bloomberg, who cited Richard Doherty, director of consulting firm Envisioneering Group as the source of the information. According to the report:

ICICI Bank has entered into a partnership with a telecom company Vodafone Essar to create a joint venture that will offer mobile financial services to a huge base of unbanked consumers in India.

The companies will be providing savings accounts, pre-paid instruments and credit products through a mobile phone based platform, tapping Vodafone's 1.5 million retail points throughout the country to acquire and service customers.

Mobile money solutions provider Monitise has partnered with ViVOtech for offering mobile phone payments services to banks across the United States.

As a part of the partnership agreement customers of participating banks will be able to turn their handset into a mobile wallet (linked to registered bank accounts, credit and debit cards) and purchase items using contactless payments at merchants with NFC capabilities.

UK mobile money operator Monitise has obtained a provisional license from the Central Bank of Nigeria to implement mobile payment services across the country.

Using its Globe platform Monitise will be offering financial services over the mobile phone to the unbanked, including savings, insurance and pensions. The service will also see the first deployment of the Monitise Mobile Wallet solution.

The implementation of the project will be partially subsidized by the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund which has assigned $1.5 million to the project.

 According t the latest report of Lightspeed Research currently we evidence a new mobile shopping boom. 

The poll has shown that 48% of mobile phone users had made a purchase via their mobile phone. The most part of mobile shoppers are 18-34 year olds however one third of the respondents belong to 55+ group. 

It was announced that Sage Payment Solutions has partnership with ROAM Data to launch integrated mobile payments for small and midsized businesses (SMBs). 

Owing to this alliance Sage clients will be able to Through the partnership, Sage customers will be able to credit and debit card orders, with real-time authorization, log cash orders, download reports online, and email receipts to their customers; rapidly change applications or add features to mobile apps that may benefit them. 

Barclays Bank has become the 8th bank that is partnering with African telco Safaricom to offer its Kenyan account holders M-Pesa mobile money services.

Now bank account holders can deposit and withdraw money using their mobile phones while M-Pesa agents who bank with Barclays can also use the system to buy their electronic float for their daily operations.