Customers using an Adidas store in Manila in the Philippines can now select products, request different sizes and styles to try on and pay for their purchases directly from their smartphone.

The sports retailer has added support for the ‘Bring it to me’ feature on the Adidas app at its store in the capital’s Glorietta shopping centre, enabling customers to scan products on display with their mobile device, interact with staff via the app and receive suggestions for alternatives if the product they wish to purchase is not available in store.

The service “uses in-store geolocation tracking to provide an uninterrupted browsing experience,” Adidas says.

“Shoppers can scan products, check stock, request their size and purchase on the spot as they shop without the need for queues or designated collection spaces.”

Adidas first began trialling the Bring it to me feature at its flagship Oxford Street store in London, UK, in October 2019, and has subsequently rolled it out to selected stores worldwide, including those in Dubai, Berlin and Singapore.

A short video shows how the feature works.

Adidas rolls out contactless in-store shopping in the Philippines was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.

Chinese consumers can now make online payments for purchases from the JD.com ecommerce app using digital yuan stored on a physical card or hard wallet via their Android NFC smartphone.

JD.com has added a ‘swipe card’ function to the ‘digital RMB payment’ option on its app, allowing users to transfer digital funds to pay for their in-app purchases by swiping their hard wallet with their mobile device rather than using a dedicated digital wallet or the pilot digital yuan wallet app.

“At present, this function has opened to users in some pilot cities and can support most mainstream Android models with NFC function on the market,” China’s Techweb agency reports.

JD.com has also deployed “large-screen shopping machines that support the use of digital renminbi in offline scenarios such as hotels, parks and bank outlets in some pilot cities to meet the needs of domestic and foreign users to consume digital renminbi,” Techweb says.

The machines allow users without a JD account to purchase products sold directly by JD using “the digital RMB app to scan codes or digital RMB ‘hardware wallets’ to tap and pay” and then take delivery of their purchases at “designated locations”.

In addition JD.com has now enabled third-party retailers to accept digital yuan through its online marketplace.

“JD has taken the lead in achieving a breakthrough in the ability to split e-CNY funds,” the company says.

“By integrating the e-CNY wallet management function of partners with JD’s existing settlement system, we will jointly promote the system construction of e-CNY in full-scene applications and continuously monitor the security, stability and compliance of the system.”

JD.com became the first Chinese virtual mall to accept digital yuan payments in December 2020 and began paying some of its staff in the digital currency in May 2021.

The People’s Bank of China began testing digital yuan hard wallets in January 2021 and a number of other Chinese banks have also released ‘hardware prototypes’ that support the digital currency.

China’s JD.com lets consumers make online payments from digital yuan hard wallets using NFC was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.

The total transaction value of contactless card payments made in UK stores “surged” by 40.2% in 2021 and the average number of contactless payments made each day increased by 27.5% compared with the previous year, according to Barclaycard.

The average contactless user made 180 transactions worth a total of £2,293 (US$3,078) in 2021, compared with an average of 141 transactions worth a total of £1,640 (US$2,200) in 2020, while the percentage of all UK in-store card payments that were made contactlessly rose from 88.6% in 2020 to 91.1% in 2021.

“Analysis across sectors shows that the value of contactless transactions made in the entertainment sector, which includes cinemas, theatres, bowling alleys and arcades, grew by 105.8%, while bars, pubs and clubs drove an 83.4% increase year-on-year,” Barclaycard says.

“Other significant increases in the value of payments made include at sports and outdoor retailers (up 64.7%), clothing stores (up 64.6%) and takeaway and fast food outlets (up 39.2%).”

“Our data shows that many shoppers have welcomed the £100 increase to the contactless limit and are now choosing to pay this way for goods and services in store,” Barclaycard’s Jose Carvalho adds.

“Unsurprisingly, many consumers are also increasingly reluctant to touch cash or PIN pads when they go to shops, which is why innovations that enable a ‘low-touch’ experience, such as contactless payments, have really grown in popularity.”

The UK raised the spending limit for contactless payments from £45 (US$60) to £100 (US$134) in October 2021.

UK sees 40% rise in contactless transaction values in 2021 was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.

Apple may soon enable merchants to accept contactless payments on their iPhone without needing to connect their device to a separate payment terminal or other additional hardware, according to reports.

The addition of contactless payments acceptance would be “likely” to use the NFC chip in NFC-enabled iPhones and could be made available to users through a software update “in the coming months”.

“[Apple] has been working on the new feature since around 2020, when it paid about US$100m for a Canadian startup called Mobeewave that developed technology for smartphones to accept payments with the tap of a credit card,” Bloomberg says, citing sources “with knowledge of the matter”.

“The system will likely use the iPhones near field communications, or NFC, chip that is currently used for Apple Pay.

“In order to accept payments on an iPhone today, merchants need to use payment terminals that plug in or communicate with the phone via Bluetooth.

“The upcoming feature will instead turn the iPhone into a payment terminal, letting users such as food trucks and hair stylists accept payments with the tap of a credit card or another iPhone onto the back of their device.”

It is not clear whether the feature will be branded as part of Apple Pay or whether Apple plans to launch it alone or in partnership with existing payment networks, Bloomberg says.

Samsung began rolling out NFC phone-based contactless payments acceptance on its Android devices in partnership with Mobeewave in October 2019, before the startup’s acquisition by Apple.

Apple to let merchants accept contactless payments on iPhones? was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.

The 12 Russian banks taking part in the first phase of the Central Bank of Russia’s digital ruble pilot scheme have started or are ready to start trialling the central bank digital currency (CBDC) across a range of payment types.

Promsvyazbank has confirmed that it is already testing consumer-to-consumer (C2C) transactions made using the digital ruble, Tinkoff Bank is preparing to start similar tests in the near future and VTB says that it has the necessary infrastructure in place to begin piloting the CBDC.

“Piloting includes integration with the digital ruble platform and the introduction of services, such as opening an individual’s wallet through a mobile application and digital ruble transfers between individuals,” VTB told Russia’s Tass news agency.

The nine other banks taking part in the trial — Ak Bars Bank, Alfa-Bank, Bank Dom.rf, Gazprombank, Rosbank, SberBank, SKB bank, Bank Soyuz and Transkapitalbank — are also due to begin trialling C2C payments using the digital ruble this month, according to Tass.

The Central Bank of Russia announced in December that it had completed a prototype digital ruble and that it was ready to begin rolling out a pilot starting with C2C payments between individuals.

Stage two

“The second stage of testing involves the connection of the Federal Treasury and the implementation of the functionality of smart contracts, as well as consumer-to-business (С2B), business-to-business (B2B), business-to-government (B2G) transactions, and so on,” the Tass report says.

“In the future, financial intermediaries, financial infrastructure (exchanges, brokers, marketplaces, insurance companies, and others) will be connected, an offline mode will be introduced, and the digital ruble will be exchanged for foreign currency and the possibility of opening wallets for non-resident clients will be provided.”

The bank has also stated that the pilot will focus on using the CBDC for domestic transactions and that it will not be trialling cross-border payments at this stage.

“So far, in many countries, cross-border payments have been left to the next stage. And the same is true in Russia,” the Central Bank of Russia’s Elizaveta Danilova is reported as saying in a separate Tass article.

“First of all, for example, we are starting this year to test the use of the Central Bank’s digital currency. We will also start with domestic payments and payments between citizens. And as far as I know, many regulators use this approach.

“Therefore, probably, cross-border payments, you can probably think about them, but so far this is not a subject for the near future.”

Crypto ban

The launch of the digital ruble pilot scheme comes as the Central Bank of Russia also proposes the country introduces “a ban on the organisation of the issuance and (or) issue, organisation of the circulation of cryptocurrencies (including by crypto-exchanges, crypto-exchangers, P2P platforms on the territory of the Russian Federation and establish liability for violating this ban”.

Its Cryptocurrencies: Trends, Risks, Measures report — which is open for public consultation until 1 March — also calls for “a ban on investments by financial organisations in cryptocurrencies and related financial instruments, as well as on the use of Russian financial intermediaries and Russian financial infrastructure to carry out transactions with cryptocurrencies” and the implementation of “a set of measures to limit” cryptocurrency mining in Russia owing to “the significant negative effects that it has on the energy, environmental and industrial sectors”.

The Central Bank of Russia launched a public consultation on the launch of a CBDC in October 2020 and revealed plans to build a prototype digital ruble in April 2021.

Russia launches digital ruble pilot with 12 banks was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.

Google is seeking to focus on developing Google Pay into a multipurpose digital wallet by extending the range of cards, passes and tickets that the service supports and is working with cryptocurrency providers to introduce digital cards that will enable users to store crypto assets but still make payments in conventional currencies.

The company is also planning to add more payment features to its search and shopping services, such as showing consumer loyalty cards and personalised discounts directly in search results.

The plans are part of a strategy to build Google Pay as a “comprehensive” service by further rolling out support for digital tickets, airline passes and vaccine passports and to turn Google into “the connective tissue for the entire consumer finance industry” by integrating with “the entire array of financial services out there”, Google’s president of commerce Bill Ready told Bloomberg in an interview.

Google is already working with Coinbase and BitPay to enable the storing of crypto assets on digital cards and is also now looking to form further partnerships with other cryptocurrency providers, although Google itself does not yet accept cryptocurrency payments, Ready said.

“Crypto is something we pay a lot of attention to. As user demand and merchant demand evolves, we’ll evolve with it,” he added.

Ready also indicated that Google Pay would not be adding fees or commission as part of the “overhaul”, saying that “helping more activity occur on a free and open web — that naturally pays dividends to our overall business”.

His statements follow Google’s decision in October 2021 to abandon plans to develop a digital banking service, known as Plex, according to Bloomberg.

“We’re not a bank — we have no intention of being a bank,” Ready confirmed.

Google Pay began letting users add digital Covid vaccination certificates to their Android device in July 2021.

Google sets out its vision for the future of Google Pay was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.

Residents of the Czech Republic will soon be able to store, display and verify digital versions of their identity card and driving licence on their mobile device and will no longer be required to carry physical ID documents if they do so, the Czech government has confirmed in a policy statement.

The service will be made available “as soon as possible, at the latest in 2023” using the eDokladovska mobile app developed by the State Printing Works of Securities (STC) that enables users to upload and store “digital twins” of their physical documents on their Android or Apple device.

“The application will be available for virtually all current phones,” STC says.

“Data exchange will first take place by reading the QR code and then by Bluetooth transmission.

“Document verification will also work in offline mode [and] users can verify what data they provide for inspection.

“The security of data storage and the method of data exchange between the holder’s application and the verifier’s application is based on the globally recognised interoperable standard ISO 18013-5. The application has active protection against reverse engineering and also includes protection of users against hacker attacks.”

In addition to their digital ID card, driving licence and residence permit, users may also be able to import “additional documents which are issued/personalised by entities other than STC”, such as their vehicle registration certificate, birth certificate, firearm licence and health insurance card, to the eDokladovka app “in the future”.

STC unveiled a prototype of the eDokladovka app in April 2021 when it said that, as soon as legislation for the use of digital documentation was passed, “it is quite realistic to launch within one year of the assignment”.

A short video shows how the prototype application works.

Czech Republic to roll out mobile driving licences and digital IDs was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) has released an open API standard to support and facilitate the development and implementation of interoperable radar sensing systems which, like NFC-enabled technologies, can be used to add contactless and hands-free functionalities to devices across a wide range of use cases.

The standard — known as Ripple — aims to “enable interoperability between radar hardware and software with standardised APIs for radar system development” and “reduce barriers for entry for working with radar and accelerate the growth of radar applications,” the CTA says.

Potential use cases for such radar-enabled applications include contactless healthcare and fitness monitoring, home security and detection systems based on human activity recognition, and hands-free interaction with cars, mobile devices, domestic appliances and other consumer electronics.

“Radar sensing systems have historically been designed for single applications, with hardware and software custom-developed for each purpose. This means that traditional product solutions — from the hardware to the final user experience — are bespoke,” the CTA explains.

“This new standard will enable general purpose radar interoperability by developing both specifications for open and standardised APIs and a collaborative plan to drive industry adoption of the standard.”

“With an open API standard, it’s easier for integrators to get started, develop and distribute radar solutions. This reduced barrier to entry will lead to new products and services for consumers,” the association adds.

“Ripple will enable developers to create specialised extensions so that they can build on the standard to support their own differentiated use cases. These extensions can be incorporated as official interfaces in future versions of the standard.”

The standard will also “simplify experimentation, making radar more accessible to students, startups, academics and researchers”.

The CTA has developed Ripple in collaboration with technology providers and other industry partners including Aptiv, Blumio, Ford, Google, Infineon, NXP and Texas Instruments.

CTA launches open API standard to support radar-enabled contactless applications was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.

The US Federal Reserve has published a study examining the potential benefits and risks of issuing an American central bank digital currency (CBDC) as the first step in a public consultation on the possible future issuance of a digital dollar.

Money and Payments: The US Dollar in an Age of Digital Transformation lays out the findings of the central bank’s research into CBDCs to date and invites public comment from “a wide range of stakeholders that might use a CBDC or be affected by its introduction” on a series of specific questions relating to both policy considerations and the potential technical design and implementation of a digital dollar.

The study identifies the ability to meet future needs and demands for payment services, improvements to cross-border payments, support for the US dollar’s international role, financial inclusion and extending public access to safe central bank money as the key benefits offered by a US CBDC.

It also examines how the issuance of a digital dollar might impact US financial structures, the implementation of monetary policy, privacy protection, cybersecurity and operational resilience.

“The Federal Reserve’s initial analysis suggests that a potential US CBDC, if one were created, would best serve the needs of the United States by being privacy-protected, intermediated, widely transferable and identity-verified,” the study says.

The 40-page paper “is not intended to advance any specific policy outcome, nor is it intended to signal that the Federal Reserve will make any imminent decision about the appropriateness of issuing a US CBDC,” it adds.

The initial phase of the online public consultation will run until 20 May 2022.

The US Federal Reserve is part of a working group of seven central banks and the Bank of International Settlements that published a set of ground rules for the successful issuance of CBDCs in October 2020.

US Federal Reserve launches public consultation on digital dollar was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.

Public transport users in the Philippines can now top up their Beep prepaid contactless fare payments card directly from their NFC-enabled smartphone.

To use the service, cardholders upload value to the latest version of the Beep card app from their selected payment card and then transfer that sum to their physical Beep card by tapping it on the back of their mobile device.

Users can also convert the reward points they earn from card transactions into funds they can add to their physical card via NFC or into mobile QR tickets for use on selected transit services.

Beep cards can be used to make contactless fare payments on Metro Manila’s elevated railways, Edsa buses, point-to-point express bus services and public utility vehicles nationwide.

A short video explains how the Beep card app and NFC top-up works.

Public transport users in the Philippines get NFC top-up for contactless fare payment cards was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.

Smart Technologies has added NFC functionality to its latest range of interactive displays for use in schools, universities and other learning environments, enabling teachers to log into their presentations, files and other personalised teaching content with the tap of an NFC card and without needing to use a password.

The company has added NFC login as part of a suite of new and updated features that will also enable users to upgrade displays “over-the-air […] without the need to purchase anything new or provide labour-intense manual updates”.

“Smart Board 6000S displays will allow teachers to log in with the tap of an NFC card for simple, fast and secure access to their personalised setup. No more typing out long passwords at the front of the class,” Smart Technologies says.

“With their favourite tools and personalised settings easily accessible, including files and lessons, cloud storage, apps, bookmarked favourites and custom widgets, teachers can quickly start teaching from the moment they tap their card.”

Smart lets teachers log in to interactive displays via NFC was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.

Public transport users in the Russian city of Tula are the first outside Moscow to be able to top up their prepaid Troika transit card from their smartphone using the My Troika app.

The app also lets users activate automatic top-up and link their Troika card to “any number of bank cards”, as well as check their Troika account balance and transaction history, and will be rolled out “to other Russian cities in the nearest future”, Moscow’s Department of Transport says.

More than 2,000 Tula residents used the app to top up their Troika cards during a four-month pilot scheme.

Troika cards first launched in Moscow in 2013 and are now available for public transport fare payments in 13 regions across Russia, including Tula, Leningrad and Karelia.

Moscow Metro officially launched a digital version of its Troika transit card in December 2021. 

Moscow ticketing app begins nationwide rollout was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the US has released a public service announcement (PSA) warning that “cybercriminals are tampering with QR codes” in order to steal data and funds and is advising consumers to “practice caution” when using them.

The PSA states that businesses have used QR codes “more frequently during the Covid-19 pandemic” to enable contactless access and payments, and that cybercriminals “are taking advantage of this technology by directing QR code scans to malicious sites to steal victim data, embedding malware to gain access to the victim’s device, and redirecting payment for cybercriminal use”.

“Cybercriminals tamper with both digital and physical QR codes to replace legitimate codes with malicious codes,” the PSA explains.

“A victim scans what they think to be a legitimate code but the tampered code directs victims to a malicious site, which prompts them to enter login and financial information. Access to this victim information gives the cybercriminal the ability to potentially steal funds through victim accounts.

“Malicious QR codes may also contain embedded malware, allowing a criminal to gain access to the victim’s mobile device and steal the victim’s location as well as personal and financial information. The cybercriminal can leverage the stolen financial information to withdraw funds from victim accounts.”

The FBI announcement also advises that, “while QR codes are not malicious in nature”, consumers can protect themselves by checking that a QR code takes them to an authentic site with a correctly spelt URL, ensuring that a physical QR code has not been tampered with “such as with a sticker placed on top of the original code”, avoiding “making payments through a site navigated to from a QR code” and “practice caution when entering login, personal, or financial information” to QR code-accessed sites.

It also recommends against downloading an app from a QR code or a QR code scanner app as “this increases your risk of downloading malware onto your device”.

Consumers who encounter fraudulent or suspicious activities can report them to their local FBI field office or the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, the PSA says.

FBI warns of cybercrime risks as businesses use QR codes ‘more frequently’ during pandemic was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.

Passengers using bus services in the Indian city of Mumbai will now be able to automatically verify that they have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in order to travel when they present their digital bus ticket on their smartphone.

Transport services provider Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) has enabled bus users to link mobile tickets purchased on its Chalo transit app to a digital version of their universal pass that proves they comply with current travel regulations by having received a full cycle of Covid-19 vaccinations.

“Considering the prevailing Covid-19 situation in the city and to ensure the contactless transactions in buses plying in Mumbai, the BEST is linking [the] Chalo mobile app for ticketing with the universal pass,” BEST’s Manoj Varade told the Times of India.

“So, when a passenger opts for a ticket through the app, it will be linked to the universal pass and the same will be verified by the ticketing machine held by the conductor.

“Such passengers will not have to carry a physical universal pass.”

The Government of Maharashtra state made it compulsory for public transport users in Mumbai to carry proof that they have received two doses of Covid-19 vaccine when travelling on local buses and trains and launched the universal pass system in August 2021.

Mumbai lets passengers link digital health pass to mobile bus tickets was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.

Apple Pay has launched in Armenia with support for Mastercard and Visa cards issued by Acba Bank, Ardshinbank, Ameriabank, Converse Bank, Inecobank and Unibank.

Apple Pay has confirmed that the service is now live in the country but has not yet added the six Armenian banks to the list of banks and payment cards it supports.

Acba Bank, Ardshinbank, Ameriabank, Converse Bank, Inecobank and Unibank have all officially announced that the service is available to their customers in Armenia, however.

The rollout in Armenia comes as Apple Pay’s Latin American website reveals that the payments service is due to launch in Argentina and Peru “soon”.

Apple Pay launched in Georgia in September 2019 and Azerbaijan in November 2021.

• NFCW maintains a list of major OEM Pay systems and the territories where they are live and available for public use.

Apple Pay goes live in Armenia was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.

Customers shopping at Nisa grocery stores across the UK will soon be able to scan selected products with their smartphone in order to receive digital vouchers that entitle them to a discount on those products when they present their ‘voucher wallet’ at the checkout.

The Scan & Save service also enables the retailer and participating brands to personalise discounts and promotions based on a customer’s profile and shopping habits.

Nisa began trialling the service using interactive augmented reality technology developed by Jisp at 12 of its stores in September and is now rolling it out across the UK.

Once they have registered via the Jisp app, customers activate the digital vouchers for products they are purchasing by scanning a barcode and then redeem them at the point of sale by allowing the retailer to scan each voucher’s QR code with a dedicated Jisp reader or the Jisp retailer app on an Android smartphone.

A short video shows how the service works:

“Scan & Save has allowed brands to build an instant digital relationship with customers and provide them a greater understanding of customers’ shopping behaviours through interactions and actions in-store, helping them drive sales sustainably, demonstrate ROI and gain valuable insights,” Jisp says.

The pilot rollout saw 32,895 Scan & Save vouchers with a total value of £36,211 (US$49,179) redeemed by more than 2,300 individual shoppers, the tech provider adds.

UK grocery stores let consumers receive personalised digital vouchers on their smartphone was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.

Public transport users in Washington DC in the US who add a SmarTrip transit card to Apple Wallet or Google Pay will be credited with 10 free 45-minute rides on the region’s public bicycle share scheme.

Once users have created a mobile SmarTrip card and signed up for the promotional offer on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) website, the rides can be used on bikes at 650 Capital Bikeshare docking stations in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia.

“Existing mobile SmarTrip users can also get in on the deal,” WMATA says.

WMATA launched the offer last year but has now extended it for a further six months until the end of June 2022.

The transit authority let passengers add SmarTrip cards to Apple Wallet in September 2020 and to Google Pay in June 2021.

Washington Metro offers passengers free bike rides for switching to mobile SmarTrip card was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.

Customers wishing to purchase alcohol and other age-restricted products in Aldi’s first contactless store on Greenwich High Street in London can authorise their purchase using facial age estimation technology.

The technology allows customers to confirm they are old enough to purchase Challenge 25 products such as wine, beer and spirits “within seconds” via Aldi’s Shop&Go app without needing to present an ID document.

“Those who opt to not use the system will instead be age verified by a store colleague,” Aldi adds.

Staff began trialling Aldi’s AI-powered contactless store in the UK capital in September.

The supermarket chain has now opened the outlet for public testing, enabling customers to gain access by scanning the Shop&Go app, select the items they wish to purchase and be automatically charged for their purchases without scanning them or visiting a checkout.

Aldi lets customers authorise age-restricted purchases with their face in London contactless store pilot was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.

Apple Pay is due to roll out in Argentina and Peru “soon”, according to the payments service’s Latin American website.

The website does not specify when the service will become available in either country, but does now include the phrase “Próximamente en Argentina y Perú”.

The move comes after Peru’s Interbank announced support for Apple Pay last week, before removing the announcement from its website along with videos showing how customers could add their Visa credit card to Apple Wallet shortly afterwards, according to 9to5Mac.

Apple Pay published a Chilean support page in October 2021 following similar reports that customers of Banco di Chile were temporarily able to add their credit card to Apple Pay before the bank cancelled the option. The payments service has yet to confirm an official launch date in the country.

Apple Pay rolled out in Colombia and Costa Rica in November 2021, in Mexico in February 2021 and in Brazil in April 2018.

• NFCW maintains a list of major OEM Pay systems and the territories where they are live and available for public use.

Apple Pay to launch in Argentina and Peru ‘soon’ was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.

One in four consumers globally expect to switch to making cashless payments only within the next two years (25%), while one in two say it will happen in the next 10 years (53%) and 16% say they already solely make digital payments, a survey of consumers and merchants in nine markets worldwide has found.

The sixth edition of The Visa Global Back to Business Study also found that 41% of small businesses anticipate being able to rely exclusively on digital payments within the next two years, with nearly two thirds saying it could happen within 10 years (64%) and 18% saying they are already cashless.

Just under one in four of the small businesses surveyed say they plan to accept payments made using digital currencies including cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (24%) and nearly three quarters regard accepting new forms of payment as “fundamental to their business growth” (73%).

“The failure to offer digital payment is frequently a dealbreaker — 41% of consumers surveyed said they have abandoned a purchase in a physical store because digital payments were not accepted, and younger shoppers are even more likely to do so,” Visa says.

“Gen Z (59%) and Millennials (55%) have not bought something because there was no way to pay digitally, significantly more than Gen X (38%) and Boomers (19%).”

Participants in the survey included 2,250 small businesses in Brazil, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Russia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and the USA, 1,000 adult consumers in the US and 500 adult consumers in each of the other eight countries. It was conducted by Wakefield Research for Visa in December 2021.

One in four consumers expect to switch to being cashless within two years was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.