The information you need to start your day, from PaymentsSource and around the Web:
Apple Pay delayed in India
Apple has halted plans to launch its mobile wallet in India in light of a new data localization rule,
The rule, established by the Reserve Bank of India, requires companies to store all payments data within the country, the article says. This rule would also affect Visa, Mastercard and other payment brands.
Apple and the National Payments Corporation of India have also disagreed on how to handle biometric authentication, the Times says.
Walmart adds a grocery partner
Walmart has made many, many efforts to
The partnership coincides with the launch of Walmart's Spark Delivery service, which is designed to extend deliveries through an Uber or Lyft style model, the article says.
Walmart's past grocery initiatives include asking its
FIDO fights bad biometrics
The FIDO Alliance has launched a certification program for biometrics, with the goal of standardizing the way biometric systems are used commercially, TechCrunch reports.
While biometric authentication is considered a major improvement over passwords, the specific implementations of biometrics vary widely, opening the door to vulnerabilities such as using a contact lens to fool iris scanners on Samsung's Galaxy S8, the article says.
FIDO's program is designed to set standards for how biometric technologies resist the spoofing of biometric traits.
BMWs get vocal
The road to in-car commerce is being built by two technologies: self-driving vehicles and internet-connected in-dash computers. BMW's upcoming models are getting one of those building blocks with the addition of an in-dash voice assistant.
BMW's new voice assistant — activated by the phrase "Hey BMW" by default — is focused primarily on in-car controls but is designed to get smarter over time and integrate with other voice assistants such as Amazon's Alexa,
However, as the article notes, it's not clear whether the voice assistant could receive updates over the air or if it would require visits to a dealership. Some kind of cellular or WiFi connectivity would be necessary if BMW is planning payments applications such as ordering food or purchasing gas.
From the Web
Reuters | Thu September 6, 2018 - South African fintech start-up Yoco raised $16 million from international and local investors in a private funding round, it said on Thursday. Yoco offers a card reader and app which allow users to turn smartphones into payment terminals and the company, started in 2015, is targeting small businesses that do not currently accept cards.
TechCrunch | Thu September 6, 2018 - Nigerian digital payments startup Paga is gearing up for an international expansion with $10 million in funding let by the Global Innovation Fund. The company is planning to release its payments product in Ethiopia, Mexico, and the Philippines—CEO Tayo Oviosu told TechCrunch at Disrupt San Francisco.
U.S. News & World Report | Thu September 6, 2018 - Alabama-based chicken-finger chain Foosackly's says the computer systems that processes credit card and debit card payments at their stores was the target of a cyberattack.
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