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The board of U.S.-based Identive Group has replaced its CEO, signaling a new direction for the ID, reader and NFC tag supplier toward more authentication services and cloud-based technologies, especially targeting mobile devices. The vendor said it would support NFC for the authentication products or services as well as continued support for tags.

NFC and contactless vendor On Track Innovations announced reduced losses in the second quarter and first half, along with share purchases by its directors; while a court ruling allows the company’s patent suit against T-Mobile USA to proceed.

Telefónica (O2) Czech Republic will launch a mobile point-of-sale pilot in cooperation with MasterCard Worldwide, targeting small merchants in the country, with a device that supports MasterCard PayPass, along with contact EMV and mag-stripe transactions.

As demand continues to grow for using NFC technology to make pairing of consumer electronics devices more convenient, Netherlands-based NXP Semiconductors has added two new tags, both designed for NFC device pairing, to its NTAG line.

Identive Group’s losses narrowed in the second quarter, and the company recorded strong growth in sales of NFC tags, including tags for interactive toys for video games.

While use by consumers of the Isis Mobile Wallet is believed to have been low, in general, in the pilot cities of Austin, Texas, and Salt Lake City, Utah, at least two issuers appear to be sufficiently convinced of the concept to move forward with Isis on its national rollout.

NFC Times Exclusive: A long-anticipated but delayed launch of an NFC case for the iPhone 5 is finally ready to go forward, following remaining approvals needed from Visa and Apple, NFC Times has learned.

NFC Times Exclusive: Taiwan’s planned NFC joint venture is expected to name a former sales director for Hewlett-Packard Taiwan and former sales manager at IBM in Taiwan as its new CEO, NFC Times has learned.

France-based chip supplier Inside Secure cut its operating losses during the first half, as it continues its transition to offering more security products and moving away from its past emphasis on contactless and NFC controllers.

While not a replacement for the embedded chip or other secure elements in NFC phones, the trusted execution environment on ARM-based smartphone processors can complement security of NFC applications, noted U.S.-based Qualcomm.

Chicago is scheduled to become the first major U.S. city to introduce open-loop collection of transit fares, when it launches its Ventra payment system, which project organizers say will begin this summer.

As the Isis joint venture gears up for a planned commercial expansion, a senior member of the technical staff at its largest member telco, Verizon Wireless, noted that testing, certification and getting the customer experience right has required much work.