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Near Field Communication and all contactless technology

NFC TIMES Exclusive – Despite the resurgence in demand for NFC technology with the launch of Apple Pay in 2014, followed by other NFC-enabled “Pays” wallets and the separate rollout of HCE technology by Google, use of QR codes for mobile payments continues to grow in popularity globally.

NFC Times Exclusive – MasterCard Worldwide has named James Anderson group executive for platforms, a key position inside the payment network, which is seeking to secure its role in the ecosystem as mobile payments start to gather steam, NFC Times has learned.

U.S.-based mobile-wallet provider C-SAM has hired Vincent Barnaud, the long-serving contactless services head at France Telecom-Orange group.

MasterCard Worldwide is reorganizing its mobile-payments effort and team, planning to focus on what it calls “digital convergence,” with the aim of “enabling every connected device to be a commerce device,” NFC Times has learned.

Google has unveiled the much-anticipated revamp of its struggling Google Wallet–a cloud-based version that opens up the wallet to cards from all major U.S. payment brands, but which continues to use NFC to enable consumers to tap to pay and redeem offers in physical stores.

Deutsche Telekom intends to make its move into the payments market at the physical point of sale in direct competition with banks, with an NFC payments commercial launch planned in Poland this year, before later expanding to Germany and other European countries.

MasterCard Worldwide has hired the executive who heads the NFC and mobile-money transfer programs for France Telecom-Orange group to oversee its mobile business, NFC Times has learned.