Financial services information provider VRL released a report examining the status of contactless card issuance and usage across the US, Europe and Asia Pacific.

In ‘Contactless Cards: Tentative Steps,’ VRL reports a major lag between contactless card issuance and merchant acceptance. According to VRL, the majority of merchants are unlikely to fund migration to contactless payments unless a clear business case can be identified. As evidence, VRL cites the current situation in the US, where there are 100 million contactless cards in issue, yet only two percent of merchants able to accept them.

HID, Arizona State pilot multiple handsets, carriers and apps on campus

As the Fall semester geared up at Arizona State University, something revolutionary was happening in one of the residence halls. Select students living in Palo Verde Main were no longer using their Sun Card to gain access. Instead they were using cell phones.