Payments company payleven has launched a mobile NFC-enabled card reader for merchants to take contactless payments via smartphones and cards.
The reader will be launched in Europe during the second half of this year, targeted at SMEs and “competitively priced”. Payleven said business owners had previously been put off by the price of portable NFC readers so is launching its new reader with no fixed costs, monthly payments of contract for its use.
Alston Zecha, Founder and COO of payleven, said: “NFC definitely has the potential to become the market standard for contactless payments. However, until now the hurdle for SMEs has been the huge cost associated with it. By launching our new device we will be offering a disruptive solution that will help our customers to keep up with cutting-edge technology, making their business even more efficient with NFC.”
According to the UK Cards Association, there are 8.5 million contactless payments made each month. However, Apple’s continued refusal not to use NFC technology in its iPhones has led analysts to revise their predictions for the technology.
In December, Juniper Research downgraded the value of NFC transactions by 2017 to €80 billion, compared to €130 billion previously. Analyst Windsor Holden said: “While many vendors have introduced NFC-enabled smartphones, Apple’s decision is a significant blow for the technology, particularly given its previous successes in educating the wider public about new mobile services. Without their support, it will be even more difficult to persuade consumers – and retailers – to embrace what amounts to a wholly new means of payment.”
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