De La Rue due a change as cash falls out of favour May 22, 2016 De La Rue, the world’s biggest commercial passport maker and the printer of notes for the Bank of England, is now almost a year into a five year plan it set out last May that will eventually see its identity division grow to rival its core cash business. This morning De La Rue announced the sale [...]
Why taking a selfie is going to start costing you money as MasterCard brings “selfie pay”, its facial recognition payment software, to the UK February 22, 2016 Now there's a less vain reason to take a selfie: MasterCard is bringing facial recognition payment services, dubbed "selfie pay", to the UK. The company has already trialled the technology in pilot schemes in the US and Netherlands, ahead of a launch in 14 other countries this summer. (Rumours Kim Kardashian was the first person [...]
As Apple’s iPhone 6S lands will mobile payments change the way we live? December 11, 2015 Today’s smartphones can do incredible things. Need a ride around London? Just tap the Uber app. Fresh flowers or food from a local restaurant delivered straight to your door? Try Bloom & Wild or Deliveroo. These apps are fantastic, but there's a new smartphone feature set to fundamentally revolutionise the high street and how [...]
Last year’s cohort shows UK unicorns are real deal April 20, 2016 THE first cohort of the Leap 100 is coming to an end. Although there wasn’t a graduating ceremony, leading business experts voted Crowdcube the winner of the prestigious City A.M. Explosive Growth Company of the Year Awards, chosen from the companies in the Leap 100. This wasn’t the only award won by the 100 companies though. Original BTC, [...]
Mastercard Mondays: Free travel on Tube, bus, DLR, tram and National Rail on offer across London with Apple Pay November 23, 2015 Everyone loves a freebie and Londoners are being treated to an especially valuable one today – free travel across the capital. Mastercard users will be able to travel on Tube, train, tram, bus and DLR for free by using Apple Pay, making the cold morning perhaps just that little bit more bearable. And, it's not just today. The free rides will [...]
London black taxis vs Uber: This is cabbies’ big plan to save the industry – and they want the new Mayor of London on board April 4, 2016 London's black cab drivers want to offer superfast WiFi to passengers travelling across the capital and have taxi ranks outside every Night Tube stop as part of new efforts to keep the taxi industry competitive. Under increasing pressure from upstart Uber, a new group has been formed bringing together cab drivers, the company manufacturing black cabs – the London Taxi [...]
Swatch’s Bellamy watch with Visa lets you pay with just a swipe of your wrist (but it’s not a smartwatch) November 30, 2015 First there was Oyster, and not far behind were contactless cards. Then came Apple Pay in the pay technology revolution, liberating commuters from pesky cash and flimsy tickets. It may have put paying with something other than a ticket into the popular consciousness, but there are other (admittedly less high-profile) options for non-Apple fans seeking to streamline [...]
Visa’s new app will mean you can pay for petrol without leaving your car February 22, 2016 The Western world's quick decline into obesity was accelerated today by news that Visa has created new services whereby drivers can pay for fuel and parking without even leaving their car. The financial services firm has teamed up with Honda to create one of the apps, which can be accessed from the car's dashboard. It unveiled the new [...]
TfL’s travel advice for Piccadilly Line strike from Wednesday evening and all day Thursday, including buses, cycling, walking and driving March 23, 2016 The Night Tube might be resolved (sort of) but that doesn't mean Londoners get away scot-free. Unions are planning a strike that will take out the entire Piccadilly Line from 9pm tonight and all day tomorrow (23-24 March) – and Transport for London has just issued its latest travel advice for those affected. Helpfully, the [...]
Smart City: How London’s next mayor can harness the capital’s entrepreneurial energy to revolutionise local services and save millions March 22, 2016 Londoners are smart – you only have to look at the thousands of exciting, innovative new businesses sprouting up across the capital to see the benefits of such a tremendous concentration of human and intellectual capital. But is the capital itself as smart as the people who call it home? The new mayor, whoever it [...]