VingCard Elsafe, provider of hospitality security and part of ASSA ABLOY Group, has been selected by Grand Hyatt San Francisco to provide a complete package of VingCard Elsafe solutions for installation as part of the renovation of its 659 guestrooms.

The completed renovation of the 38-story Union Square hotel features the addition of VingCard’s Orion energy management system, Signature RFID locks, and Elsafe‘s Infinity II electronic in-room safes, all powered by the VISIONLINE wireless online access management system. 

The European Payments Council (EPC) has published the second edition of its “White Paper on Mobile Payments.”

According to EPC, the white paper focuses on the usage of the mobile payments in the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) and explores how m-payment services can be delivered through cooperation between service providers in the payment industry and players within the mobile ecosystem. 

United Arab Emirates (UAE) travelers prefer making payments via mobile rather than using cash or credit card, according to a recent survey commissioned by travel technology and transaction processor Amadeus.

According to the study, 32% of the UAE respondents found it “Extremely Appealing” to use the mobile for such transactions, as oppose to 24% globally. Additionally, 92% of the respondents found mobile payments “Somewhat Appealing,” in comparison to 78% among the other countries surveyed. 

The Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council has published a white paper examining how the transit industry can best make use of NFC technology.

“One of the major challenges facing transit agencies today is how to capitalize on the ever-growing popularity of mobile phones with a solid mobile strategy,” said Transportation Council Chairman Craig Roberts. “This white paper builds on the knowledge base developed in earlier white papers to foster a greater understanding of NFC technology, explain its role in the transit industry, and shed light on key issues facing the transit industry in developing a mobile strategy.” 

Idesco announced that it has updated and enhanced its DESCoder software package, offering security providers and end users alike more control over their contactless access control systems.

DESCoder 2.0 now interfaces with the latest generation of contactless MIFARE readers including Access 7 C 2.0, Access 8 CD, and Access 8 CD 2.0 using a novel approach. Instead of requiring direct reader connections, DESCoder programs a secure configuration card which users can simply expose to the mounted, powered, online reader. This card triggers the reader to catalyze the configuration changes without the hassle of removing and then reinstalling the reader. 

GlobalPlatform has launched the first in a series of online guides that will explain in simple terms the association’s current projects and technologies.

Up now on the GlobalPlatform Web site, the first guide covers Trusted Execution Environments (TEE), or the hardware and software on a mobile device that ensures that sensitive data is stored, processed and protected. 

The UK’s YESpay International and YES-wallet.com have teamed up to build an NFC-enabled cloud-based mobile payments platform.

By integrating the YES-wallet Pouch digital wallet with YESpay EMBOSS payment service, the companies will provide a platform that encompasses e-Money, pre-paid and gift-card payments based on Visa PayWave and MasterCard PayPass contactless standards.