An EMV Training Academy has been established in Pasadena, Calif. to facilitate the adoption of EMV chip and pin technology in the U.S. and Canadian banking industries.

Led by a group of veteran payment industry professionals and technology partners, the EMV Training Academy offers training courses, test tools and consultancy services covering the North American contact, contactless and NFC mobile payments markets. 

Diebold is demonstrating new prototype ATMs with NFC and biometric technology, as well as “the world’s first virtualized ATM” at VMworld 2011 this week in Las Vegas.

According to Diebold, the prototypes are part of a soon-to-be released ATM series that will feature biometric thumbprint authentication and NFC-enabled mobile banking support, as well as other self-service functions such as cash and check deposit acceptance.

Diebold’s other prototype - a ‘virtualized’ ATM made in partnership with VMware - takes ATM management software out of the end unit and puts it in a server responsible for multiple units. 

NXP Semiconductors has announced that its PN544 NFC chip has been chosen by Turkcell for Turkey’s first NFC-enabled smart phone.

Manufactured by Huawei, the Turkcell T20 Android smart phone will enable Turkcell subscribers to perform a variety of contactless transactions, including payments, data sharing, public transport, event ticketing and access control, according to Turkcell. 

Cards, keyfobs, smart phones available with iCLASS SE

A new line of readers and credentials from HID Global makes technology-independent digital keys and portable identity credentials a reality for access control markets. The iCLASS Secure Identity Object-Enabled platform (iCLASS SE) enables credentials to be deployed on smart phones, contactless smart cards, contact chip cards, USB tokens and other devices.

This is an evolution in security technology, says Brad Jarvis, vice president of product marketing at HID Global. Twenty-years ago proximity technology was the de facto standard for physical access and then the last decade saw the rise of contactless smart cards. 

Verizon, AT&T T- Mobile are providing more than $100 million in new funding for their mobile payments joint venture Isis, an insider has revealed to Bloomberg.

According to the source, the exact amount of funding will be determined by how many banks and merchants sign onto the service, which will debut next year in Salt Lake City and Austin, Texas. 

VingCard Elsafe has announced that its new ASSA ABLOY Mobile Keys Solution has won the Self-Service Products category in Casino Enterprise Management magazine’s second annual Hospitality Operations Technology (HOT) Awards.

Formally launched in June, the ASSA ABLOY Mobile Keys Solution combines VingCard Elsafe’s VISIONLINE system and NFC technology to enable hotel guests to check-in remotely online and use their NFC mobile phones as virtual guestroom keys. 

Paytoo has announced the addition of a multi-currency mobile payment platform to its SIM-based mobile wallet.

According to Paytoo, the company’s mobile wallet service now supports international, mobile multi-currency transfers across the globe in real time, as well as online mobile payments and prepaid account top up through 185 mobile operators in 85 countries.