Payments

Paydirekt, the online payment method set up by major (saving) banks in Germany, has attracted another top retailer. From now on, customers of online pharmacy DocMorris can pay for their online order with Paydirekt.

Apple has launched its mobile payments service Apple Pay in Spain. It supports cards from Banco Santander, Carrefour, Ticket Restaurant and American Express. At the moment, Apple Pay in Spain can be used at 27 major retailers, including Media Markt and Bershka.

Ecommerce Europe is concerned that the proposed one-size-fits-all approach to authentication undertaken by the European Banking Authority won't help the ongoing fight against online fraud. The European ecommerce association thinks it will only damage the European ecommerce sector and opts for a risk-based approach.

Google just launched its own payment system, Android Pay, in Poland, making this only the second country in Europe where consumers can use Android Pay to make mobile contactless payments. But why Poland and not, for example, Germany or France? Piotr Jan Pietrzak explains why.

Android Pay, which enables contactless mobile payments with Android devices, has launched in Poland. This is the first country in Central and Eastern Europe and the second country in Europe, after the UK, to roll out the payments service.

Payment service company Alternative Payments has launched a payment widget which should help retailers and consumers tackling cross-border barrier issues. The solution automatically locates the consumers and then displays the appropriate language, currency and payment options that apply to that particular customer.

A new study shows that 54 percent of European consumers regularly use their mobile device to make payments. The number of consumers making mobile payments has tripled in the past year, as 18 percent used mobile payments to pay for goods and services last year.

SaaS ecommerce platform Kooomo and French online payment solution HiPay have partnered, giving Kooomo's ecommerce merchants access to the HiPay payment solution directly from the platform. HiPay offers over 220 local and international payments methods.

Mastercard is rolling out a new technology in Europe which makes it possible for consumers to pay with a selfie. The service, officially called Identity Check Mobile, let users verify their identity by taking a photo of themselves so a payment can be completed.

Payment service provider MultiSafepay will expand its payment methods with Electronic Payment Standard (EPS), an Austrian online transfer procedure, so it can focus more on the growth market in Austria. MultiSafepay sees potential for its customers and wants to offer them the opportunity to enter new markets.

Klarna, one of Europe's leading payment providers, has announced it has partnered with Topshop-owner Arcadia Group to launch its sales financing solution 'Buy now pay later' in the United Kingdom. Customers of brands such as Topshop and Miss Selfridge now have the option to buy products online and pay for them over time.

Payment cards are the most popular payment method among Swedish ecommerce customers. A new study points out that more than half of Swedish consumers (54) percent prefer to use their card when they are ready to pay online. Another popular payment method in Sweden is invoice, which is used by 28 percent.

Shopify has launched its Shopify POS app and card reader for merchants in the United Kingdom. With the reader, retailers can accept contactless and traditional card-based payments, while the app works together with the reader device on an iPhone or iPad.

Assist Group, a major online payment service provider in Russia, provides online stores with the ability to process MIR cards, the national payment card system in Russia. Some of the acquiring banks are already connected, the rest is at the stage of testing and integration.

Analytic software firm FICO released an interactive map of card fraud in Europe. It shows that card fraud in the United Kingdom increased by 18 percent last year, which is the biggest rise across Europe. The drastic increase has resulted in the loss of more than 100 million euros for UK cardholders.