The Mobile Payments and NFC Landscape: A U.S. Perspective

The Smart Card Alliance has developed this white paper to provide a snapshot of the mobile payments and NFC landscape in the United States, including: • A description of the different types of mobile financial applications in use today • Discussion of the different mobile payments approaches with implementation examples • A summary of the merchant, consumer, issuer, and mobile operator requirements for NFC mobile contactless payments and the attendant benefits • An update on the status of Near-Field Communications (NFC) mobile c ontactless payments • Evaluation of how different mobile payment approaches fulfill overall market requirements Technology changes rapidly, and how it is ultimately applied is not always predictable. The goal of this white paper is simple: to provide a holistic view of mobile payments and the ecosystem currently supporting NFC mobile contactless payments. The hope is that this paper can help players in the industries directly involved, as well as observers and participants in secondary markets, understand the current mobile payments landscape, anticipate how mobile payments are likely to change, and appreciate the opportunities that mobile payments present. ontactless payments • Evaluation of how different mobile payment approaches fulfill overall market requirements Technology changes rapidly, and how it is ultimately applied is not always predictable. The goal of this white paper is simple: to provide a holistic view of mobile payments and the ecosystem currently supporting NFC mobile contactless payments. The hope is that this paper can help players in the industries directly involved, as well as observers and participants in secondary markets, understand the current mobile payments landscape, anticipate how mobile payments are likely to change, and appreciate the opportunities that mobile payments present.