BBVA is to run trials of software that enables merchants to accept contactless transactions on their Android mobiles without the need for any additional hardware.
The Spanish bank is working with German fintech Rubean to try out its PhonePOS application with up to 200 merchants.
The PhonePOS solution was developed by Rubean in partnership with German compatriot CCV, encryption key specialist Intertrust and penetration testing outfit Riscure.
The product, which transforms Android handsets running 8.0 Oreo or later into contactless payment terminals, has been ratified by Visa and Mastercard and was formally launched in April.
For the proof-of-concept with BBVA, merchant clients will no longer need additional hardware that they previously had to buy, rent, or lease.
Separately, rival softPos application Phos has extended its partnership with Mastercard across 12 European countries. Following a pilot scheme which covered the UK, Germany, Romania and Bulgaria, the product will now be rolled out across eight others including Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Spain.
