Australia to regulate Apple Pay, NatWest fights scams with board games

Australia plans to put Apple Pay and Google Pay under the same rules that apply to credit cards, NatWest is inviting customers into its branches for a tabletop game about the perils of financial scams and more.

Here's what's happening around the world:

Australia brings Apple Pay under general digital payments regulation

The government of Australia this month said it will begin to apply the same regulations that cover the country's credit cards to Apple Pay, Google Pay and other digital payment services, Reuters reports. The move comes after digital wallets exploded in popularity without direct oversight by Australia's payment regulators. Legislation to support the decision will be introduced this week, following the central bank's decision last month to modernize its rules to encompass a range of mobile payment apps, including China's WeChat Pay. Australia's banks fought Apple Pay's policy of refusing third-party access to its platform when the digital wallet was introduced nearly 10 years ago, but eventually the parties reached a compromise. —Kate Fitzgerald

U.K. bank offers board game to teach customers about payment scams

NatWest, a leading U.K. bank, has developed a board game to educate consumers about various payment scams, after the bank saw a 41% increase in scams last year. All Mod Cons: The Board Game is available to play in select branches, where groups of four to six players try to get around the board without falling prey to the most popular bank account and payment card scams. Those include phishing, where fraudsters trick consumers into sharing usernames and passwords; impersonations where criminals pretend to represent the bank; and refund scams. NatWest said its research suggests 13% of British adults have been victimized by a scam within the past year, but 25% of adults are reluctant to admit to friends and family that they've been scammed. —Kate Fitzgerald

ACI, Mexipay collaborate for payments innovation in Mexico

Miami-based payments software provider ACI Worldwide has teamed with Mexico City-based fintech Mexipay to promote the development of real-time payments and other digital payment services in Mexico, the companies said in a press release. Targeting unbanked consumers, Mexipay will use the ACI Low Value Real-Time Payments solution to support instant payments based on the ISO 20022 standard via small and midsize banks, along with merchants, the release said. Plans call for rolling out the first wave of Mexipay's real-time payments early next year. —Kate Fitzgerald

Lloyds Bank app taps passport IDs for rapid account-opening

London-based Lloyd's Bank has introduced a feature for U.K. citizens enabling smartphone app users to open a bank account through a contactless connection to users' passports, IBS Intelligence reports. Lloyd's app uses Near Field Communication to scan the prospective customer's identity data housed on a chip embedded in their passport, instantly populating key fields. The process provides a fast and accurate approach to verifying customers' identities, and is available for iPhone users at Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland. Android support for the new feature will be added early next year. —Kate Fitzgerald

Czech automaker teams with U.K. firm for in-car fuel payments

Škoda, the Czech Republic-based auto manufacturer founded in 1895, has teamed with U.K.-based Parkopedia to add in-car fuel payment capabilities to Škoda vehicles' infotainment systems in Europe, according to a press release. Parkopedia, which already provides Pay to Park technology enabling Škoda drivers to pay for parking from their dashboards, has extended a similar Pay to Fuel feature to the vehicles. Fuel stations supporting Pay to Fuel are listed in Škoda cars' built-in navigation systems, and the vehicle automatically recognizes them upon arrival at the station. For drivers that have connected a debit or credit card to the MyŠkoda smartphone app — which is also displayed on the car's infotainment system — payment is automatically completed when the driver finishes adding fuel after confirming the station and pump number. Pay to Fuel is available in Belgium, Denmark, Luxemburg, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with plans to launch soon in the Czech Republic, Spain and Portugal. —Kate Fitzgerald

Japan’s JCB lays groundwork for broad card acceptance in France

Tokyo-based credit card network JCB International has formed a partnership with Paris-based payments technology firm FrenchSys to streamline broad acceptance of JCB-branded cards across France, according to a press release. The move comes as Asians resume traveling to France after a protracted slowdown following the pandemic. The partnership means French payment card acquirers may switch on acceptance for contact and contactless JCB credit cards without performing additional Level 3 payment card terminal certifications, and payment terminals will support all national and international card schemes, including those requiring an online PIN. The JCB network supports more than 154 million cardholders. —Kate Fitzgerald

Klarna wins regulatory approval to offer credit, payments in U.K.

Klarna won approval to offer credit and payment products in the U.K., though the new authorization excludes the company's popular buy now/pay later loans. The Financial Conduct Authority's new authorization allows it to continue operations in the U.K. market just as a temporary approval it received in the aftermath of Brexit was due to expire in just five weeks, according to a statement. The Stockholm-based company established a U.K.-based entity, Klarna Financial Services UK, to offer all of its consumer-facing products in the country.

The firm, which has a full European banking license, had rolled out term loans and card products in the U.K. in recent years, which are covered under the FCA's authorization along with the open banking-based payment services it provides. The firm said it has long argued that its buy now/pay later offerings should also be regulated. —Aisha S Gani, Bloomberg News

Berkshire Hathaway exits India’s Paytm with $164 million sale

Berkshire Hathaway exited India's Paytm by selling its 2.5% stake in the digital payments service provider via a block deal on Friday, according to information available on a local stock exchange.

BH International Holdings, an entity related to Berkshire Hathaway, sold 15.6 million shares in One 97 Communications, the parent of Paytm, via a single block trade that took place soon after start of trading on India's National Stock Exchange.

The shares were sold at 877.20 rupees ($10.52) each, fetching the seller about 14 billion rupees, according to terms of the deal seen by Bloomberg News. The value of the investment stood at 21.7 billion rupees prior to Paytm's debut in 2021, according to its IPO document. Copthall Mauritius Investment Ltd. bought 7.6 million shares and Ghisallo Master Fund LP picked up 4.3 million shares, according to NSE data. —Ashutosh Joshi, Bloomberg News