---------- Forwarded Message ---------- Subject: TOC: Electronic Payment Systems Observatory-Newsletter (ePSO-N) - No 6 - March 2001 Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 10:16:18 +0200 From: Hans-Dieter Zimmermann Hans-Dieter.Zimmermann@UNISG.CH To: ISWORLD@LISTSERV.HEANET.IE

---------------------- Apologies for Cross Posting ---------------------

ELECTRONIC PAYMENT SYSTEMS OBSERVATORY-NEWSLETTER ePSO-Newsletter - No 6 - March 2001 http://epso.jrc.es/newsletter

OVERVIEW of ePSO-N 06

[6&1] Editorial: The Rise of Convenience: Clickable, Convertible, Contactless

Arnd Weber (arnd.weber@itas.fzk.de), ITAS, Karlsruhe, Germany

/payment server/electronic money

In this issue we continue to focus on Internet payments. Our emphasis is on solutions which require little technology on the consumer side, just a few clicks. This includes innovative pre- and postpaid solutions. Prepaid solutions are also the subject of our country report on Japan, focusing on contactless payments. If any such new technologies are incompatible, providers can make them convertible, therefore we discuss the cases of Bibit, SmartAxis and TWYP. Finally, we report about the Norwegian payment systems and the EU's Financial Internet Working Group. http://epso.jrc.es/newsletter/vol06/1.html __________________________________________________

[6&2] Access is King: About the Bright Future of Server-based E-payment Systems

Knud Boehle (bohle@jrc.es), Institute for Prospective Technological Studies, Seville, Spain

/payment server/Internet payment systems/innovation/technology assessment

Looking at recent Internet payment developments, a paradigm shift from a decentralised to a central server approach is observed. At first sight it is about front-end innovations substituting payment software in the hands of customers and merchants by access to a central payment server. But the new approach holds further promises as an innovation of the payment infrastructure: integrating different payment methods, integrating i-payments and m-payments, enhancing the mere payment service by additional services such as bill presentment or Internet banking functions.

http://epso.jrc.es/newsletter/vol06/2.html

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[6&3] Scratch Cards: Here to Stay?

Michael Rader (rader@itas.fzk.de), ITAS, Karlsruhe, Germany

/scratch cards/prepaid schemes/micropayments/anonymity

Recently several systems for low-value payments on the Internet based on "scratch cards" have seen the light of day in different countries. While these have several attractive features in common which suggest that they stand a good chance of achieving a breakthrough in use by young people and for anonymous payments, one of the earliest schemes from the US, Cybermoola, has vanished from the scene. The article identifies some factors which might have been responsible for failure, such as lack of backing by a major bank, costs and lack of complete anonymity.

http://epso.jrc.es/newsletter/vol06/3.html

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[6&4] E-money Solution from Austria: Paysafecard.com

Peter Paul Sint (sint@oeaw.ac.at), Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria

/scratch cards/prepaid schemes/micropayments/anonymity/Austria

Paysafecard operates a payment service using prepaid cards with identification numbers for limited amounts of money. Different cards for adults and minors are sold. First acceptance is good, and the service will be offered in an increasing number of European countries.

http://epso.jrc.es/newsletter/vol06/4.html

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[6&5] Solving the Standardisation Problem of Internet-payments: The Case of Bibit, TWYP and SmartAxis

Simon Lelieveldt (simonl@wxs.nl), Amsterdam, the Netherlands

/standards/regulation/competition/integrators

Many policy-makers and politicians believe that the multitude of local payment methods constitutes a barrier to cross-border electronic trade over the Internet. As a result they call for standardisation of payment methods. The lack of standardisation could however also be viewed as a business opportunity. This article describes how this business opportunity is being exploited for both chipcard-based and other payment instruments on the web.

http://epso.jrc.es/newsletter/vol06/5.html

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[6&6] Fast Electronic Purses and Transport Tickets in Japan

Arnd Weber (arnd.weber@itas.fzk.de), ITAS, Karlsruhe, Germany

/electronic money/public transport/contactless smartcard/magnetic cards/transport ticket/Japan

Japanese companies from different industries have developed and already started to deploy fast contactless electronic purse and transport ticketing schemes. The purses are expected to be used mainly in transport, but also at other vending machines, in convenience stores, and in both normal and cyber shops. Mobile phones are planned to be used for payment and reloading.

http://epso.jrc.es/newsletter/vol06/6.html

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[6&7] European Commission's Financial Internet Working Group Outlines its Work

Charles Goldfinger (CHARLES_GOLD@COMPUSERVE.COM), Chairman of FIWG, Brussels, Belgium

/Cyberfinance/electronic payment systems/internet/ security/electronic banking/EC project

The "Financial Internet Working Group" is a cross-sectoral, cross-institutional forum that brings together financial institutions and technology providers, traditional players and newcomers, public authorities and the private sector. Its overall objective is to facilitate the deployment of cyberfinance within Europe with a focus on three areas: institutional payment systems, retail banking, securities markets. FIWG is a project of Key Action II (New Methods of Work and Electronic Commerce) and forms as such part of the European Commission's Information Society Technologies (IST) specific program. Although it is EC funded FIWG acts independently.

http://epso.jrc.es/newsletter/vol06/7.html

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[6&8] Payment Systems Data: Norges Bank Shows the Way

Leo Van Hove (Leo.Van.Hove@vub.ac.be), Free University of Brussels, Belgium

/review/payment systems/costs of payment systems/pricing/Norway

The recent Report on Payment Systems by the Norges Bank presents a clear picture of the Norwegian payment system and provides a wealth of statistical data. It is easily the best report of its kind and an example for other central banks. Especially the data on price trends of payment instruments and the resulting impact on the use of the different means of payment are of interest.

http://epso.jrc.es/newsletter/vol06/8.html

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[6&9] Masthead

Electronic Payment Systems Observatory-Newsletter ePSO-Newsletter - 2001 - No 6 - March 2001

The Electronic Payment Systems Observatory-Newsletter (ePSO-N) is an activity within the "electronic Payment Systems Observatory" (ePSO) project of the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS), one of the eight institutes of DG Joint Research Center. The newsletter will appear each month till the end of 2001, with the exception of January and August. The Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) of Karlsruhe Research Centre edits this newsletter.

Michael Rader co-ordinating editor rader@itas.fzk.de

Yannis Maghiros ePSO project leader ioannis.maghiros@jrc.es

For subscription you may go directly to http://epso.jrc.es/newsletter/subscribe.cfm

Complete Masthead: http://epso.jrc.es/newsletter/vol06/9.html

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Kind regards, Hans-Dieter Zimmermann ____________________________ Hans-Dieter Zimmermann Competence Center Electronic Markets CCEM =mcm institute for media and communications management University of St. Gallen, Switzerland URL: http://www.mcm.unisg.ch Hans-Dieter.Zimmermann@unisg.ch

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