Sage, Modulr Link For Supplier Payments, Payroll; Tappy Technologies Teams With Timex

Welcome to The Axis, your late look at payments news from around the world. Coverage includes Hong Kong-based Tappy Technologies‘ collaboration with the Timex Group. U.K.-based Juniper Research is projecting that contactless payments will be on the uptick, Sage is teaming up with FinTech Modulr for payroll as well as accounts payable payments for U.K. businesses, and European FinTech OakNorth is partnering with ClearBank to offer agency banking services as well as real-time payments.

Tappy Technologies, a solution provider for wearables and digital payments based in Hong Kong, is teaming up with Timex Group, the companies said in an announcement. With a unifying platform, Tappy will let traditional watch brands transform watches into secured debit or credit cards. Tappy said its chip can be put into most any watch strap and tokenized via its Universal Passive Provisioning Unit (UPPU). Tappy Tech CEO Wayne Leung said in the announcement, “Highly sophisticated algorithms ensure that our solution operates flawlessly without batteries and that any products that incorporate our technology can be aesthetically pleasing, which is important to our watch partners.”

And U.K.-based Juniper Research said in an announcement that contactless ticketing users are projected to rise from 180 million this year to 468 million by 2023. The firm claims that ticketing in the transportation sector will help bolster the growth of the adoption of contactless. The Transport for London deployment, for instance, had 760 million contactless trips in the year concluding in September 2018. But, when it comes to contactless ticketing at events, the company said, “not enough is being done by venues to take advantage of it and other solutions, such as QR via mobile app, are playing a more dominant role.”

On another note, cloud business management solution provider Sage is teaming up with U.K. FinTech Modulr for payroll and accounts payable payments for businesses in the U.K., according to reports. Businesses owners, accountants and others can use the Sage Salary and Supplier Payments offering to make payments. Sage Executive Vice President Global Payments and Banking Seamus Smith said, according to the announcement, “Being able to pay employees and suppliers on time is an essential part of modern business. By enabling our SME customers and accountant partners to automate vital financial processes directly from our products, we can exceed their expectations.”