NEC pushes money to cloud

NEC has unveiled a cloud-based prepaid electronic money system that includes system servers, media (including cards and smartphones) and payment terminals.
 
Called the “integrated electronic money solution,” the new cloud-based e-money system consists of three elements: 1) “e-money servers” that manage prepaid e-money issuing, transactions, balances, user accounts and settlement; 2) “e-money media” including cards, mobile phones and smartphone applications for settling payments; and 3) “e-money payment terminals” for stores to read information from e-money media.
 
“This solution has already been adopted by one of the world's best known convenience stores and a leading multiplex cinema operator in India,” said Nobuhiro Ide, assistant general manager at NEC. We aim to continue promoting this business model with retailers all over the world.”
 
CRM capabilities
 
In addition to e-money services, NEC's cloud services support CRM (customer relationship management) functions, such as point services or e-money transfer services between individuals using mobile phone SMS. It is also possible to provide new customer services linked with e-money transactions.
 
The e-money payment terminals also support NFC (near field communication) communications. These terminals can connect to POS (point of sale) registers or smart devices, such as tablet devices and smartphones, in order to provide payment solutions.
 
Finally, NFC smartphones and contactless IC cards can be used as e-money media, so that consumers can settle payments by using NFC smartphones and contactless IC cards.