Today In Payments Around The World: China’s Hotel Vertical First To Rebound Amid Pandemic

In today’s top payments news around the world, Visa is expanding its touch-free Tap To Phone (TTP) systems, while the hotel industry in China is registering year-over-year revenue growth. Plus, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered food carts have begun providing lunch to office workers in Beijing.

Visa Expands Tap To Phone To 15 Countries

Visa announced that it is expanding its touch-free Tap To Phone (TTP) payment systems to over 15 markets throughout the globe, with intentions to bring the mobile technology to the U.S. sometime in 2021. The growth comes on the heels of a year-long experimental effort. TTP is now running in multiple countries in the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.

China’s Hotel Industry First To Show Growth Amid Pandemic

The hotel vertical in China is back in business, notching year-over-year revenue growth even with the negative economic impact of the global pandemic that locked down most of the world. The space’s important metrics were up the week concluding Oct. 10 — revenue per available room, daily rates and occupancy. Occupancy was up almost 3 percent, while daily rates were up nearly 10 percent.

AI-Powered Meal Delivery Debuts In China

Artificial intelligence (AI)-fueled food carts have started providing lunch to Beijing office workers, courtesy of Chinese online shopping firm Meituan-Dianping. The firm recently started an experimental run for its new AI meal and food delivery offering, with orders coming an average 17 minutes following their placement.

Chinese Smartphone Buyers Driving iPhone 12 Demand

Chinese smartphone users are fueling the record pre-orders of the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 from Apple, according to a report that cited information from the Chinese online shopping site Fenqile. The iPhone 12 series is fueled by the A14 Bionic chip, which harnesses a five-nanometer process to decrease transistor size. The newest line also comes with a new four-core GPU, which is as much as 50 percent quicker than rivals.