The Circle K convenience store chain in Hong Kong has resumed digital payment services after suspending them for more than a week due to a cyberattack, but bill payment services and loyalty programme functions remain unavailable. Circle K Hong Kong, which operates nearly 400 outlets in the city, said on Tuesday evening that its stores…
Convenience store chain Circle K has confirmed that it was the victim of a cyberattack in Hong Kong and apologised to affected customers, a week after it suspended acceptance of electronic payments. Circle K Hong Kong also said on Friday night that the company’s IT and cybersecurity teams, along with independent experts, were still working…
UK energy giant Octopus has said it is spinning off its software arm Kraken Technologies. It said the demerger will help to speed up the expansion of Kraken globally, with the firm’s AI-powered platform already connected to more than 70 million household and business accounts. It comes amid reports Kraken could go public with a…
A Hong Kong start-up has sought to overcome taxi drivers’ long-standing reluctance to embrace digital payments by launching an e-payment system offering various fare settlement options alongside a ride-hailing app. Jason Ma Siu-cheong, 37, founded the start-up Dash in 2021. It is the latest company aiming to persuade Hong Kong’s taxi drivers to abandon their…
E-payment service provider AlipayHK will continue to waive fees for Hong Kong taxi drivers to encourage them to use its system, with the company saying the penetration rate has remained low due to cabbies’ persistent reluctance. Simon Leung, alternate chief executive of AlipayHK, said that the company had implemented several measures to boost adoption. These…
Hong Kong launched its much-awaited premium taxi service on Monday, as the first operator to receive a full licence hit the streets with its 160 cabs after completing a trial run. SynCab showcased its vehicles during a launch ceremony attended by Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan, who said she expected the company would…
Hong Kong’s Octopus is extending its tentacles further overseas. The electronic payment system is working with other platforms in Japan to enable users to settle transactions with its mobile phone application as early as the third quarter of this year. The move will enhance travel convenience and is to be welcomed. This is not the…
Tokyo, Japan | Image credit: Yu Kato/Unsplash Octopus, a payment app, is scheduled to launch in Japan by the third quarter of this year, providing added convenience for travellers from Hong Kong. Soon, visitors can use their Octopus mobile apps to make payments in Japan without relying solely on exchanged currency. The platform is already…
Amid the flurry of measures announced in the budget by Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po it was good to see the pledge to transform Hong Kong into a hub for international exchange and cooperation for artificial intelligence (AI). The plan to leverage technology to create a new economic driver would come with HK$1 billion (US$128.6…
Hong Kong authorities can only apply a new pricing model for the HK$2 (25 US cent) transport fare scheme by September of next year because they need time to organise updates, checks and tests covering 17,000 Octopus card readers on vehicles and ferries, the welfare chief has said. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun…