Worldpay Works On Drone Payments, Grab Unveils New Thailand Services

Welcome to The Axis, your late look at payments news from around the world. Coverage includes Worldpay’s work on payment technology for drones. In addition, Singapore-based Grab is rolling out new services in Thailand, and Indonesia’s FinAccel has notched $30 million in Series B funding.

Singapore’s Grab is introducing three new services in Thailand, as the ride-hailing service seeks to be a one-stop shop for users in the Southeast Asia region, Deal Street Asia reported. The company is rolling out “eConcierge” service GrabMart, same-day parcel and document delivery service GrabExpress and grocery delivery service GrabFresh, which was recently introduced with the help of Indonesia’s HappyFresh.

In other news, The Western Union Company is teaming up with South Korean mobile-first bank kakaobank for international money transfers via the bank’s app, Western Union said in an announcement. With the tie-up, more than 6 million customers using the kakaobank mobile app will be able to connect with more than a half a million Western Union agent locations in over 200 countries and territories.

Researchers at Worldpay are working on payments from drone deliveries, the company said in an announcement. Worldpay’s Drone Pay proof-of-concept technology can verify the identity of a drone package delivery recipient with EMV contactless payment card technology. The technology is embedded in a landing pad, which comes to consumers in the form of a doormat.

European consumers are receptive to the idea of drone delivery, according to research conducted by Opinium. In Spain, 42 percent of consumers are ready embrace drone delivery. Additionally, 38 percent of consumers in Sweden,  37 percent of consumers in Germany and 32 percent of consumers in the Netherlands are comfortable with the technology.

In other news, Jakarta-based FinAccel has notched $30 million in Series B funding, the company said in an announcement. The round was led by Square Peg Capital, along with participation from both new and existing investors. FinAccel’s core product is a digital credit card and transaction engine called Kredivo that allows consumers to “buy now and pay later” through major eCommerce sites in Indonesia.