Key insights from the Taiwan Member Meeting and Connections Summit

Last month the NFC Forum community met in Taiwan to discuss the latest innovations in the industry, develop common interest in new markets and make face-to-face progress on shared work projects. The May 2024 Member Meeting was also collocated with the Connections Summit, an event presented in collaboration with RAIN Alliance and hosted by SAG, which brought the broader RFID industry together to explore the latest market trends and technical developments.

Here are three key insights from the three-day Member Meeting and Connections Summit:

1. Technologies that enable sustainable practices are being prioritized

Sustainability dominated numerous sessions during the Connections Summit, with keynote addresses and panel sessions examining how NFC Forum technology and RAIN RFID can support sustainability initiatives. The EU’s Digital Product Passport (DPP) was a key point of conversation, looking at how these technologies can help make the circular economy a reality and support DPP compliance.

NFC Forum compliant tags can already be used as Data Carriers across industry to support evolving DPP Standards and the Forum is also developing its own DPP Standard to increase the utility of DPP by directly storing information on products. Sustainability is a key strategic effort by the Forum and we are committed to establishing standards that align with sustainable product development and a seamless user experience across all geographies, industries and products.

2. Wireless Charging capabilities were a hot topic of discussion

Another emerging NFC use case that was discussed during the Member Meeting was Wireless Charging. One of our sessions included a live demonstration of products from HP that include our standard. Interestingly one of the key messages during the session was that product designers should look more closely at the user experience of wirelessly charged products: many of these ultralow powered devices can charge very quickly. It was also noted that if a product already includes NFC Forum technologies for commissioning, this connection could be repurposed to transfer power without need for a connecting cable.

3. Companies are exploring new and exciting use cases enabled by Multi-Purpose Tap

The Member Meeting hosted a lively discussion session on Multi-Purpose Tap, with transport, payment, loyalty, age check and their various combinations highlighted. Topics covered how to make the concept universal across all mobile devices, developing the right payment architecture and how to ensure security for each action completed within a transaction.

NFC Forum recently launched its first overview of Multi-Purpose Tap and the value the emerging concept will bring to businesses and consumers. With a single tap of their NFC device, users will be able to complete all required actions in a transaction. A payment can be made, correct discounts applied, receipts delivered, and loyalty points given, with just one tap.

Also of note, the annual Officers Election was conducted, and all current NFC Forum Board Officers were re-elected to their roles, and the group welcomed Jean-Remi Ruiz, STMicroelectronics, as supporting Vice Chair.

The next NFC Forum Member Meeting is taking place in Nice, France between 8 – 10 October 2024. It will include a VisioNFC event focused on Sustainability, the 2024 Innovation Awards, and celebrate the NFC Forum’s 20^th Anniversary. Interested in coming along? Registration is open now.