NFC Payment Wearables Launched in US Amid Surge in NFC Cyberattacks

Fintech company Inter introduced its Inter Ring and Inter Wristband wearables in the United States, enabling contactless payments through passive NFC technology without a screen, battery, or phone. The devices, available in various colors and designed to be water‑resistant, link directly to a user’s existing Inter credit card, sharing the same limit and billing cycle. Initially offered to a limited group of customers, a broader rollout is planned for later in 2026.

A Kaspersky report warned that NFC‑based cyberattacks targeting Android mobiles grew 188 % in the first four months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, with roughly 35,600 incidents blocked. The report described two main fraud methods: “direct NFC” attacks using social‑engineering to install malicious apps that intercept payment data, and the harder‑to‑detect “reverse NFC” attacks that coax victims into authorising fraudulent transfers. The first public incidents appeared in late 2023, initially affecting European users before spreading to Russia and other regions.