Starting today, NFC World has a new name and a new mission — to report on the full array of emerging technologies that are transforming how consumers choose what to buy, who to buy from, and how to pay.

As NFC World+, we will be reporting on the latest developments in NFC as well as on a wide range of emerging online-to-offline technologies including QR, Bluetooth Low Energy and iBeacons, biometrics, acoustic and light-based communications, digital watermarks, augmented reality, bio-sensors and more.

We’ll also be reporting on the latest technology developments in mobile payments, retail, marketing, banking and beyond, under three main areas of focus:

The emerging technologies that are creating new ways for banks, merchants, marketers, carriers and platform providers to serve their customers.Innovative products, services and use cases that shine a light on how these technologies can be used to transform the customer experience, cut costs and generate new revenue streams.The latest market trends, including moves by the leading players in the field around the world, consumer surveys, forecasts and adoption data.

Does that mean we no longer believe in NFC?

No, absolutely not! Recent developments like host card emulation (HCE) and EMVCo’s tokenization specification mean that NFC is now maturing fast. Rather than the original vision of NFC as a single “Swiss Army knife” technology that can perform all tasks for all people, however, we believe NFC will be one of a number of technologies that issuers, merchants and brands will call on as they develop products and services that meet the needs of today’s smartphone owning consumers.

Here at NFC World, we think we are at our best — and our most useful — when writing about emerging technologies.

“What makes us unique and so widely read, we believe, is that we take the time to truly understand a technical breakthrough, innovative new service or major development in the market — and then communicate what it means to readers in plain, clear English,” says editor Sarah Clark.

“And that’s exactly what we plan to do going forward. Commerce is undergoing a mobile-led revolution that’s set to be even more disruptive than that created by the arrival of the internet in the 1990s — and NFC World+ will be there to explain how the latest technologies work, report on leading edge use cases and track the key developments in the market.

“These are exciting times for anyone interested in the future of how we choose what products to buy, who we buy from and how we pay. Today, NFC World+ is setting out with a new mission to explore the future of commerce. We hope you will enjoy the journey.”