Basically we are waiting for partners to get their ducks in a row. For Apex we have the chip selected and fairly well tested but there are certain things that if we want to do in the future with the chips (the ones we sell.ans you implant) then we have to wait for certain things to go on the chips during manufacturing at NXP. There is no ETA for these specific processes to be finalized. It’s torture for us as it is for those waiting.
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Whether it is what we want to hear or not, the info is really appreciated.
Thanks Amal, great update.
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Really appreciate the update!
Is there anything we as the public can do to help encourage companies to get their ducks in a line? Even if its as simple as showing the demand for these products?
Be safe, and keep on being amazing!
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Not really it’s all stuff that will just have to progress on its own for now. Sadly.
I am considering finding a bank that has tap cards and having one made into an implant.
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I’m wondering if partnering with a credit union for development would help or hurt.
In short, payment is a multi-tier problem with various players … at the top of the pile though are the “schemes” like MasterCard or Visa. They are the current stumbling block.
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So what you are saying is… If I get sponsorship on the racecar from MC or Visa that might help us speak with the right people 
What about crypto currency payments. Like a custom DT/vivokey wallet app which uses implants to auth transactions. I used a few different wallets to achieve payments from my bank accounts.
Well, I mean… we have spoken to the right people and they are the ones dragging feet. If you could get 3 or 4 levels higher than our “right people” then maybe we could force the issue… perhaps the marketing and promo side of MC for example could have the ear of execs… but it would only work if the marketing people had a plan… something they could leverage to either A) promote MC being “innovative” or whatever, or B) shove a proof of concept out there that has no affiliation with MasterCard and see what the fallout might be… like in a canary in the coalmine kind of way… and honestly, I think B is the much more likely option they might entertain since everyone we spoke to at MC at any level that matters is simply convinced that associating MC with implants will always result in disaster.
Maybe Visa might be more outgoing? Definitely ping me if you get ahold of the right people.
This is tricky. Yes you can deploy a crypto wallet to Apex… however… MasterCard (and probably Visa now too) fear crypto… hard. They simply made rules to block it. If you have a crypto payment technology deployed in any way with the payment chip inside the payment device, then you are not allowed to use MasterCard payment applets or the network. Simple as that.
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Sounds like a new Apex line to choose from
Vivokey Apex Credit
Vivokey Apex Crypto 
Just add that to your list Amal 
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I’d love to see EMV spend a bit on a shell startup that facilitates payments, as a middleman. Then maybe that service allows something like this
Is there a way it could be ran as basically for lack of better terms gift card system? For example you create an account with Vivokey, put $200 on it, once you use up that 200 You have to put more on your account 
These are known as prepaid or reloadable cards. I believe the Making payments with an implant questionnaire asks if we would be okay with it being reloadable.
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I was thinking if a contactless Tesla key and be hacked into an implant maybe a curve.com card for example could also be altered… obviously this is not the ideal way we want to move forward but could a partnership with a lower level company be struck. ((not sure if there is any risk to their current partnership with Visa/MC??))
It’s not emv… the emv is a consortium that defines standards to ensure the competing payment networks (schemas) don’t force merchants to basically have a “MasterCard terminal” and “Visa terminal” and “American Express terminal” on the front point of sale system.
Look into payment schemes… these are the top of the approval mountain we are climbing.
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The Tesla card is by permission, not hacked to my knowledge. So same diff, we need permission.
If I’m remembering things right someone worked out the pairing process for Tesla’s official cards and reverse engineered it to make their own Java applet. That seems to be what was happening here.
https://teslaownersonline.com/threads/reverse-engineering-model-3-nfc-protocol.14425/
So yeah, kinda both actually… the first phase was just simply converting Tesla keycards into implants… it was Amie’s idea and we did hers first.
Next the reverse engineering came into play, but to get the VivoKey “Not a keycard” applet on Fidesmo, we needed to assure Fidesmo that Tesla wasn’t going to freak out. So we nagged and harassed people at Tesla until they finally came back with an email that basically said “Do whatever you want, we don’t care… just don’t come crying to us if we change things and your stuff stops working.”, to which we said “Thanks!” and published our applet on Fidesmo.
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Sorry to bug you about it but are there any updates on the progress? Im very excited for the release and would love to have a general idea of things. Even just an estimated time like this month, next few months, or several months out?
again, sorry for bugging, just curious and eager for more info.