Shop owners could take card payments on a phone, no terminal needed

Two companies, littlefish and Halo Dot, have teamed up to sell banks a single package for taking card payments on a phone and running a shop. A merchant would need only a compatible phone with tap-to-pay, known as NFC. No separate card terminal is required.

What changed

Halo Dot makes SoftPOS, software that lets a phone accept contactless cards and phones. littlefish makes a business toolkit covering sales, inventory, loyalty programs, customer engagement and merchant management. Together, a bank can offer both as one product.

The offer is aimed at banks, merchant acquirers (firms that process card payments for shops) and other payment providers. The companies say it is available now to partner institutions worldwide. First rollouts are underway in African markets in 2026.

What is not known yet

The announcement does not name any bank or country. It gives no pricing and no list of supported phones. It also does not say when shops in other regions could see the service.

Shop owners cannot sign up with these companies directly. The product is sold through banks and payment providers, so any offer would come from the shop's own provider. The companies say the aim is to help banks compete on services around a payment, not only on processing it.