Six key initiatives are highlighted, offering an insight into the future of NFC tech

NFC Forum, the global standards body for Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, has today announced its latest roadmap for the development of NFC Forum Standards and its corresponding technical capabilities. New topics to be progressed over the forthcoming years include faster data rates, end-to-end application testing, and security advancements. Additionally, ongoing work will continue to evolve the NFC Wireless Charging offer, advance multi-purpose tap and explore new digital key requirements.

The roadmap was collaboratively developed by the NFC Forum Board members - including representatives from Apple, Google, Huawei, Identiv, Infineon, NuCurrent, NXP Semiconductors, Sony, and ST Microelectronics - in consultation with the NFC Forum membership and industry partners to ensure anticipated market requirements are addressed.

The six key roadmap priorities include:

• Faster Data Rates. Exploring the potential to increase the standardized current rate at which data can be transferred between two devices by up to eight times, delivering a smoother and more responsive NFC user experience.

• Improving Reader Mode Interoperability. Providing end-to-end interoperability testing to confirm that new and updated applications successfully and consistently operate on NFC Forum Certified Devices, improving NFC Reader Mode reliability across all use cases.

• Security Advancements. Publishing NFC Forum’s first-ever NFC Controllers Security Profile, as well as looking to future proof NFC security protocols against Post Quantum Computing threats and strengthening NFC against relay-based attacks.

• Wireless Power Evolution. Commencing work on the next generation of NFC Forum Wireless Charging Specifications to define device category specific profiles, support devices with multiple wireless charging receivers, and deliver higher charging power levels.

• Multi-Purpose Tap. Defining the technical proposals required to bring the concept of supporting several actions with a single ‘tap’ to market. This includes the ability of the NFC Reader to specify and request the specific credentials needed to perform a user action.

• Digital Keys. Exploring innovative new digital key experiences to ensure NFC Forum Standards support a range of industry requirements.

Mike McCamon, Executive Director of NFC Forum, comments: “NFC is a well-established and trusted foundational technology for countless devices and use cases across almost every market. To ensure that each of these deployments work in the seamless manner that customers expect from NFC, it is vital that the NFC Forum develops global standards that deliver true industry harmonization. Furthermore, to enable these standards to be adopted and applied at scale, it is equally important that all NFC stakeholders are aware of our plans and engage with NFC Forum in our development processes. This approach ensures future evolutions continue to align with both their current NFC use cases as well as their long-term ambitions.”

NFC Forum last released a Technology Roadmap in 2023. A key element of this was increasing operating volumes and advancing its specifications to support the Digital Product Passport requirements. Both these ambitions were delivered as part of NFC Release 15 in June 2025.

“For more than 20 years, NFC Forum has empowered organizations to create innovative contactless experiences backed by intuitive, reliable and consistent NFC open standards,” adds Mike. “The active engagement in the evolution of NFC technology from an ever-increasing number of industries is testament to the clear value it provides to users globally. As we accelerate across the arc of contactless towards inevitable ubiquity, we encourage discussion and welcome new contributions from across the ecosystem.”

Learn more about the 2026 NFC Forum Technology Roadmap.

The Roadmap will be discussed in more detail in our upcoming webinar on February 26. Registrations are now open.

About the NFC Forum

The NFC Forum, established in 2004, is a non-profit industry association comprised of leading mobile communications, semiconductor, and consumer electronics companies. Its mission is to advance the use of Near Field Communication technology by developing specifications, ensuring interoperability, and educating the market about NFC technology.

The NFC Forum's global member companies share skills, technical expertise and industry knowledge to develop specifications and protocols for interoperable data exchange, device-independent service delivery, and device capability. Forum’s supporting certification program and user marks enhance and promote a consistent, reliable, seamless and secure NFC user experience. To learn more about joining the Forum, visit https://nfc-forum.org/engage/join.

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For more than 20 years, NFC Forum has empowered organizations to create innovative contactless experiences backed by intuitive, reliable and consistent NFC open standards.