Payment processor Worldpay has launched what it claims is the first-ever trial of a software-only card payment mPOS system.

Called My Business Mobile, the solution will enable businesses to accept face-to-face contactless card transactions – as well as Apple and Android Pay – using an app on their smartphone, without requiring any additional hardware.

My Business Mobile is targeted at small businesses and merchants such as coffee carts and market traders, with London’s Feijoa Tree Coffee the first business to trial the app, as part of a six-month pilot intended to include up to 50 micro-businesses.

“By taking hardware out of the equation, we are really bringing payments into the future,” said Nick Telford-Reed, director of technology Innovation at Worldpay. “This revolutionary new technology app has the potential to enable micro-businesses to benefit from taking card payments without the need for dedicated hardware. We all carry a phone in our pocket, and now these sole traders and small businesses can use that same phone to take payments. They need never miss a sale.”