ANNOUNCEMENTSAt CARTES 2013 Secure Connexions held in Paris on Nov. 19 to 21, Toronto-based mobile POS firm AnywhereCommerce launched Nomad 2.0. The upgraded device reads both Europay/MasterCard/Visa (EMV) chip and mag stripe card data; it is also more compact and lighter than the original Nomad, the company said.
Wireless POS device specialist Apriva produced a video case study that illustrates how universities can successfully integrate cashless payments and vending operations into a campus card payment infrastructure. The video, which was produced in conjunction with the University of British Columbia and Vancouver-based vending operator VendMaster, can be accessed at Apriva's YouTube channel.
Miami-based e-commerce platform provider CenPOS was awarded a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for cash management optimization technology. The technology is used in payment processing to identify the type of transaction, such as a brick-and-mortar or mobile, and automatically route that transaction for the lowest cost to the merchant, CenPOS said.
E-commerce shopping cart vendor CoreCommerce released new software featuring responsive design themes that allow website designs to adjust to the dimensions of different sized mobile device screens. While traditional websites are created with fixed widths, CoreCommerce's responsive design themes adjust automatically to any width, according to the company.
Columbia, Md.-based ISO First ACH redesigned its website to add educational content for merchants, such as how to initiate and manage customers and payments via virtual terminals.
Google Inc. re-entered the prepaid card market with the Google Wallet Card. The MasterCard Worldwide-branded general purpose reloadable card functions in conjunction with Google's mobile wallet. The search engine giant's first prepaid offering, the Google Prepaid Card, was discontinued in October 2012, reportedly due to slow user adoption.
Legal marijuana developer, marketer and deployer GrowLife Inc. rolled out its proprietary kiosk-based retail software solution at the National Marijuana Business Conference and Expo held Nov. 7 and 8, 2013, in Auburn, Wash. GrowLife said the software is installed in dedicated kiosks that accept cash and credit card payments.
POS system and merchant services provider Harbortouch reported it had won two 2013 Best in Biz Awards. It was named Silver Winner in the Most Innovative Service category (for its Lighthouse back-office reporting feature) and Bronze Winner in the Service of the Year category.
Princeton, N.J.-based acquirer Heartland Payment Systems Inc. said it will be the first processor to offer American Express Merchant Financing to merchants. The service allows small businesses an alternative financing solution via which they can obtain loans based on annual card processing volumes.
POS manufacturer Ingenico SA, along with its mobile payment subsidiary ROAM, extended its near field communication (NFC) -based mobile payment footprint into eight countries in 2013. Ingenico executive Jean-Marc Thienpont said the Paris-based company's overall mobile payments footprint stands at 1,000 acquirers in 125 countries.
Mobile wallet service Isis revealed its new Isis Alliance Program designed to provide retail technology firms the tools needed to integrate hardware with the mobile wallet. The solution utilizes Isis' proprietary SmartTap NFC technology embedded into POS devices. "[T]he Isis Alliance Program recognizes the ISO and POS solution provider channel is a powerful pathway to get new technology to merchants," said Jason Oxman, Chief Executive Officer of the Electronic Transactions Association.
ProPay Inc., a Lehi, Utah-based ISO and Total System Services Inc. company, launched a multiple currency conversion product called Shop in Your Currency. The service, which is powered by Planet Payment Inc., allows ProPay merchants to offer their customers the option of paying for goods and services in their home currencies.
London-based online payment firm Skrill was approved by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement to offer a digital wallet for regulated gambling in the state of New Jersey. Krill, which operates in the United States as Skrill U.S.A. Inc., said its digital wallet offers gambling sites a way to process deposits and withdrawals faster, increase conversion rates and provide full chargeback protection.
After complaints surfaced that businesses using Square Inc.'s mobile POS solution to process payments had to wait weeks for funds to be deposited into merchant accounts, the San Francisco-based mobile POS provider eliminated holds and deposit limits on manually entered transactions.
Additionally, Square redesigned Square Register. "The design's refined aesthetic introduces a smoother, more intuitive experience for both merchants and their customers, and optimizes for efficiency, simple customization and ease of use," Square said.
Prepaid card program manager TransCard LLC, along with the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, celebrated its relocation to new headquarters in Chattanooga, Tenn. TransCard said it is the largest technology company in southeastern Tennessee.
Wireless payment technology provider USA Technologies Inc. said The Nilson Report placed the company as the fifth-ranked shipper of wireless POS devices in 2012. "We believe USAT's ranking in the top five for U.S. shipments is indicative of the growing interest in cashless payment and telemetry in the markets we serve," said Maeve McKenna Duska, Vice President of Marketing for USAT.
Munich, Germany-based acquirer Wirecard AG presented a mobile couponing and loyalty platform at the Mobile Money & Digital Payments summit held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from Nov. 5 to 7, 2013. The platform utilizes NFC technology to allow smartphone users to redeem virtual vouchers by tapping phones on readers.
RESEARCHA Smart Card Alliance white paper, The Changing U.S. Payments Landscape: Impact on Payment Transactions at Physical Stores, explores how smart mobile devices, NFC, and migration to Europay/MasterCard/Visa technology are bringing significant changes to in-store payments and interaction with customers. The paper provides an overview of each new payment technology, along with an analysis of advantages and disadvantages and potential impacts.
According to a recent online poll conducted by Harris Interactive, 64 percent of those polled expect tap-to-pay mobile payments to replace card payments, but only 33 percent were convinced it will happen within five years. Twenty-eight percent said they believe this technology will never replace card payments; 34 percent indicated they expect cash payments to prevail. Lack of compelling motivation was a primary reason cited for slow uptake in most cases, Harris reported.
Based on the Association for Financial Professionals' 2013 AFP Electronic Payments Survey, U.S. companies continue to make business-to-business (B2B) payments by check, yet interest in mobile payments is growing. "The typical organization makes half its B2B payments by check, down from 81 percent in 2004," said Jim Kaitz, AFP President and CEO. Barriers to B2B electronic payments included difficulty convincing customers and suppliers to adopt other methods and lack of resources.
An ABI Research report containing market data for the fourth quarter 2013 on retail technologies and applications identified smartphones as a key component changing the way people shop. "Smartphones will completely revolutionize the existing analytics, CRM, digital signage, loyalty and POS markets, not to mention opening up a whole new medium for retailers to sell advertising to brands," said Patrick Connolly, Senior Analyst for ABI Research. The report includes more than 100 forecast tables.
PARTNERSHIPSGlobal card manufacturer and secure credentialing solutions provider ABnote entered a collaborative agreement with On Track Innovations Ltd., an NFC applications developer, to launch OTI's patented device-agnostic WAVE component as part of ABnote's mobile wallet offering. "OTI's WAVE device expands our capabilities for secure NFC-based payments," said John Ekers, Global Chief Information Officer of ABnote.
Equinox Payments LLC teamed with Infinite Peripherals Inc. in launching Apple iOS compatible mobile offerings that integrate with IPC's Linea Pro and Infinea Tab systems. The objective is to equip handheld devices with bar code scanner, card reader, inventory management, asset tracking, ID verification and lead tracking capabilities. Under the agreement, IPC will also offer its customers the Equinox Remote Key Injection platform for security management.
FreedomPay Inc. and Microsoft Corp. are jointly developing a payment platform-as-a-service that integrates mobility to capture consumer and inventory data enterprise-wide. "In the past, the payments business was purely transactional," said Colin Kerr, Industry Solutions Director, Worldwide Financial Services at Microsoft. "To fend off competition and to unlock the inherent value in payments, banks and merchants must treat the payments business as an information business."
France-based Ingenico partnered with Japan-based JCB International Co. Ltd. to support development of JCB's J/Speedy EMV contactless payment solution through Ingenico's Telium 2 platform. The launch is slated for mid-2014. "It is definitely a big step forward for us to have Ingenico incorporate the J/Speedy kernel onto their global terminal platform," said Tac Watanabe, Executive Vice President and Head of Brand Infrastructure & Technologies for JCB.
Merchant Warehouse expanded its partnership with Specialized Business Solutions, with the addition of the SBS Keystroke POS retail inventory control system integration with the Merchant Warehouse Genius Customer Engagement Platform. According to SBS, the Keystroke POS delivers an affordable, user-friendly, customizable retail store management system.
Data analytics and technology firm Tranzlogic, in partnership with Merchants' Choice Payment Solutions, will offer ISO partners of MCP an opportunity to resell its advanced proprietary customer intelligence technology. The goal is to help MCP's merchant clients transform transactional data into actionable insights, the companies stated.
ACQUISITIONSACI Worldwide completed acquisition of Official Payments Holdings Inc. in an all-cash transaction valued at $8.35 per share. With the addition of OPI's more than 3,000 bill payment customers in the government, education and nonprofit sectors, ACI expects to strengthen its position within the electronic bill payment market.
Prepaid network Blackhawk Network Holdings Inc. completed the purchase of InteliSpend Prepaid Solutions, a leader in the corporate incentives and consumer promotions marketplace. Under the agreement, InteliSpend will operate as a business unit of Blackhawk and remain headquartered in Fenton, Mo. Terms of the all-cash transaction were not disclosed.
EVO Payments International LLC acquired the Encore Group, which comprises EVO strategic partners Encore Payment Systems, Prodigy Payment Systems and Momentum Payment Systems. The companies reported that the acquisition will enable EVO to leverage Encore's proprietary processes and North American sales distribution strategies to drive further expansion into global markets.
APPOINTMENTSCharge Payment LLC subsidiary Trust One Payment Services hired Michael Campbell as its Vice President of Operations. Campbell, who has 25 years' experience in the payments industry, has expertise in such areas as risk management, fraud, credit, portfolio management and acquisition, analytics, and policy.
Most recently he was Senior Risk Consultant for The Strawhecker Group. Prior experience includes serving in an executive capacity at WorldPay, Chase Paymentech Merchant Services, Chase Merchant Services and Barnett Merchant Services.
YapStone Inc., a global provider of web and mobile payment solutions, appointed Colleen Lindow as Vice President, Payment Operations, and Christopher McLaughlin-Brooks as Vice President, Technical Operations.
In her new role, Lindow is responsible for YapStone's processor, payment network and strategic client relationships. With more than 20 years of experience in e-commerce and risk management, focusing primarily on international payments, she has held leadership positions at Square, PayPal Inc. and Billpoint. McLaughlin-Brooks is responsible for leading the company's global Technology Operations and Corporate information technology functions. He is a 20-year veteran of the technology and retail services sectors and brings a strong track record of success to YapStone.
YapStone also appointed Tim Armandpour as Senior Vice President of Engineering and Technology. He brings engineering and executive management experience within the payments industry to YapStone, having formerly led engineering teams at PayPal, Zong, SendMe Inc. and Yodlee Inc. He is responsible for overseeing the development and deployment of YapStone's payment platform and application programming interface, as well as bringing new mobile products to market.
MerchantPro Express hired First Data veteran Brian Sullivan as Managing Partner and Director of Sales in Michigan. In that role, he will head MPX Michigan, MPX' newest and fastest-growing merchant services sales hub, the company reported. For the past 15 years at First Data, Sullivan grew a client list predominantly centered in the quick-service restaurant and in select emerging market spheres.
MPX noted that Sullivan has also been "consistently recognized as one of Michigan's most effective merchant services bank relationship managers, specifically enhancing his bank partners' ability to acquire new commercial accounts and retain them through value-added merchant solutions." 
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