ANNOUNCEMENTSMobile payment provider Apriva said the number of U.S. merchants using its AprivaPay mobile payment acceptance solution in 2013 is up by over 300 percent from 2012. The company noted it is experiencing substantially higher adoption rates in major metropolitan areas.
Prepaid card distribution innovator Better ATM Services inaugurated a reseller network for its prepaid cards via ATMs scheme by signing its first reseller: money transfer company Express Teller Services. The network enables third-party payment vendors to offer Visa Inc.-branded gift cards at ATMs.
Atlanta-based bitcoin processor BitPay released a global bitcoin directory featuring bitcoin-accepting merchants. The directory provides bitcoin users access to thousands of businesses and charities that now accept bitcoin, according to BitPay.
Chosen Payments helped needy families in Ventura County, Calif., by facilitating the toy donation program at participating local merchants. Drop points were set up in stores where shoppers donated unwrapped toys and received discounts for their own purchases.
ISO Electronic Payments Inc. said its thermal paper supplies will no longer contain the chemical Bisphenol A. The chemical, which is also used in plastic water bottles, has been linked to an increased risk of cancer. "We deploy more than 150,000 lbs. of receipt paper annually to businesses nationwide and have been preparing to provide BPA-free paper stock for the past six months," said founder and Chief Executive Officer Michael Nardy.
The Electronic Transactions Association hosted Payments Innovation Day on Dec. 3, 2013, at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. In addition to a panel discussion, the day included meetings of industry representatives with members of Congress and high-level government officials. "Without the payments industry, global commerce would literally grind to a halt, and we need to make sure Congress understands that," said Tom Gannon, Vice President, Public Policy at MasterCard Worldwide.
Biometrics firm NXT-ID Inc. said it will roll out its electronic wallet, The Wocket, in the first quarter of 2014. The Wocket is designed to replace physical payment cards with a single smart card. The company said it intends The Wocket as an improvement of the physical wallet rather than a replacement of it.
On Dec. 2, 2013, registration began for exhibitors at the 2014 Southeast Acquirers Conference to be held March 24 to 26 in Atlanta. The SEAA urged vendors to sign up quickly, since only 85 spaces are available.
Payment fraud prevention specialist SecureBuy LLC is granting to acquirers a 10-year royalty-free license of its 3-D Secure cardholder authentication technology. The SignatureLink Inc. subsidiary said its 3-D Secure MPI, which it considers the most advanced consumer payer authentication solution ever created, is useless if issuing banks fail to acknowledge and use the technology. According to the terms of the license, users cannot resell 3-D Secure MPI, SecureBuy said.
Payment security and compliance firm ControlScan reported it has initiated over 1 million Self-Assessment Questionnaires (SAQs) that guide merchants in compliance with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS). ControlScan's proprietary SmartSAQ is designed to maintain the integrity of the traditional PCI SAQ while removing the complexities that can cause merchant error and abandonment of the process.
First Data Corp.'s SpendTrend analysis of Thanksgiving/Black Friday 2013 payment data showed that dollar volume growth was 9 percent compared to 5.6 percent growth the same time last year. First Data said most of the growth occurred on Thanksgiving, and that "perfect holiday shopping weather" (cold and dry) contributed to the growth.
Mobile payment firm Square Inc. upgraded its Square Reader. The dongle now sports a thinner, more accurate magnetic read head and spring (a chip that powers the reader via the smartphone it is attached to) and improved communication protocols, Square said.
Total System Services Inc. (TSYS) was named to The Civic 50 list, which recognizes companies in the United States for their community involvement. The list was compiled by the National Conference on Citizenship and the civic engagement firm Points of Light. It was based on a survey conducted by True Impact. The results are available on Bloomberg News.
Mobile fraud prevention, authentication and transaction verification enterprise ValidSoft UK Ltd. joined the FIDO (Fast Identity Online) Alliance. FIDO, which includes PayPal Inc., mobile device manufacturer Lenovo, MasterCard and Google Inc., is dedicated to creating security standards for mobile devices.
Based on Philadelphia Federal Reserve research from 2009, digital check payment platform provider Zipmark Inc. estimated that 20.2 billion paper checks produced in 2013. Zipmark said checks still represent the primary form of payment processed by small businesses like landlords, doctor offices and accounting firms.
RESEARCHA Mobey Forum white paper titled The mPOS Strategy: Shifting the Balance of Power detailed how mobile POS solutions might affect the established four-party payment model (cardholder, merchant, acquirer and issuer). The paper also identified potential winners and losers in the mPOS marketplace and a strategic evaluation framework to help financial institutions maintain market position and take advantage of mPOS opportunities.
Allied Market Research predicted the annual compound growth rate for global mobile wallet adoption will remain at 127.5 percent 2020. In Mobile Wallet Market (Applications, Mode of Payment, Stakeholders and Geography) – Global Share, Size, Industry Analysis, Trends, Opportunities, Growth and Forecast, 2012 – 2020, Allied estimated sales in this market will reach $5.25 trillion in 2020, led by mobile commerce, ticketing and money transfer transactions.
Ogone, an Ingenico company, released findings from its first pan-European survey of e-commerce companies to determine what measures companies have undertaken to combat online fraud and expectations pertaining to fraud management. In the final report, Online & Mobile Payments: New Opportunities & Threats, respondent segmentation by region was predominant in terms of fraud management tactics and resultant levels of card-not-present fraud reported.
Apriva released a video case study that revealed the benefits of cashless payments and vending operation integration with existing campus card payment infrastructures. "Many campuses around the United States and Canada are actively exploring the feasibility of leveraging cashless payments as a means to increase revenue and satisfy consumer demand," said Stacey Finley Tappin, Apriva Senior Vice President, North American Sales and Marketing Communications.
PARTNERSHIPSAnywhereCommerce inked a deal with Moneris Solutions Corp. to make its mobile POS technology available to select Moneris merchants globally. Leveraging the patented technology, Moneris merchants can now accept credit, debit and gift card payments via their mobile devices.
Singular Payments received the endorsement of the Connecticut State Dental Association to become the preferred provider of merchant services to the CSDA's 1,900 member dentists. In addition to payment services, Singular said it will offer member education on such topics as PCI compliance, the Affordable Care Act and other relevant topics.
Merchant Warehouse entered a partnership agreement with CSI Enterprises Inc., integrating its payment services with CSI's globalVCard suite of secure payment solutions comprised of virtual credit cards, mobile payment applications, corporate purchasing cards and business fleet fueling/maintenance cards.
North American Bancard, in partnership with Discover Financial Services, added PayPal acceptance as a merchant option. Additionally, PayAnywhere, a mobile payment solution powered by NAB, will offer PayPal to mobile merchants. "Our ongoing goal is to simplify the payment processing universe for our merchants and their customers," said Marc Gardner, NAB founder, President and CEO. "That's exactly what this new relationship with Discover and PayPal accomplishes."
VeriFone Inc. entered an agreement with France-based Réseau Clubs Bouygues Telecom, the consumer retail affiliate of mobile operator Bouygues Telecom, to offer its PAYware Wynid managed services software, helpdesk support, gateway services and VX 820 PIN pads in RCBT's 400 retail stores. In a separate agreement with e-finance, a payment gateway provider based in Egypt, VeriFone expects to deploy 18,000 mobile POS systems in gas stations across Egypt.
ACQUISITIONSNCR Corp. reached an agreement to acquire online and mobile banking solutions provider Digital Insight Corp. for $1.65 billion, further expanding NCR's banking industry enterprise software platform. Separately, NCR completed the acquisition of Alaric Systems Ltd., a secure transaction switching and fraud prevention software developer, at a price of about $84 million.
Green Dot Bank, a subsidiary of Green Dot Corp., received regulatory approvals to proceed with the purchase of the Walmart MoneyCard Portfolio of reloadable prepaid debit cards from GE Capital Retail Bank. The transaction is expected to close during the first quarter of 2014.
APPOINTMENTSFederated Payment Systems appointed Jim Mouzakiotis as its Vice President of Business Development. With nearly two decades of experience and expertise in the merchant acquiring industry, Mouzakiotis excels in interpersonal and "closer" sales skills with superior leadership and management talent, Federated stated. His prior professional experience also includes positions at Wells Fargo & Co., Acorn Mortgage Specialists, American International Group and First Data Corp.
Chris Reinmuth joined Meritus Payments Solutions as Vice President of Mid Market Sales. Most recently Reinmuth was the Vice President of Direct Response at Litle & Co. Backed by more than 15 years of industry experience, Reinmuth brings with him a wealth of payment processing and knowledge both to the Meritus team and their respective channel partners, Meritus said. He also sits on the ERA Board of Directors and currently serves as Chairman Elect of the association.
ACI Worldwide bolstered its Americas leadership team and opened a new Latin and South America headquarters in Sao Paolo, Brazil. ACI's new executive appointments include: Andreas Suma, Vice President & General Manager for Latin America; Jonathan Lerner, Vice President & General Manager for U.S. Banks; and Cliff Elam, Vice President of Americas Operations and Planning. They will report to Jeremy Wilmot, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Americas, ACI Worldwide. 
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