ANNOUNCEMENTSThe ATM industry association, ATMIA, unveiled a campaign to attract real-life stories from association members of situations when they needed cash. This initiative is for a future video to be called Cash Always Works about the role of cash in the world. ATMIA has already produced two social media videos on the same theme: Cash Lives and Cash Connects.
Payment processor CardConnect was issued two patents on tokenization technology from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The patents – U.S. Patent 8584251 and U.S. Patent 8763142 – are used in CardConnect's CardSecure solution and PanPad device, both of which have been well-received by the company's 50,000 U.S. merchants, CardConnect said.
Online booking services firm Checkfront Inc. said its platform for availability-based businesses has processed over $375 million in online bookings since its launch. Checkfront allows accommodation, tour operator and rental businesses to manage bookings, centralize administration and sell online services.
CO-OP Financial Services launched CardNav by CO-OP for its credit union members. CO-OP had been pilot testing the new mobile card controls and alerts application at FCU of Long Island, N.Y. The software was used by the credit union's employees to track where debit cards were being used and to set spending limits.
Digital Check Corp. introduced a new software solution to address the skyrocketing costs to banks of exceptions in check image quality. Clear by Digital Check is a patent-pending process that repairs poor quality check images.
San Mateo, Calif.-based omnichannel fraud prevention provider Feedzai entered the Brazilian payments market. "As the 2nd largest card market in the world, Brazil poses many opportunities in the payments space, especially because Brazilians are demanding new and better ways to buy or sell both domestically and across borders," said Nuno Sebastiao, Chief Executive Officer at Feedzai.
Payments consultancy Global Vision Group, founded by payments veteran Linda S. Perry, said the second Global Acquiring Conference (GAC) will take place in London on May 5 to 7, 2015, at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel and Conference Center. The theme of the conference will be International Acquiring: The New Frontier.
In Orlando, Fla., on Dec. 9, 2014, payments industry association GlobalPlatform will host a free seminar on the Europay/MasterCard/Visa (EMV) chip card standard in conjunction with the EMV Migration Forum. The seminar entitled EMV for Multiple Platforms is designed for "banks and financial institutions, application developers, system integrators, card and device manufacturers, mobile network operators and service providers engaged in the U.S. EMV ecosystem," GlobalPlatform said.
GoCoin recently said Cozy Games will be the first regulated digital gaming platform to accept crypto-currency payments such as bitcoin. GoCoin noted that half of all bitcoin transactions are made to facilitate gambling. "With recent gambling tax reform changes like the UK's impending Point of Consumption (POC) Tax, operators are actively seeking lower cost payment alternatives to improve margins," GoCoin said.
Global Processing Systems is set to expand its outside sales force in the Los Angeles market by 50 to 75 agents over the next four to six months. "This is a great opportunity for GPS to recruit top quality talent," said GPS President Moses Heredia. New GPS National Director of Sales Gianni Macias added, "Creating jobs is very rewarding. We in the merchant services industry have a tremendous responsibility to our community business owners."
Merchant Services Direct LLC, also doing business as Sphyra Inc., settled with the Federal Trade Commission over charges that the ISO used deception and unsubstantiated claims when signing businesses up for its services and processing equipment. MSD agreed to pay $175,000 and stop using the allegedly deceptive sales tactics.
NetSecure Payments Inc. launched Mobile Check Deposit for merchants, allowing them to deposit checks by scanning checks via smartphone or tablet computer. The check deposit app is available for iOS and Android phones and tablets.
Battery World, Australia's largest retail franchiser of portable power and specialist batteries, chose cloud-based omni-channel commerce software suite provider NetSuite Inc. for POS systems in its outlets. "The company is replacing over 80 instances of on-premise COSTAR point-of-sale (POS), an in-house intranet, and multiple manual spreadsheets with NetSuite OneWorld," the company said.
NXP Semiconductors N.V. introduced EMVCo-compliant hardware and software design kits for contact and contactless payment systems. NXP said the new design kits significantly reduce the technological barriers to entry typically seen with new POS terminals.
Global payment platform provider Payza streamlined its process for allowing new business members to set up Payza accounts and accept online payments. "Under the new system, a merchant simply needs to sign up for a Payza business account, complete and submit the website review form, and integrate Payza's 'Buy Now' button scripts into their website to start accepting payments," Payza said.
The mobile carrier-backed mobile wallet scheme Softcard went live in McDonald's USA quick service restaurant outlets. "We are pleased to announce this national launch after a successful pilot program that began in 2013," said Anja Carroll, Vice President of Media and Consumer Connection for McDonald's. "Our work with Softcard further reinforces McDonald's commitment to customer service and convenience."
ShipStation integrated its web-based, e-commerce shipping solution with Square Inc. ShipStation said the integration allows Square merchants to save time and money on shipping and fulfillment processes via discounted USPS rates, efficient label processing, order management and other features. ShipStation is available through the Square App Marketplace.
In accordance with National Cyber Security Awareness Month, security and fraud prevention firm ThreatMetrix released data security strategies for small and midsize businesses (SMBs). ThreatMetrix said SMBs must avoid the "grow first, think about fraud later" mentality, be alert to the increase in "spoofing" attacks, and invest in collaborative efforts to combat fraud.
Top 10 acquirer Vantiv Inc. and POS terminal manufacturer VeriFone Inc. jointly launched the Secure Your Future Today campaign designed to ensure merchants are ready for current and future payment technologies. "The future is now," said Donald Boeding, President of Merchant Services at Vantiv. "And that means merchants of all sizes require devices that support a broad range of current and future payment technologies."
Real estate investment management and property management software provider Yardi added new capabilities to its RENTCafé service. The new features include text messaging to review balances and make payments. "This feature supplies immediate confirmation to users paying from a bank account with a debit card or credit card," Yardi said. "Rent payments are automatically entered into Yardi Voyager, saving property staff time."
RESEARCHThe Electronic Transactions Association and Goldman Sachs released results from an ETA-GS Merchant Acquirer & ISO Survey. Of the 53 acquirers and ISOs surveyed, 60 percent expect payment volume growth to be larger in the second half of 2014 than during the first half; 45 percent is the projected percentage of merchants who will be EMV compliant by the end of 2015; 13 percent plan to add bitcoin as a payment option next year.
The Payments Security Task Force, a group of U.S. electronic payments industry organizations established by Visa Inc. and MasterCard Worldwide in March 2014, estimated that by the end of 2015 at least 47 percent of U.S. merchant POS terminals will be equipped with EMV chip technology. Forecasters based projections on data provided by acquirers representing approximately 80 percent of U.S. purchase volume.
Phoenix Marketing International said its large-scale consumer survey Apple Pay and the New Environment for Mobile Payment Apps documented hurdles faced by Apple Inc.'s Apple Pay and other mobile wallet schemes in converting consumer adoption into usage. The hurdles include increasing the penetration of near field communication (NFC) -enabled devices, bettering the "field execution" of the NFC infrastructure, and juggling payment privacy and security with functionality.
A Mercator Advisory Group report, Merchant Funded Rewards: Issuers Regroup After Disappointment, explores card-linked merchant-funded reward programs and why such programs have underperformed. "Card-linked offer programs combine elements of payments, digital advertising, rewards and loyalty," said Michael Misasi, Senior Analyst at Mercator and report author. "Cross-industry collaboration will be crucial for financial institutions and payment services providers to realize the opportunity inherent in this emerging business."
An ACI Worldwide survey revealed 56 percent of businesses use siloed electronic bill presentment and payment (EBPP) systems that cost more than $1 billion annually to operate. Forty-eight percent of respondents said they would consider purchasing a single, integrated EBPP system if the new system could reduce website fragmentation and costs associated with managing disparate systems, increase the speed of payments and facilitate mobile bill payments.
The 2014 Total System Services Inc., Consumer Payment Study, analyzed data collected from over 1,000 debit and credit card users on payment issues and value-added preferences shaping payment choice. According to the study, consumers are increasingly aware of and concerned about payment card and mobile payment security, a majority use multiple cards to manage finances and rewards/offers continue to be the single largest driver of card choice.
PARTNERSHIPS
Anovia Payments LLC teamed with CardFlight Inc. to leverage CardFlight's SwipeSimple product as its preferred mobile POS solution. SwipeSimple features an encrypted mobile card reader, payment acceptance app, real-time reporting and administrative dashboard for merchants, and reseller portal for merchant onboarding and portfolio management.
In another development, Anovia signed a co-marketing agreement with FireFly Rewards LLC. Under the agreement, FireFly will promote Anovia's payment services to its client base in the United States and Canada; Anovia will market FireFly's closed-loop, white-label loyalty rewards and communications platform to its merchant clients.
Clearent LLC entered a partnership with ShopKeep.com Inc. to offer its POS system for iPad users. ShopKeep said its cloud-based technology enables small businesses to migrate from traditional cash registers to iPads for processing transactions and managing back-office functions in a secure environment. Features include inventory and employee management, customer purchase behavior tracking, detailed reporting and analytics, and ongoing customer care.
Atlanta-based data security and compliance provider ControlScan entered into a global partnership with Amsterdam-based payment processor Payvision. "Our partnership will positively impact Payvision's global acquiring network by reducing risk and enhancing their PSP and ISO partners' merchant relationships," said Joan Herbig, CEO of ControlScan.
Canada-based loyalty and gift card software provider DataCandy and BlackHawk Network Canada Ltd., a subsidiary of Blackhawk Network Holdings Inc., entered an agreement whereby DataCandy will gain access to Blackhawk Canada's digital platform to fuel growth in the digital distribution of gift cards processed by DataCandy in Canada, the companies stated.
Forte Payment Systems collaborated with printing and mail services firm The Master's Touch LLC to deliver fully integrated payment services as part of TMT's new eNoticesOnline bill presentment offering. According to TMT, the new service will enable its business and government customers to go paperless, which will reduce delivery time, mail processing and postage costs.
PAY.ON recently integrated CardinalCommerce's authentication solution into its global platform. "Offering Cardinal's premium Consumer Authentication solution as part of our modular Platform as a Service (PaaS) gives payment service providers even greater flexibility in determining the perfect risk management and authentication measures for their merchants," said Nikolaus von Taysen, founder and Chief Strategy Officer at PAY.ON.
POS Portal, in partnership with RapidAdvance, launched an alternative financing program app as part of its ISO suite. "This application can be easily installed on our P2 Platform and enables agents to offer RapidAdvance financing solutions directly to their merchants quite literally at the push of a button, with complete speed and transparency," said Shobhit Kumar, Head of P2 App Portal Development at POS Portal.
Zwipe and MasterCard teamed to develop what is being touted as the world's first contactless payment card with an integrated fingerprint sensor. After completing a successful pilot program in Norway, the companies jointly plan to mass market an upgraded version of the card in 2015. With the Zwipe MasterCard cardholder fingerprint data is stored directly on the card, not in an external database, the companies stated.
ACQUISITIONS San Francisco-based Boku Inc. acquired Munich, Germany-based mopay. Combined, the entities reportedly represent the largest standalone global provider of carrier billing-based mobile payments. Clients include Facebook, Sony Corp., Spotify AB and Wargaming.net, among others. "By coming together we've created a company that can realize the vision of charging purchases to your phone bill as a truly global payment method of scale," said Jon Prideaux, CEO of Boku.
Demandware Inc. acquired CQuotient, adding predictive technology and data science to its cloud-based commerce platform. Demandware reported the acquisition will accelerate its corporate strategy to convert data created across leading retail brands into actionable insights merchants can use to create personalized shopping experiences.
Dallas-based Onyx Payments, a payment disbursement and reconciliation services provider to the travel industry, acquired Seville, Spain-based Worldwide Payments Services. Prior to the sale, as strategic partners, the two collaborated on a travel agency commission collection product for clients of both companies. "Our collective goal is to provide world-class services that enable uninhibited commerce to the travel industry," said Mark Dubrow, President and CEO of Onyx.
TransFirst Inc. entered an agreement to be acquired by Vista Equity Partners. "With over 200,000 merchants and more than 1,300 partners, we are well positioned to continue our current growth trajectory and solidify our position as the leading provider of payment processing solutions in the SMB space," said John Shlonsky, CEO of TransFirst. The transaction is expected to close this year.
APPOINTMENTSKim Fitzsimmons joined Chase Merchant Services as its U.S. Market President. She will oversee all of the company's marketing, relationship management and sales activities in the United States. Fitzsimmons most recently served as CEO of Cynergy Data LLC. Prior to that, she spent eight years at First Data Corp. as the Executive Vice President of Retail Alliance Services and Community Banks and President of Independent Distribution for North America.
Prepaid payment provider paysafecard appointed Walter Tauchner as its Vice President of Partner Management. In his new role, Tauchner is responsible for the expansion of co-operations with partners in the digital entertainment and e-commerce industries.
Tauchner, a graduated business economist, previously worked for Winterthur/Credit Suisse Group; he also managed the consulting company ONNEA KFT as a partner and co-owner.
Joseph Valentic is the new Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at International Bancard. Valentic has more than 20 years' experience in financial services, including the areas of public accounting, corporate banking, and mergers and acquisitions consulting. He will report to and work with the company's founder and CEO, David Iafrate, to integrate and oversee execution of the company's vision and strategic plan.
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