Acquisition news galore in early December

The first business day in December 2012 was a busy one in the payments industry, as four companies made news in the mergers and acquisitions category. Leading acquirer Vantiv Inc., security firm Acculynk, mobile marketer Mobivity Holdings Corp. and consultancy Greenwich Associates reported on Dec. 3 of either entering into, or completing, acquisitions.

Vantiv increases e-commerce portfolio

Vantiv completed its $361 million purchase of e-commerce payment processor Litle & Co. Among the Internet retailers serviced by Litle & Co. are Overstock.com, Ancestry.com and ShopNBC.

Vantiv said the acquisition increases its e-commerce capabilities, expands and diversifies its online merchant customer base, and adds Litle's payment solutions to its merchant offerings. Litle will operate as a subsidiary of Vantiv LLC and will maintain its operations in Lowell, Mass.

Acculynk integrates gateway

Acculynk completed the integration of online gateway provider PayLeap, where it became a division within Acculynk called Acculynk Direct. Acculynk purchased PayLeap in September 2012. Terms of the deal were not released.

The result of the acquisition is that Acculynk Direct's PayLeap solution is now fully integrated with Acculynk's PaySecure online PIN pad technology, making Acculynk Direct the first acquirer to offer Internet PIN debit to merchants, according to Acculynk. Adopting the PIN debit solution allows Internet merchants to shift online fraud liability to card issuers, the company said.

Since the acquisition, Acculynk revenues via PayLeap have reportedly grown 37 percent. Acculynk Direct/PayLeap said it will launch a mobile solution in the first quarter of 2013.

Mobile loyalty deal consummated

Mobivity entered into a non-binding letter of intent to buy the assets of Sequence LLC and its Stampt Mobile Loyalty application. The Stampt smart phone app is reportedly used by more than 1,000 local advertisers in the United States to reach over 75,000 consumers who have downloaded the Stampt app. Mobivity said it is targeting an end-year closing.

Payments research firm purchased

Greenwich Associates, a global financial services consulting firm, reached an agreement in principle to buy Javelin Strategy & Research, a retail strategic insights and research firm. Javelin's expertise includes mobile banking, payments, security and fraud. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2012.

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