ANNOUNCEMENTSProvo, Utah-based vending machine payment startup AirVend Inc. received $1.2 million in seed funding led by strategic vending investment firm 365 Retail Markets. AirVend said its vending-machine-mounted touch-screen devices will help vending operators prepare for an impending law requiring vending machines to display the calorie information of snacks and soft drinks.
Visa Europe certified Los Angeles-based online bankcard processor and multicurrency merchant service provider Allied Wallet Ltd. as a fully licensed acquirer in Europe. Allied Wallet reported that about 100 million merchants use its service globally.
The ATM Industry Association said twelve of its members participated in a two-day forum co-sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and the X9 Accredited Standards Committee to develop best practices for a Europay/MasterCard/Visa (EMV) debit card solution. ATMIA noted that one consensus reached at the meeting held Dec. 9 and 10, 2013, in Philadelphia was that a common application identifier software protocol needs to be developed.
CSI Enterprises Inc., the Bonita Springs, Fla.-based manager of the globalVCard accounts payable solution, launched a new website at www.csicorporatecard.com. The website is designed to grow the globalVCard brand, showcase CSI's customer service and share highlights from CSI's 25-year history.
The Electronic Transactions Association said VeriFone Inc.'s recently appointed Chief Executive Officer, Paul Galant, will deliver a keynote address at the ETA's upcoming tradeshow, Transact 14: Powered By ETA, to be held in April in Las Vegas. Jason Oxman, Chief Executive Officer of the ETA, said, "We are honored that a distinguished industry leader like Paul Galant chose Transact for his first major speaking appearance as VeriFone's CEO."
Seattle-based Festival Transaction Services Inc. secured $8.5 million in investment funding led by Reverence Capital Partners of New York. FTS said former Visa Inc. Chairman and CEO Joseph W. Saunders participated in the investment.
At the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show held Jan. 7 to 10 in Las Vegas, hardware developer Griffin Technology introduced a protective case that fits over iPhones when Square Inc.'s mobile payment dongle is plugged into the audio outlet. Griffin said the case is made of silicone and is custom-molded to the Square Reader dongle when it is connected to the iPhone.
Good funds network operator Ingo Money Inc. (formerly Chexar Networks Inc.) said it is adding 120 new First Tennessee Bank branches to Ingo's alternative consumer funds approval platform. Ingo initially launched a beta test at 47 of the bank's branch locations in January 2013.
At the 2014 Affiliate Summit West conference held Jan. 12 to 14 in Las Vegas, shopper marketing and loyalty platform firm Linkable Networks Inc. rolled out its new card-linked network. The company said The Linkable Network, comprising shopper marketing content publishers, mobile shopping applications and banks, includes RedLaser, Slickdeals, 8coupons, CouponMom.com, Offers.com, Recyclebank, MySavingsMedia.com and Coupon Cabin.
POS terminal manufacturer NCR Corp. rolled out a new integrated POS solution and an all-imaging bi-optic scanner at the National Retail Federation's BIG Show held in New York from Jan. 12 through 15, 2014. Both the NCR RealPOS XR7 and the NCR RealScan 79 Bi-Optic Imager are scheduled for reseller availability in April 2014.
Mobile parking application developer Parkmobile reported that its app can be integrated with Volvo Sensus Connect technology in Volvo automobiles. "With a few pushes of the node, drivers will be able to pay for a parking space with an on-file credit or debit card, eliminating the need to touch their mobile phone while driving," Parkmobile said.
Payment consulting firm Paytroniks (formerly Global PayMobility) hosted a webinar that endorsed Brazil as a burgeoning market for mobile commerce. Paytroniks President Joe Frisz said, "Without question, Brazil should become one of the largest mobile payment markets in the world within the next five years, and 2014 will see major initiatives being announced by key players such as telcos and financial institutions." Frisz noted that Brazil is experiencing a smartphone penetration rate of over 140 percent annually and that the average revenue per mobile subscriber is increasing by 60 percent year-over-year.
Safedome unveiled an app and smart card combination that establishes a wireless Bluetooth connection between the card and a smartphone. Safedome said the service alerts a smartphone owner if a mobile device is lost or stolen; alternatively, if a physical wallet is stolen, an alert is generated that notifies card issuers to block or cancel the consumer's debit and credit cards before they can be fraudulently exploited.
Online cardholder authentication provider SecureBuy LLC filed a declaratory judgment in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi over a patent infringement dispute with its authentication rival CardinalCommerce Corp. SecureBuy asserted that the legal action was provoked by CardinalCommerce.
Las Vegas-based payment gateway provider Shift4 Corp. said it is continuing its sponsorship of PGA Tour professional Ryan Moore. The golfer, a two-time PGA tournament winner, has been associated with Shift4 since 2011.
Long Island-based ISO US BankCard Center launched an alternative funding division designed to disburse from $5,000 to $150,000 per merchant location. "[W]ith the steady increase of merchants seeking quick alternative cash sources to grow their business, it made sense to create a division comprised of financing professionals specifically dedicated to meet this ever growing demand," said USBC CEO Jon Levitt.
UAePay released version 1.3.2 of its mobile payment app designed for Apple Inc. iPhones. The Los Angeles-based payment gateway operator said the new version of the app includes swipe technique animations, the option to save the last connected device in the app to ensure quick and easy initialization, and a customer e-mail pre-population feature for saved customer lists.
RESEARCHA report sponsored by Better ATM Services explores the growing proliferation of prepaid card products and their potential role in ATM deployment. New Opportunities: Prepaid Cards and ATMS addresses how traditional bank branch ATM are being replaced by ATM microcenters with increased functionality, which includes offering prepaid products.
According to the Retail Systems Research report Retail Analytics Moves to the Frontline: Benchmark Report 2014, today's technology has enabled an explosion of new data that reflects consumers' shopping habits and preferences. The report focuses on harnessing this technology to create business opportunities.
An Osterman Research Inc. survey of security professionals sponsored by Trustwave Holdings Inc. showed little improvement in malware deterrence in 2013. In an infographic titled Malware Everywhere, 74 percent of participating organizations reported malware infiltration through web surfing during the past 12 months, 64 percent reported email malware infections and 14 percent had been infiltrated by malware entering networks through social applications.
A Yankee Group report, New Kids on the Block: Assessing the Top Solutions Driving the POS Transformation, evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of eight popular cloud-based POS systems on the market. It evaluates systems based on multiple criteria including business management, customer engagement and integration capabilities, as well as flexibility and user friendliness.
PARTNERSHIPSADP Dealer Services Inc., a division of ADP, entered a strategic integration agreement with CenPOS Inc. to launch a new product called ADP ePayments for ADP Drive Dealer Management System clients. "CenPOS will provide ADP dealers with a multichannel payment solution that can help accelerate payment processes, increase customer enablement and reduce overall costs," said Justin Sprague, Vice President of Product Marketing at ADP Dealer Services.
Blackhawk Network Holdings Inc. entered an agreement with Coinstar, part of the Outerwall Inc. family, to offer Coinstar customers Blackhawk no-fee eGift cards when coins are cashed in at any of Coinstar's 20,300 U.S. coin-counting kiosk locations. Coinstar President Mike Skinner said the partnership will allow the company to offer "customers new ways to conveniently transform loose change into real shopping potential at some of their favorite retailers."
Commerce platform provider hybris software, an SAP company, entered a partnership with OneView Commerce to create a mobile commerce solution that merges digital and physical experiences in store. The hybris OmniCommerce data management system reportedly delivers a single view of customers across multiple channels, while OneView's Enterprise Commerce Platform enables retailers "to connect disparate applications via one commerce-driven platform."
NoshList, a waitlist app launched in 2012 by Firespotter Labs, is now integrated with Clover's open platform POS system, making it one of the first apps available on the Clover app marketplace. "It makes sense to tie the POS and wait list management pieces together, and we love how Clover's open-platform makes it possible to improve the guest experience in completely new ways," said Craig Walker, NoshList CEO.
Payment platform provider Payelp Global entered an agreement to integrate with Fortumo, which specializes in "one-click" mobile payments for merchants in 79 countries. According to Payelp, the partnership will allow operator billing as a payment option for Payelp merchants.
ACQUISITIONSComdata Inc. acquired eFueling Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary of Woodfin Oil Co., to reportedly expand its offerings in the unattended fueling market. Prior to the acquisition, the two companies collaborated on SmartSight, a web-based site controller system launched in 2013 that provides fuel merchants with real-time insight into transaction data and activity at unattended fueling sites.
Digital coupon provider Coupons.com Inc. recently acquired Yub. Coupons.com plans to integrate the Yub platform, which will allow consumers to link digital offers and promotions to payment cards for instant savings when cards are presented for in-store purchases.
EVO Payments International completed acquisition of 66 percent equity interest in eService, the merchant acquiring business of Poland-based PKO Bank Polski. The two entities also entered into a 20 year strategic alliance to further develop eService, which currently represents 35 percent market share in transaction volume in Poland, the companies stated.
Mobile commerce provider Spindle Inc. completed acquisition of mobile coupon technology developer Yowza International Inc. Spindle said it will integrate its MeNetwork mobile marketing services with Yowza's couponing technology to deliver expanded end-to-end mobile commerce services to an existing base of about 95,000 merchants.
Total Merchant Services acquired Registroid LLC, a developer of Android-based POS system technology with back-office functionality. The single- and multi-lane retail technology will be integrated with TMS' payment processing services. "Tablet point of sale is where the retail sales experience is heading," said Joe Kaplan, CEO of TMS, adding that the acquisition will enable TMS to further empower small businesses.
APPOINTMENTSPlanet Payment Inc. appointed Robert J. Cox as its Chief Operating Officer. Since joining the company in 2009, Cox has served as the company's Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, and will continue to serve as CFO. Previously, Cox served as CFO of Harris Interactive Inc. as well as for DealerTrack Holdings Inc. He began his career as a Certified Public Accountant in the audit practice at KPMG LLP.
Bill Ranta is the new Senior Vice President, Global Acquiring for Pivotal Payments. As a payment technology leader with more than 16 years of enterprise software service and sales experience, Ranta will be responsible for the development of Pivotal's Global Acquiring business unit, with a focus on growing globally its base of e-commerce, m-commerce and other card-not-present clients.
The Members Group (TMG) added Laurie Minarik to its client relations team as Senior Director of Client Relations. TMG noted that Minarik has extensive experience in the payment industry and brings both client and vendor perspectives to TMG. She served as a leader in the retail division of First National Bank of Omaha and as a strategic account executive for First Data Corp. Minarik will be the company's main point of contact for several clients throughout the continental United States. 
The Green Sheet Inc. is now a proud affiliate of Bankcard Life, a premier community that provides industry-leading training and resources for payment professionals. Click here for more information.
Notice to readers: These are archived articles. Contact names or information may be out of date. We regret any inconvenience.
Prev Next
