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Forming a mutual-aid society of sorts, mobile-payments technology provider Obopay Inc. and payment processor First Data Corp.’s Star electronic funds transfer network on Wednesday announced that Obopay’s new Mobile Money for Banks service would incorporate Star’s Expedited Transfer Service. The arrangement potentially gives Obopay as it ramps up its U.S. …
Read More »Growth in Closed-Loop Prepaid Loads Perks up
Facing strong competition from up-and-coming open-loop prepaid cards and maturity in some of its subcategories, closed-loop prepaid cards still managed to grow 7.1% last year, according to a new study from Mercator Advisory Group Inc. Maynard, Mass.-based Mercator estimates load volume on closed-loop cards, which are issued by or for …
Read More »Eye on Mobile: Android Surges, Tyfone Closes on Financing
While Apple Inc.’s iPhone remains the iconic smart phone for mobile payments, some recent research reveals that the Android platform produced by rival Silicon Valley denizen Google Inc. is mounting a serious challenge in shipments and usage of the mobile Web. In a development with importance to e-commerce merchants and …
Read More »VeriFone’s Way Systems Deal Bolsters Its Strategy
With its acquisition of mobile-terminal maker Way Systems Inc., VeriFone Systems Inc. picked up a small, struggling company facing plenty of competition in the market for mobile point-of-sale hardware and services. But the San Jose, Calif.-based terminal kingpin also bolstered a linchpin strategy in its efforts to diversify beyond POS …
Read More »Gift Cards, Having Gone Virtual, Now Are Going Mobile
First gift cards went virtual, and now they’re going mobile. Portland, Ore.-based Giftango Corp. introduced on Wednesday a software developer’s toolkit that mobile developers can use to let users receive gift cards while staying within a mobile application. Giftango, which manages both plastic and virtual gift cards for merchants and …
Read More »Broadband, Smart Phones Drive Torrid Growth for Content
While banks, card networks, and wireless carriers jockey for position in the nascent market for mobile payments at the point of sale, the digital-content business is quickly establishing itself as a fast-growing mobile-payments market. That’s thanks to the rapid spread of mobile broadband networks and smart phones, a new report …
Read More »Deluged with Requests, Fiserv Rolls out a Mobile Capture Service
With the nation’s largest bank processor on board, mobile remote deposit capture seems likely to get a big boost beyond its early-adopter phase of a handful of pioneering financial institutions. Brookfield, Wis.-based Fiserv Inc. on Wednesday announced the launch of the service it dubs Mobile Source Capture, which allows a …
Read More »BofA Gives NFC on Memory Cards a Boost with Big Apple Pilot
Proximity payments using mobile phones and micro Secure Digital (SD) cards took an important step toward commercial reality in the U.S. market with the news that Bank of America Corp. will start a pilot next month in the New York area. While the news is of yet another pilot at …
Read More »Mobile Deposit Capture Takes Strides with PayPal And a Mitek Patent
Mobile remote deposit capture took a couple of steps forward over the past week, though how big those steps are won’t be known for a while. First, alternative payments leader PayPal Inc. indicated that it was configuring its application for Apple Inc.’s iPhone to handle mobile remote deposit. And mobile …
Read More »Eye on M-Commerce: Google Talks to eBay; Apple Hires NFC Expert
In a move that could generate significant incremental sales on its Android Market, Google Inc. is reportedly in talks with eBay Inc. about using PayPal as a payment method for applications that run on its hugely popular Android operating system for smart phones. But the talks aren’t likely to open …
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