PCI Security Standards Council Announces Availability of Online PCI Awareness Training

June 13, 2011 02:50 PM Eastern Daylight Time 

Training provides PCI basics in flexible online format

WAKEFIELD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC), a global, open industry standards body providing management of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), PIN Transaction Security (PTS) requirements and the Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS), today announced that PCI Awareness online training is now available. An introductory level course, the four hour training is designed for anyone interested in learning more about PCI and provides an overview of PCI security basics in a flexible online format.

“PCI is not a finance issue, or an IT issue, or a risk issue, it is cross functional, and it fundamentally relies on people, not technology, driving it”

Providing learning opportunities is critical to the Council’s mission of enhancing payment account data security by driving education and awareness of the PCI Security Standards. As part of a growing portfolio of training programs that help stakeholders better understand and implement the standards, PCI Awareness training now offers the unique opportunity to learn about PCI DSS, its impact and benefits across an organization and the importance of PCI compliance, in a self-paced course that covers the following topics:

• What is PCI and what it means to companies that must meet compliance with the PCI Data Security Standard
• Roles and responsibilities of the key actors in the compliance process
• How the credit card brands differ in their requirements for PCI reporting and validation
• Overview of the transaction process, including infrastructure used by organizations to accept payment cards and communicate with the verification and payment facilities
• Real world examples of PCI challenges and successes

The new easy online format allows access to the knowledge base of our official PCI trainers from the comfort of the home or office. Organizations looking to educate their employees across business functions about their role in maintaining PCI compliance are encouraged to take advantage of this course. The course may also be incorporated into an organization's security staff development portfolio, offering up to 4 continuing professional education credits. In addition, many security industry professional qualifications, as well as the PCI Data Security Standard itself, require organizations to provide security awareness training annually to staff. This official PCI Awareness online course is one flexible opportunity to help meet that commitment.

“PCI is not a finance issue, or an IT issue, or a risk issue, it is cross functional, and it fundamentally relies on people, not technology, driving it,” said Bob Russo, general manager, PCI Security Standards Council. “Our hope is that with PCI Awareness training online, organizations can ensure that they build a base level of understanding on how to best protect cardholder data across different business areas.”

To register for PCI Awareness online, please click here: http://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=975639

Please visit the Council website for a full schedule of the global training locations, dates prices and registration details.

About the PCI Security Standards Council

The PCI Security Standards Council is an open global forum that is responsible for the development, management, education, and awareness of the PCI Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and other standards that increase payment data security. Founded in 2006 by the major payment card brands American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB International, MasterCard Worldwide and Visa Inc., the Council has over 600 Participating Organizations representing merchants, banks, processors and vendors worldwide. To learn more about playing a part in securing payment card data globally, please visit: pcisecuritystandards.org.

Connect with the PCI Council on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/pci-security-standards-council

Join the conversation on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/PCISSC

Contacts

PCI Security Standards Council
Laura K. Johnson, +1-781-876-6250
or
Ella Nevill, +1-781-876-6250
press@pcisecuritystandards.org
Twitter @PCISSC

E-Commerce Merchants Prepare for Issuer Response to Durbin Legislation

June 13, 2011 01:37 PM Eastern Daylight Time 

Internet PIN Debit Creates a Win-Win for E-Commerce Merchants and Debit Card Issuers

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With the defeat of the Tester-Corker Amendment, implementation of the Durbin amendment is now a certainty. E-Commerce merchants must respond to resulting issuer-driven changes affecting the current payment mix.

“The resultant reduction in Issuer revenues will have Issuers focusing away from signature debit to credit and PIN-only debit cards." 

The Dodd-Frank Act  provisions pertaining to debit interchange continue forward as the market awaits the Federal Reserve Board’s release of the final interchange rates within the next few weeks. 


E-Commerce merchants must enable PIN-only debit quickly and take advantage of the ability to steer consumers to the lowest cost payment type.

If they act soon, online merchants can take advantage of this new legislation. "PIN debit is clearly the answer to Durbin," says Corey Tisdale, CEO of ShoppersChoice.com. "The interchange and fraud rates on PIN debit are lower than credit cards, and most consumers already associate using a PIN number with using a debit card. The PaySecure graphical PIN pad is a seamless and secure way to take advantage of Durbin’s lower transaction fees."

While feedback provided during the comment period is anticipated to lead to a revision of the originally published rates, those rates are a good reference point for understanding how financial institutions and merchants will align themselves in the new environment. Both financial institutions and E-commerce merchants must be poised to take action to maintain both their customer bases and their bottom line.

Financial Institutions will issue more PIN / ATM-only cards.

For the majority of issuers, the margin compression of going from approximately 170 basis points (bps) in card not present interchange to a currently targeted cap of $0.12 (~27bps) makes online signature debit economically unviable because of the fraud costs. In 2010, Cybersource reported average fraud losses of 90 basis points for E-commerce transactions. On a per-dollar basis, signature debit fraud losses are 3.75 times higher than PIN debit losses at the POS.

Merchants who have not enabled PIN debit for E-commerce will be scrambling.

As financial institutions increasingly issue PIN-only debit cards, E-commerce merchants will need to be able to capture those transactions or risk losing that customer segment.

Financial Institutions and national payment networks may seek to shift consumers from debit to credit.

To maintain revenues across the spectrum of payment cards, banks may be forced to increasingly steer credit worthy consumers to credit cards. This is especially relevant in an E-commerce context where fraud and chargeback handling costs make the usage of signature debit cards unattractive for banks.

E-commerce merchants will respond by steering consumers to PIN-only debit.

As financial institutions promote credit, merchants have the ability & economic incentive to steer customers back to lower risk and cost tender types. With the advantages provided by Internet PIN debit, namely reduction in fraud and chargebacks, merchants will improve their economics further by steering to internet PIN-debit.

Prior to Durbin, most online merchants captured debit card transactions as signature debit Card Not Present transactions. Post-Durbin, merchants will seek solutions for online PIN debit authentication. PaySecure, the internet PIN debit solution provided by Acculynk, is the only currently available alternative mimicking the familiar ATM PIN pad that is secure and seamlessly embedded in the merchant check out. PaySecure has gained widespread adoption and is readily available to millions of consumers and thousands of E-Commerce websites. Consumers’ adoption of the online PIN pad at 90% is comparable with PIN adoption in store.

About Acculynk

Acculynk secures online transactions with a suite of software-only services backed by a patented authentication and encryption framework that provides greater security for issuers, EFT networks, merchants and payment processors. Acculynk’s PaySecure^® utilizes a graphical PIN-pad for the secure entry of a consumer’s PIN online and is available to merchants through existing acquirer relationships, enabling speedy implementation PaySecure is currently enabled on over 3,000 merchant websites. Acculynk has partnerships with 9 EFT networks to process PaySecure transactions and with six leading payment processors to distribute the product. Visit http://www.acculynk.com.

Contacts

Acculynk
Sandra Chesnutt, 678-894-7013
VP Marketing
schesnutt@acculynk.com

Related articles

• Pulse Releases 2011 Debit Issuer Study and Durbin Amendment Looks Like Signature Debit Killer (epaymentnews.blogspot.com)

ROAM Data Introduces Revolutionary Cloud-Based Mobile Wallet and Checkout API for Secure Use on Virtually Any Mobile App or Device

June 13, 2011 02:26 PM Eastern Daylight Time 

First “In-App & In-Ad” Checkout Solution Providing Level 3 and Meta Data for 1-Tap Mobile, In-Store, and Web Purchases

IRCE 2011

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ROAM Data, the leading mCommerce platform provider that extends both physical POS and eCommerce to the mobile environment, today announced ROAMwallet API, an innovative 1-Tap™ mobile checkout solution that turns the mobile marketing channel into a mobile sales channel.

“We are partnering with ROAM because the ROAMwallet 1-Tap™ checkout is what mobile application companies like ours have been waiting for -- the easiest and most secure mobile buying experience for consumers today, whether on the go, or on the web”

ROAMwallet enables consumers to quickly and securely purchase products using their own mobile device. It is both a patent pending mobile checkout API designed especially for embedding secure commerce in mobile apps or ads, and a consumer mobile wallet that securely stores payment options, receipts and other data, for consumers to conveniently buy from ROAMwallet-enabled merchants using 1-Tap technology. Unlike other wallets stored on the secure element of an NFC chip, this ubiquitous mobile wallet securely stores cardholder data in the cloud, for use on any phone, tablet, POS system or computer. ROAMwallet’s patent pending architecture goes beyond other e-wallets to send level three and meta data about the transaction back to the merchant, and the API can be very easily incorporated by any mobile app developer to include convenient 1-Tap checkout in applications or mobile advertisements.

“We are partnering with ROAM because the ROAMwallet 1-Tap™ checkout is what mobile application companies like ours have been waiting for -- the easiest and most secure mobile buying experience for consumers today, whether on the go, or on the web,” said Leonardo Riera, CFO of GeeVee, a mobile Skype competitor across different device platforms. “We chose ROAM over all other solutions out there because they designed their secure checkout process especially for mobile apps, providing us with more security, more data and more convenience for our customers using virtually any device.”

The ROAMwallet API for mobile checkout is available now to app developers for beta. In July, ROAM will make available ROAMoffers, a turn-key solution, integrated with ROAMwallet, that enables merchants and advertisers to easily create compelling mobile offers delivered to customers via e-mail or text message campaigns, banner ads, or print ads with 2D barcodes, Facebook or Twitter. ROAM reduces the steps a consumer has to take to purchase from a ROAMwallet-enabled merchant, no longer requiring a “drive to store” or “drive to web” mentality. With ROAMwallet, purchases can happen quickly and securely without consumers feeling like they are leaving the application.

“Mobile commerce is all about convenience,” said Will Graylin, Founder and CEO of ROAM Data, “Whether it is making it easier for a merchant to accept a credit card through an application like ROAMpay, or by making it easier for consumers to make a purchase on their mobile phone with ROAMwallet and via ROAMoffers, the more convenient we can make the experience, the more revenue merchants will generate. ROAM Data is committed to reducing the friction of commerce, and to that end, improve lives, and we are bringing secure mCommerce to broad segments of merchants and consumers quickly, easily and securely.”

Visit us at IRCE 2011 at booth #1854.

About ROAM

ROAM Data is the leading mCommerce platform provider that extends both physical Point of Sales (POS) and eCommerce to the mobile environment. It provides patented mCommerce software-as-a-service, payment peripherals, and a platform of development tools that enable scalable mobile commerce applications to help merchants win customer spend and loyalty.

ROAM partners with payment providers, integrators and app developers -- who are incorporating mobile commerce into their offerings -- to distribute its solutions. These customers and partners include First Data, Chase Paymentech, Intuit, Global Payments, Sage, Ingenico and hundreds more. ROAM won the 2010 Technology Innovation Award sponsored by the Electronic Transaction Association and is the leader in providing scalable mCommerce platform that extends both POS and eCommerce to the mobile environment. Visit us at www.roamdata.com

About GeeVee

GeeVee is a free messaging application. It allows users to chat or call other GeeVee users for free. GeeVee is currently available on the IPhone and Beta versions are available for the Android and Blackberry. visit us at www.geevee.com

Contacts

ROAM Data
Rob Stringer, 857-254-2411
rstringer@roamdata.com

Durbin’s Innovation Killer — The American Magazine

Durbin’s Innovation Killer

By Todd ZywickiSaturday, June 11, 2011

Filed under: Economic Policy, Government & Politics

The Durbin amendment would raise costs for consumers, increase fraud, and kill innovation. (Editor's Note: No wonder it was passed by the Senate...) During the final debates on the massive Dodd-Frank financial regulation reform bill enacted by Congress last summer, Representative Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) presciently observed that “there are probably three unintended consequences on every single page of this bill.” The unintended consequences of Dodd-Frank are perhaps best exemplified by the bill’s so-called “Durbin amendment,” a provision that places new regulations on both debit and credit cards, including punitive price controls on debit card interchange fees. read more

Not Enough Bling: Did Durbin Amendment Cause Bling Nation to Shut Down Mobile Payment Service

Bling Nation's strategy was to win merchant acceptance by charging lower fees than traditional debit and credit networks.   They raised "Big Bling"  (+$30 million)  With the passing of the Durbin Amendment, debit swipe fees were reduced by over 70% and are now capped at .12 cents.  Translation:  Bling Nation's biz strategy went to hell in a hand-basket.   .12 cents does not leave enough Bling and very well may have been the major contributing factor to shutting down their operations while they figure out what to do next.

Funding is not an issue for Bling Nation, which has raised more than $33 million in capital from backers including Lightspeed Venture Partners and Balderton Capital.  A Bling spokesman would not discuss details about what its next service might look like or when it would be released but said Bling Nation recognizes the need to deliver something beyond just another way to make or accept payments.  "We've learned that mobile, social and local really need to come together with NFC to make that transformation."

Bling Nation has shut down its mobile payment and loyalty services while it overhauls its business model, a measure the startup insists is only temporary.  Bling Nation said it will roll out a revamped product later this year: "We found it was easier to kind of pause and fix [the service] than to try to tweak and market," said Bling Nation general manager Matthew Murphy in an interview with American Banker. Murphy declined to divulge specifics on the firm's plans.

Read more: M-payment network Bling Nation halts service to retool business model - FierceMobileContent http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/m-payment-network-bling-nation-halts-service-retool-business-model/2011-06-13#ixzz1PAOOip4s 


Related:

MasterCard Pilots NFC Payments with ANZ

From the New Zealand Herald:  A system that enables purchases to be paid for with the tap of a mobile phone is being trialled by MasterCard Worldwide and ANZ. Under the trial, some ANZ staff would be issued with either a contactless sticker or a memory card enabled with MasterCard's contactless technology PayPass.  The PayPass sticker could be attached to any phone type, while the memory card would be inserted into Blackberry devices, ANZ and MasterCard said in a statement today. Participants in the trial would then be able to make purchases of up to $80 by simply tapping their device in front of a MasterCard PayPass terminal...read more

CHARGE Anywhere® Wins the 2011 Mobile Solutions Provider of the Year Award

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, N.J. and NEW ORLEANS, June 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --CHARGE Anywhere® has been prestigiously awarded the Mobile Solutions Provider of the Year as voted by the bankers and executives attending the 5th Annual Mobile Banking and Emerging Application Summit in New Orleans, LA and sponsored by Bank Technology News (BTN).

"CHARGE Anywhere has risen to the top the class with astounding mobile payment application software running on every smart phone and tablet operating system. CHARGE Anywhere's application enables merchants to quickly, easily and securely accept credit, debit, check, ACH, prepaid, and gift card, payments, all while managing their business at the point-of-sale or point-of-service anytime, anywhere. Offering a comprehensive solution, CHARGE Anywhere is certified with all of the major US and Canadian processors, giving merchants the ability to choose the processor of their preference," said Oscar Munoz, V.P. of International Business Development.

This Award was announced after a 20-minute LIVE presentation of CHARGE Anywhere's technology, along with their contender's Sybase365® and FiServ® presentations. The Commercial and Technology divisions of the Banks who were present (over 500 in participation) voted LIVE (accounted for the next day) and selected CHARGE Anywhere as Mobile Solutions Provider of the Year.

"To be recognized by BTN after competing with high quality companies, Sybase365® and FiServ®, and to be selected for this incredible award solidifies CHARGE Anywhere's leadership in the mobile banking industry.  In the year of the mobile payments revolution, CHARGE Anywhere continues to be a pioneer of technological innovation by providing constituents in the mobile payments ecosystem with access to the most secure, advanced and feature rich payment acceptance solutions," said Paul Sabella, Chief Executive Officer at CHARGE Anywhere.

CHARGE Anywhere continues to win awards for its industry-leading solutions. In addition to being awarded as the 2011 Mobile Solutions Provider of the Year by Bank Technology News, CHARGE Anywhere technology has been proudly awarded the 2010 CTIA E-Tech Awards in the Mobile Applications - Mobile Payments Category, the 2010 Mobile Merit Awards for Best Overall Enabler Application, the 2009 Best of Interop-PCI Security Solution Award, the 2009 Electronic Transaction Association Technology Innovation Award, and achieved a Super App designation by BlackBerry.

Images and video can be found at:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/CHARGE-Anywhere-LLC/243886383387

About CHARGE Anywhere, LLC

CHARGE Anywhere® is the developer of proprietary Payment Card Industry PA-DSS certified CHARGE Anywhere® v2.0.0 Mobile Payment/POS software solution designed for use with QuickBooks®, Smartphones and POS Terminals, e-commerce, Web terminal and PCI DSS Level 1 compliant ComsGate® Payment Gateway. CHARGE Anywhere® LLC offers business partners and customers the most secure and robust selection of industry specific and customized payments solutions and services, including: IP/Wireless Payment Gateway, POS software, Encryption and Data Security Services, Closed Loop Card Management and Merchant Billing Services. For more information contact them at www.chargeanywhere.com, or (800) 211-1256.

©2011 CHARGE Anywhere, LLC. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names referenced in this material are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE CHARGE Anywhere

Related articles

• Why Mobile Payments Are the Safest Solution for Online Transactions (mashable.com)
• M-Commerce Market in China and Globally (circleid.com)

Restaurateurs Lead Fight to Enact, Protect Swipe-Fee Reform

WASHINGTON, June 10, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This week's legislative victory securing swipe-fee reform represents more than a year's worth of focused work by restaurateurs nationwide, the National Restaurant Association said today.

"This was a total industry effort," said Scott DeFife, Executive Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs for the National Restaurant Association. "Individual restaurant operators, our state restaurant association partners, board members and chain partners across the country all played a significant role in enacting critical swipe-fee reforms last year and protecting those regulations with a vote in the Senate Wednesday."

"We know it was our members' consistent outreach to their elected officials that made the difference," said Rob Gifford, Executive Vice President of Political Advocacy for the Association. "The National Restaurant Association is grateful to represent such an engaged and passionate industry committed to growing jobs and providing value to our guests."

For more than a decade, the National Restaurant Association and its members, along with the Merchants Payment Coalition (MPC), have fought an intense battle for reforms to the broken interchange fee market, with a stepped-up effort in effect since early 2010. It was then that the Association played a key role in developing a strategy that would lead to the Durbin Amendment's ultimate inclusion in the financial services bill.

The National Restaurant Association and its allied trade associations saw an opportunity to use the financial services reform bill as a way to advance the long-standing anti-trust debate over the practices of the major card companies. Senator Dick Durbin has long understood the interchange issue, crediting restaurateurs and retail merchants in Illinois with driving home the reality of increasing card fees and the inability of the retail small business industry to do anything to control those costs.  

"We made a critical decision in the spring of 2010 to reprioritize our issues and try to make a difference on swipe fees," said DeFife. "With 500 restaurant operators from 45 states in town for our annual public affairs conference, we saw an opportunity to drive home our message on swipe fees."

Members of the Illinois Restaurant Association discussed interchange reform with Senator Durbin in April 2010; similar discussions were repeated in state after state. The rest of the MPC associations also scheduled visits during the financial services bill debate and kept the waves of merchants coming to Capitol Hill all summer.  

Under normal conditions, once a law is passed and the regulations stemming from that law are issued, the process plays out with little fanfare.  But the Federal Reserve's preliminary calculations of what debit transactions actually cost to process was so low that the banks and debit cards mounted an intense effort to block and delay the regulations. As a result, the restaurant industry redoubled our efforts to protect the important economic victory.

During the Association's 2011 public affairs conference held this past April in Washington, approximately 500 restaurateurs made a final push to keep the debit-fee regulations moving forward. Swipe-fee reform was once again the top-priority issue, and restaurateurs from 44 states met with over 250 Capitol Hill offices to urge fair and reasonable debit card fees.

Over the past year, the nation's state restaurant associations coordinated intensive local efforts to get the word to local media about the importance of swipe-fee reform, organized visits to Washington, and mounted letter-writing and petition campaigns to encourage Congress to keep the Durbin Amendment's reforms on time and on track.

In addition to these grassroots efforts, the National Restaurant Association and other members of the Merchants Payments Coalition initiated multiple ad campaigns to educate Congress and the public about interchange fees.

SOURCE National Restaurant Association

June 13, 2011 03:35 AM Eastern Daylight Time 

Transaction Wireless Goes International, Brings Mobile, Social and Email Gifting to Europe

VP of Business Development, Tom Niedbalski, to Speak at 2011 Prepaid Expo

2011 Prepaid Conference and Expo

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Transaction Wireless, the leading provider of multi-channel digital gift card and integrated marketing solutions, announced its further expansion into the international market at the 2011 Prepaid Conference and Expo today. Transaction Wireless’ innovative technology offering can be customized and localized in many regions and languages including German, Italian, and Spanish. The company also revealed that SVM, LP, the global leader in gift card program management solutions for retailers and distribution channel partners, is using the Transaction Wireless patented gift card platform to offer digital gift card solutions to its thousands of international clients and incentive houses.

“We are excited about helping European retailers leverage the power of digital gifting.”

“Our unique technology gives SVM’s US and global clients and more than 100 incentive houses an easy path from traditional gift cards to mobile, Facebook, and email gifting,” said Tom Niedbalski, VP, business development, Transaction Wireless. “We are excited about helping European retailers leverage the power of digital gifting.”

Niedbalski will be speaking at the Prepaid Expo at 4:30 pm on 14 June on the topic “Discovering Distinct Mobile Payments’ Opportunities in Developed and Developing Markets.” For inquiries or to schedule an appointment, please email sales@transactionwireless.com.

The Transaction Wireless B2B wCentive solution reduces operating costs while improving resale and co-branding opportunities by providing merchants and incentive houses with a single, comprehensive system to manage and support multiple B2B accounts, suppliers, and brands.

wCentive empowers clients to easily order digital gift cards in bulk with immediate inventory delivery including: single and multiple card distribution, e-code programs, and email and mobile delivery. The Transaction Wireless platform’s robust marketing engine enables co-branding promotions across multiple B2B accounts and allows sending multi-brand, multi-denomination bulk gift card orders with targeted multimedia messaging including text, audio, image, and video.

Seminal NFC Over-the-Air and Over-the-Wire Provisioning Patent Awarded to Tyfone

June 13, 2011 07:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time 

Patent Covers Programming of Smartcard Circuitry in an Add-on Card in Response to a Communication Received over a Network

PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tyfone (www.tyfone.com), a mobile financial solutions provider, today announced the issuance of a seminal patent for over the network provisioning of add-on smartcard secure elements.

“We recognized early on the benefits of supporting over-the-air and over-the-wire programming of add-on secure elements in electronic devices, especially for financial transactions”

This new patent covers programming of smartcard circuitry in add-on electronic transaction cards in response to communication received over a network. This includes programming the electronic transaction card to operate as credit, debit, or stored value cards. Communication over a “network” includes wired, wireless, or cellular networks.

The patent, US 7,954,717, entitled “Provisioning Electronic Transaction Card in Mobile Device” has an effective filing date of February 22, 2005 and was issued on June 7, 2011.

Enabling electronic devices to leverage NFC communication standards for completing highly secure contactless transactions necessitates the use of a secure element, such as a smartcard. Plastic cards with smartcard secure elements for financial transactions are generally provisioned with identities before delivery to the user. Mobile devices using secure elements can benefit from the ability to provision multiple user identities and remote over-the-air management of identities into the secure element.

“We recognized early on the benefits of supporting over-the-air and over-the-wire programming of add-on secure elements in electronic devices, especially for financial transactions,” said Dr. Siva Narendra, president at Tyfone-North America. “The issuance of this patent is evidence of Tyfone’s thought leadership with respect to technologies that Trusted Service Managers (TSMs) will require to scale and manage mobile handsets for use in secure ID and NFC applications. We are excited to be bringing solutions to the market during a time of tremendous global interest.”

This patent addresses the use of add-on cards that may include smartcard circuitry. Technologies covered encompass the use of wired or wireless networks for provisioning transactional identities and information into a smartcard in an add-on slot of mobile devices. One application of this technology can be found on the company’s SideTap^TMMicroSD cards; other examples may include add-on form factors such as SIM cards or mobile device sleeves. This technology enables programming of add-on cards in intelligent electronic devices used by plastic credit, debit and pre-paid card manufacturers, and personalization bureaus either within their secure facilities or in an instant personalization environment such as kiosks.

Tyfone’s secure technology used in SideTap cards along with its u4ia® mobile financial services platform enables a customizable digital wallet for any device that is capable of secure mobile banking, mobile ID and NFC payments services. Consumers appreciate the ability to tailor their mobile digital wallet, just as they do with the wallet in their purse or pocket today. Technologies covered in this patent address management of a consumer's mobile digital wallet remotely over a network.

ABOUT TYFONE:

Founded in 2004, Tyfone’s corporate headquarters are in Portland, Oregon, and its Asia-Pacific headquarters are in Bangalore, India. Tyfone connects money and mobility via a highly secure, scalable and flexible mobile financial services solution tailored to meet the evolving needs of consumers, financial institutions, mobile network operators, transportation companies, and retailers. Operating in any standard memory card slot, Tyfone’s u4ia® platform and its companion SideTap™ memory card comprise the world’s first patented, neutral, and comprehensive memory card-based payments solution for mobile contactless payments. Tyfone and its partners enable a suite of services including Mobile Banking, Mobile Identity Management, Mobile Remote Payments, Mobile Retail Services, and Mobile Contactless Payments. For more information visitwww.tyfone.com.

UK's Bank of Scotland Merchant Services Rebrands as First Data Merchant Services

June 13, 2011 05:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time 

First Data Rebrands UK Acquiring Business

Launch of First Data Merchant Solutions Set to Build Processor’s Acquiring Presence in the UK

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--First Data Corporation, a global leader in electronic commerce and payment processing, today announced that it has launched a new brand name for one of its key payment acquiring services in the United Kingdom.

“The launch of the new name and the building of this business is a key part of the growth plan for our acquiring business in Europe, an area of strategic importance for First Data”

Bank of Scotland Merchant Services, a service provided by First Data to Bank of Scotland merchant customers, completed a full rebrand in March and now operates under the new name of First Data Merchant Solutions.

This change is designed to better reflect the management of this business by First Data but it is also the first step in a longer-term plan to deliver enhanced value and solutions to First Data’s merchant customer base in the UK. The launch of the First Data Merchant Solutions brand also marks the company’s first acquiring venture in the UK, and one of just a few around the world to operate under First Data’s own name without the attachment of a banking partner brand. This change gives First Data the ability to publicly highlight its global strength as an independent expert in the retail payments space.

“The launch of the new name and the building of this business is a key part of the growth plan for our acquiring business in Europe, an area of strategic importance for First Data,” comments Nigel Bidmead, senior vice president at First Data. “Over the coming months we will be working to leverage the wider skills, expertise and product sets from the business globally in order to enhance our merchant propositions and product portfolio. This development exercise will ensure that we are well placed to meet these growth objectives and offer superior services and solutions to our new and existing merchant customers.”

The enhanced propositions from First Data Merchant Solutions are set to formally launch to UK merchants this summer.

Around the world, every second of every day, First Data makes payment transactions secure, fast and easy for merchants, financial institutions and their customers. First Data leverages its vast product portfolio and expertise to drive customer revenue and profitability. Whether the choice of payment is by debit or credit card, gift card, check or mobile phone, online or at the checkout counter, First Data takes every opportunity to go beyond the transaction.

Contacts

First Data
Gerard Lysaght, +44 1268 297 032
glysaght@firstdatacorp.co.uk

Internet (Lack of) Security News through 6/13

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