Near Field Communication Forum Establishes Partnerships with Three Industry Associations: APSCA, ARTS, and the Open Mobile Alliance

July 12, 2011 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

WAKEFIELD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The NFC Forum, a non-profit industry association that advances the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, announced today that it has signed agreements to work collaboratively with organizations representing three different industries: the Asia Pacific Smart Card Association (APSCA), the Association for Retail Technology Standards (ARTS), a division of the National Retail Federation (NRF), and the Open Mobile Alliance.

“It is gratifying to formalize partnerships with organizations representing these important global sectors”

"It is gratifying to formalize partnerships with organizations representing these important global sectors," said NFC Forum Chairman Koichi Tagawa. "The interest in collaboration from this range of industries -- retailing, smart cards, and mobile services -- demonstrates how widely the value of NFC technology is recognized, and it points to the far-reaching benefits consumers can expect from broad adoption of NFC. We look forward to working together with our new partners and to the synergies our joint efforts will deliver." (Statements from the three organizations are available upon request.)

Each agreement executed by the NFC Forum is tailored to the interests of the participating organizations and their members:

• APSCA is a non-profit, independent association that provides information, consultancy, guidance, and networking to organizations in the smart card industry in the Asia Pacific region. The NFC Forum's Memorandum of Understanding with APSCA will allow the two entities to capitalize on mutual interests by sharing information and coordinating non-technical activities such as training courses, case studies, white papers, research, webcasts, and events.
• ARTS is a retailer-driven international membership organization dedicated to developing best practices, technology standards and educational programs through collaboration and partnerships exclusively for retail. Collaboration under the NFC Forum-ARTS Memorandum of Understanding will focus on information exchange and education, including publishing joint papers that would highlight specific case examples and implementation issues for retailing, sharing statistics and research, and educating and communicating with retailers through the well-respected NRF communication channels.
• The Open Mobile Alliance is the leading industry forum for developing market driven, interoperable standards for mobile service enablers. The Co-Operation Agreement with the NFC Forum asserts the two groups' common objectives to establish and promote global standards in the wireless telecommunications and Internet domain. It further institutes a context for joint work on NFC-enabled devices and related applications, including, but not limited to, diagnosing problems and monitoring device performance over the air.

About Near Field Communication Technology

NFC technology makes life easier and more convenient for consumers around the world by making it simpler to make transactions, exchange digital content, and connect electronic devices with a touch.

A standards-based connectivity technology, NFC harmonizes today's diverse contactless technologies, enabling current and future solutions in areas such as access control, consumer electronics, healthcare, information collection and exchange, loyalty and coupons, payments, and transport.

NFC technology is supported by the world’s leading communication device manufacturers, semiconductor producers, network operators, IT and services companies, and financial services organizations. NFC is compatible with hundreds of millions of contactless cards and readers already deployed worldwide.

About the NFC Forum

The NFC Forum was launched as a non-profit industry association in 2004 by leading mobile communications, semiconductor, and consumer electronics companies. The Forum’s mission is to advance the use of Near Field Communication technology by developing specifications, ensuring interoperability among devices and services, and educating the market about NFC technology. The Forum’s 150 global member companies currently are developing specifications for a modular NFC device architecture, and protocols for interoperable data exchange and device-independent service delivery, device discovery, and device capability.

The NFC Forum’s Sponsor members, which hold seats on the Board of Directors, include leading players in key industries around the world. The Sponsor members are: Broadcom Corporation, INSIDE Secure, MasterCard Worldwide, Microsoft Corp., NEC, Nokia, NTT DOCOMO, Inc., NXP Semiconductors, Renesas Electronics Corporation, Samsung, Sony Corporation, STMicroelectronics, and Visa Inc.

Contacts

For further information:
NFC Forum Public Relations
Ruth Cassidy, +1-617-957-8494
ruth.cassidy@nfc-forum.org

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MasterCard Introduces Campaign to Support Stand Up to Cancer

Image via Wikipedia

July 12, 2011 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time 

MasterCard Introduces the ‘Eat, Drink and Be Generous’ Campaign to Benefit Stand Up To Cancer

Program Encourages Cardholders to Use Their MasterCard Cards When Dining out to Raise Funds for Innovative Cancer Research

Visit standup2cancer.org/mastercard

PURCHASE, N.Y. & LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MasterCard Worldwide today introduced ‘Eat, Drink and Be Generous’, a campaign dedicated to making every penny count in the fight against cancer, that will raise funds for research supported by the Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) charitable initiative. Every time cardholders use their MasterCard cards when dining out from now through September 1^st, MasterCard will make a penny donation on each transaction, up to $4 million total, to SU2C. Qualifying purchases include a cup of coffee or a quick meal to ordering take out and fine dining.*

“Every penny counts in the fight against cancer, so we are enormously pleased to introduce Eat Drink and Be Generous with MasterCard Worldwide”

Launched in 2008, Stand Up To Cancer -- a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation -- works to accelerate the pace of groundbreaking collaborative research in order to bring new cancer treatments to patients quickly and save lives now. SU2C draws on the entertainment industry to engage the public in the fight against this disease that takes far too many lives -- 1,500 people every day in the United States alone.

MasterCard’s ‘Eat, Drink and Be Generous’ campaign will include public awareness spots featuring Stand Up To Cancer volunteer ambassadors such as Ray Romano and Reese Witherspoon, who appear in a spot to be broadcast exclusively during tonight’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game on FOX.

SU2C ambassador Terrence Howard will help kick off the ‘Eat, Drink and Be Generous’ campaign during the 2011 All-Star Game festivities, appearing in a spot that will air during the broadcast on FOX, re-run in MLB stadiums across the country throughout the baseball season, and air on MLB networks.

“With one in two men and one in three women diagnosed in their lifetimes, this disease affects each and every one of us…And MasterCard is helping Stand Up To Cancer engage the public in supporting the scientists who are working to end it,” said Stand Up To Cancer co-founder Sue Schwartz.

“Every penny counts in the fight against cancer, so we are enormously pleased to introduce Eat Drink and Be Generous with MasterCard Worldwide,” added Rusty Robertson, another Stand Up To Cancer co-founder. “Choosing to use a MasterCard to pay for a meal will be an easy way for consumers to contribute to progress in cutting-edge research.”

Online and in-restaurant materials, web banner ads, statement inserts and ATM messaging through MasterCard bank partners will also help raise awareness and promote the ‘Eat, Drink and Be Generous’ campaign.

Celebrating Priceless Everyday Moments

“We recognize that for people affected by cancer, there is a new appreciation and celebration of everyday moments,” said MasterCard Group Head of US Marketing, Cheryl Guerin. “It’s suddenly not about seeing your son or daughter hit the game-winning home run, it’s about being there to give a thumbs up whether they hit the ball or not. These are the priceless everyday moments MasterCard celebrates, and wants to enable more of, by supporting breakthrough cancer research funded through Stand Up To Cancer.”

In support of this, MasterCard has created an innovative social media experience where people can upload photos of their priceless everyday moments onto Stand Up To Cancer’s Facebook page. With every upload and “like” of their everyday moment by their communities, MasterCard will make an incremental donation to Stand Up To Cancer up to $100K above its $4 million commitment.** Through this innovative social mechanism, all of our priceless everyday moments will translate into even more support for the scientists working around the clock to beat this disease.

* Certain terms and conditions apply: From July 12 – September 1, 2011, MasterCard will donate to Stand Up to Cancer $.01 per qualifying restaurant transaction up to $4 million. The promotion applies to U.S. qualifying restaurant purchases made by MasterCard consumer cardholders with MasterCard cards issued by U.S. financial institutions. The promotion ends when we reach the $4 million contribution goal.

** Certain terms and conditions apply.

For more information about MasterCard’s “Eat Drink and Be Generous” campaign, visit www.standup2cancer.org/mastercard.

About MasterCard Worldwide

As a leading global payments company, MasterCard Worldwide prides itself on being at the heart of commerce, helping to make life easier and more efficient for everyone, everywhere. MasterCard serves as a franchisor, processor and advisor to the payments industry, and makes commerce happen by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, governments, businesses, merchants, and cardholders worldwide. In 2010, $2.7 trillion in gross dollar volume was generated on its products by consumers around the world. Powered by the MasterCard Worldwide Network – the fastest payment processing network in the world – MasterCard processes over 23 billion transactions each year and has the capacity to handle 160 million transactions per hour, with an average network response time of 130 milliseconds and with 99.99 percent reliability. MasterCard advances global commerce through its family of brands, including MasterCard®, Maestro®, and Cirrus®; its suite of core products such as credit, debit, and prepaid; and its innovative platforms and functionalities, such as MasterCard PayPass™ and MasterCard inControl®. MasterCard serves consumers, governments, and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more information, please visit us at www.mastercard.com. Follow us on Twitter: @mastercardnews.

About Stand Up To Cancer

Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) is a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, and was established by a group of media, entertainment and philanthropic leaders whose lives have been affected by cancer in significant ways. Members of the Executive Leadership Council include Katie Couric; the Entertainment Industry Foundation, represented by Board of Directors Chairperson Sherry Lansing (Founder of the Sherry Lansing Foundation), CEO Lisa Paulsen and Senior Vice President Kathleen Lobb; Rusty Robertson and Sue Schwartz of the Robertson Schwartz Agency; Pam Williams, partner at Laura Ziskin Productions; and nonprofit executive Ellen Ziffren. The late Laura Ziskin, a legendary film producer who passed away from breast cancer last month after living courageously with the disease for seven years, was also a co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer. This initiative with MasterCard was the last spot she produced for SU2C.

SU2C's Dream Team approach to funding translational cancer research is designed to bring together the best and brightest scientists from different disciplines at research centers across the country and internationally who will work collaboratively to quickly address today’s critical problems in patient care. Monies also support innovative cancer research projects that are often deemed “too risky” by conventional funding sources. Currently, 355 scientists from 55 institutions are involved in SU2C-funded research projects – either as members of scientific “Dream Teams” or as recipients of Innovative Research Grants. As SU2C’s scientific collaborator, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), led by a prestigious SU2C Scientific Advisory Committee, provides scientific oversight, expert review of the research projects, and grants administration. For more information go to www.standup2cancer.org.

Contacts

For MasterCard Worldwide
Sarah Ely, 914-249-6714
sarah_ely@mastercard.com
or
For Stand Up To Cancer
Kathleen Lobb, 917-623-9743
klobb@eifoundation.org
or
Maurine Slutzky, 213-240-3923
mslutzky@eifoundation.org

First Data Releases June 2011 SpendTrend®

July 12, 2011 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Card Spending Growth Increased on Rising Inflation; Credit Utilization Reaches 12-Month High

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--First Data Corporation, a global leader in electronic commerce and payment processing, today released its First Data SpendTrend^® analysis for the full month of June 2011 compared to June 2010. SpendTrend tracks same-store consumer spending by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT cards and checks at U.S. merchant locations.

“Consumers are increasingly turning to credit cards to fund non-discretionary purchases.”

Year-over-year dollar volume growth increased 8.8% in June, up from May’s 6.6% growth rate. Inflation has driven core prices higher, as June average ticket growth was 2.1%, the largest increase in over a year. Most industries posted higher dollar volume growth in June versus May. The exception was the hotel industry, which saw dollar volume growth slow from 11.5% in May to 7.6% in June.

Credit card dollar volume growth was 10.7% in June, the largest increase in over a year. Credit surpassed all other payment types for the second consecutive month as consumers increasingly have been purchasing non-discretionary goods on credit.

“Dollar volume and transaction growth improved in June due to higher average ticket values, which are likely being driven by inflation,” said Silvio Tavares, SVP and division manager of First Data Information and Analytics Solutions. “Consumers are increasingly turning to credit cards to fund non-discretionary purchases.”

June Transaction Growth		CHANGE		June Dollar Volume Growth		CHANGE
Credit		+6.8%		Credit		+10.7%
Signature Debit		+8.8%		Signature Debit		+8.5%
PIN Debit		+3.8%		PIN Debit		+6.0%
Check		-12.3%		Check		-12.6%
Note: All transactions are same-store growth.

For more information on First Data SpendTrend, visit www.firstdata.com/infoanalytics or call SpendTrend Customer Care at 800-430-0169. A supplementary podcast including further analysis of the SpendTrend June 2011 report is available here.

To participate in the SpendTrend conversation, please follow First Data at http://twitter.com/FirstData and join us at http://www.facebook.com/FirstData.

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.

First Data SpendTrend, a macro-economic indicator, is based on aggregate same-store sales activity in the First Data Point of Sale Network. First Data SpendTrend does not represent First Data’s financial performance.

Contacts

First Data
Elizabeth Grice, 303-967-8526
elizabeth.grice@firstdata.com

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Global Payout Launches Military Payroll Debit Card from Tyburn Group

SAN DIEGO, July 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Payout, Inc. (Pink Sheets: GOHE) is introducing a payroll debit card specifically developed for active military personnel and their families.  In addition, anyone with a valid U.S. address and proper identification is eligible for the card.  As a reseller for the Tyburn Group, Global Payout will be marketing the military card through various direct marketing channels.  The "TrustCard" is a payroll card designed to support the daily needs of armed services families.  The TrustCard is backed by a leading national bank, with deposits guaranteed by the FDIC.  Chris Haigh, Chief Executive Officer of the Tyburn Group, remarked, "Global Payout brings an integrated marketing approach and various opportunities to this program which will help us introduce the TrustCard to market."  

Cardholders can have their pay direct deposited to the TrustCard, so he/she and family members can buy groceries, go shopping, pay utilities, withdraw cash, or set up automatic bill pay.  The Trust payroll card will eliminate the debt associated with credit cards and the penalty charges for insufficient funds. Service men and women can access their account online or via cell phone to pay bills, transfer money and review account activity and card balance.  Bill Rochfort, Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Global Payout, added, "This is the first U.S.-based prepaid card that is specifically geared to the brave men and women serving our country.  We're excited to be a part of it."

The TrustCard has separate card designs for each branch of service and military personnel can add a family TrustCard to share and manage money within their family.  To learn more about the TrustCard payroll card, please visit www.patriottrustcard.com.

About Tyburn Group, Inc.:

The Tyburn Group, www.tyburngroup.com, located in San Francisco, California, has been creating and delivering prepaid card programs using the latest technology for their global customers since 2007.  Tyburn has banking relationships and processing services, as well as the understanding of all regulations and requirements to get prepaid debit card programs to market.

About Global Payout, Inc.:

Global Payout, Inc., www.globalpayout.com, headquartered in San Diego, California, is an international independent sales organization offering multi-national companies electronic payment and prepaid debit card solutions. Through Global Payout's processors and solution providers, the company offers an international payment platform allowing accountholders to move money to personal bank accounts in over 200 countries. In addition, the company provides for U.S. and international debit cards, allowing accountholders without bank accounts to access funds worldwide. As a program manager and reseller, Global Payout is a provider of prepaid debit cards in the U.S. for payroll and general spend programs.

United Nations Federal Credit Union and Gemalto Publicize Increased Member Spend with Chip and PIN Payment Card

July 12, 2011 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time 

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, marked the first year since the launch of United Nations Federal Credit Union’s (UNFCU) globally compliant chip and PIN credit cards with newly released results of the financial cooperative’s effectiveness study. UNFCU’s analyses demonstrated significant increases in member demand, satisfaction and spend achieved during the period October 2010 to February 2011, compared to the previous year:

“Demand is high for the added security and acceptance opportunities offered through the EMV payment cards.”

• + 153% in card applications,
• + 382% in credit lines booked,
• + 20% for revolving balances, and,
• + 15% in overall purchases.

With some of the most highly mobile members in the world, residing overseas and frequently traveling internationally, UNFCU recognized the need for a universal, convenient and secure payment card. In October 2010, the Long Island City-based issuer became the first financial institution in the U.S. to introduce a credit card with the Europay MasterCard Visa (EMV) standard. As most countries move to this standard, U.S. travelers are increasingly at significant disadvantage using magnetic stripe bankcards abroad, especially in offline applications like taxis, unattended ticketing and payment kiosks. Their payment cards are often not accepted, according to consumers’ findings.

Through the World Traveler program, Gemalto provides UNFCU with complete issuance service, including full card design, production and personalization. This program has aided UNFCU in serving members, particularly those located in the field and in extreme situations. For example, UNFCU reissued cards for members after the earthquake in Haiti.

“Having delivered hundreds of millions of EMV cards worldwide, Gemalto’s experience was critical in the success of our first-to-market EMV roll-out and has helped us achieve our goal of top wallet status,” said Merrill Halpern, assistant vice president Card Services at UNFCU. “Demand is high for the added security and acceptance opportunities offered through the EMV payment cards.”

In response to members’ positive feedback, UNFCU is slated to launch another EMV credit card product in the first quarter of 2012 and will also expand its EMV functionality to all checking account holders with a new EMV debit card.

“UNFCU is an example of an organization listening and responding to the needs of its members, and taking advantage of the untapped potential for EMV in the U.S.,” added Jack Jania, vice president and general manager Secure Transactions North America at Gemalto. “By sharing its best practices and results today, UNFCU is leading the way toward the introduction of this new technology in the country, for the benefit of all. This further demonstrates that EMV is the way forward to increase transactions and revenue for financial institutions.”

For more information about EMV use in the USA, see: http://www.gemalto.com/emv/index.html

About United Nations Federal Credit Union

United Nations Federal Credit Union (UNFCU) is a member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative institution that serves the financial needs of the United Nations staff, UN Specialized Agencies, former international civil servants and their families globally. With members located in over 200 countries and territories, the institution takes great pride in living and breathing its mission, Serving the People Who Serve the World^®.

About Gemalto

Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO) is the world leader in digital security with 2010 annual revenues of €1.9 billion and over 10,000 employees operating out of 87 offices and 13 Research & Development centers in 45 countries.

Gemalto is at the heart of our evolving digital society. Billions of people worldwide increasingly want the freedom to communicate, travel, shop, bank, entertain, and work—anytime, anywhere, in ways that are convenient, enjoyable and secure. Gemalto delivers on the growing demands for personal mobile services, identity protection, payment security, authenticated online services, cloud computing access, modern transportation, e-healthcare and e-government services. Gemalto does this by providing secure software, a wide range of secure personal devices, and managed services to wireless operators, banks, enterprises and government agencies.

Gemalto is the world leader for electronic passports and identity cards, two-factor authentication devices for online protection, smart credit/debit and contactless payment cards, as well as subscriber identification modules (SIM) and universal integrated circuit cards (UICC) in mobile phones. Also, in the emerging machine-to-machine applications Gemalto is a leading supplier of wireless modules and machine identification modules (MIM). To operate these solutions and remotely manage the software and confidential data contained in the secure devices Gemalto also provides server platforms, consulting, training, and managed services to help its customers achieve their goals.

As the use of Gemalto’s software and secure devices increases with the number of people interacting in the digital and wireless world, the Company is poised to thrive over the coming years.

For more information visit www.gemalto.com, www.justaskgemalto.com, blog.gemalto.com, or follow @gemalto on Twitter.

Contacts

Elisabeth Philippe, UNFCU
tel. 347-686-6776
ephilippe@unfcu.com
or
Gemalto Media Contacts:
Jessi Marshall
North America
+1 512 257 3902
jessi.marshall@gemalto.com
or
Blair Poloskey
INK Public Relations
+1 512 382 8983
blair@ink-pr.com
or
Peggy Edoire
Europe, Middle East & Africa
+33 4 42 36 45 40
peggy.edoire@gemalto.com
or
Ramzi Abdine
Latin America
+55 11 5105 7659
ramzi.abdine@gemalto.com
or
Yvonne Lim
Asia Pacific
+65 6317 3730
yvonne.lim@gemalto.com

MCA Processing Receives Final Certification from Arizona Department of Gaming

July 12, 2011 08:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MCA Processing, LLC, a leading provider of cash access products and services for the gaming industry, announced today that they have received Final State Certification from the Arizona Department of Gaming.

“MCA greatly appreciates the professionalism and thoroughness with which the Arizona Department of Gaming conducted their investigations.” 

The licensing of MCA Processing completes a 15-month process that previously resulted in a Notice of Temporary Certification having been issued in February of this year. MCA Processing cooperated with Arizona regulators to thoroughly address a number of erroneous and factually inaccurate assertions that led to false impressions regarding their business operations. The final licensing of MCA by the Arizona Department of Gaming is further affirmation of the Company's commitment and adherence to the highest ethical business practices.

”We are very pleased to have received final certification from the Arizona Department of Gaming and we look forward to doing business with Arizona Gaming establishments in the very near future,” commented David Balmer, President and CEO of MCA Processing. “MCA greatly appreciates the professionalism and thoroughness with which the Arizona Department of Gaming conducted their investigations.”

About MCA Processing, LLC

MCA Processing, LLC is a leading provider of cash access products and services for the gaming industry. Our turn-key solutions for Ticket Redemption, Bill Break, Jackpot, ATMs, POS Debit, Credit Card Cash Advance and Check Guarantee Services are unsurpassed in reliability, accuracy and stability. For more information please visit www.mcaprocessing.com.

Contacts

MCA Processing, LLC
David Balmer, 702-495-3292
President and CEO