Wednesday, August 10, 2011

CardinalCommerce and Alipay Form Partnership


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Source: CardinalCommerce Corporation
Date: August 09, 2011 08:00 ET

Alipay is the Latest Payment Brand to be Enabled Through Cardinal's Patented eCommerce Payment Platform, Centinel(R)

MENTOR, Ohio, Aug. 9, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CardinalCommerce Corporation, the worldwide leading provider of payment brands, today announced the addition of Alipay to its eCommerce platform, Cardinal Centinel.
Cardinal Customers can now have immediate access to the large number of Chinese shoppers who desire international goods through Cardinal Centinel®, the patented Universal Merchant Platform. With registered users numbering over 550 million, Alipay is China's first third-party online payment platform to offer a cross-border online payment solution.
"We are excited to announce the addition of Alipay to Cardinal Centinel," said Mike Keresman, Chief Executive Officer, CardinalCommerce. "Alipay's dedication to creating a simple, secure, and speedy online payment solution parallels Cardinal's philosophy. We are confident the thousands of Centinel merchants and our future Customers can grow their international businesses rapidly with Alipay."
About Alipay
Alipay (www.alipay.com) is China's leading third-party online payment platform. It provides a simple, secure and speedy way for millions of individuals and businesses to make and receive payments on the Internet. As of December 2010, Alipay had more than 550 million registered users and facilitated around 8.5 million transactions daily. Alipay is an affiliate of Alibaba Group.
About CardinalCommerce
CardinalCommerce Corporation is the global leader in enabling authenticated payments, secure transactions, and alternative payment brands for both eCommerce and mobile commerce.
Cardinal Centinel®* enables payment brands such as Verified by Visa, MasterCard® SecureCode, Alipay, Amazon Payments, Bill2Phone, Bill Me Later®, ClickandBuy®, Cred-Ex®, Ebates, eBillme, eLayaway, Google Checkout, Green Dot® MoneyPak®, Mazooma, Moneybookers, MyECheck, NACHA® Secure Vault Payments (SVP), NetCash®, NYCE SafeDebit®, OneTouch Online Purchasing, Paymate, paysafecard, PayPal, RialtoPay, SafetyPay, TeleCheck®, Ukash, and more to a network of thousands of merchants and merchant service providers.

HSBC to Sell Its Card and Retail Services Business in the US to Capital One

The Jaguar R5 being driven by Mark Webber in 2...Image via Wikipedia
August 10, 2011 12:47 AM Eastern Daylight Time 
***HSBC to sell business at 8.75% premium to gross customer loan balances, resulting in consideration of US$32.7bn based on 30 June 2011 figures***
***HSBC’s post-tax gain on sale estimated to be US$2.4bn based on 30 June 2011 figures***
***US remains a key market with an internationally focused business aligned with Group strategy***
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HSBC (NYSE:HBC):
The sale
HSBC, through its indirect, wholly owned subsidiaries, HSBC Finance Corporation, HSBC USA Inc., HSBC Technology and Services (USA) Inc. and other wholly owned affiliates, has agreed to sell its card and retail services business in the United States (the ‘Business’) to Capital One Financial Corporation (‘Purchaser’).
The Business to be sold is HSBC’s monoline US credit card and private label credit card business comprising gross customer loan balances together with certain real estate and other assets and liabilities. Included in the sale are the Business’s MasterCard, Visa, private label and other credit card operations. The products of the Business are offered throughout the United States primarily via strategic affinity and co-branding relationships, merchant relationships, direct mail and via the internet. All HSBC employees in the Business will be offered the opportunity to join the Purchaser.
As at 30 June 2011, the value of the gross assets of the Business was US$30.4bn, including US$29.6bn of gross customer loan balances. The unaudited profit before and after tax of the Business for the half year ended 30 June 2011 was US$1.0bn and US$0.6bn, respectively. The unaudited profit before tax of the Business for the financial years ended 31 December 2009 and 2010 was US$0.6bn and US$2.0bn, respectively. The unaudited profit after tax for the same periods was US$0.4bn and US$1.3bn, respectively.
The Business to be sold does not include HSBC Bank USA’s US$1.1bn credit card programme. HSBC Bank USA will continue to offer credit cards to its customers.
The transaction is subject to various conditions including, among others, the receipt of applicable governmental and regulatory approvals.
Commenting on the transaction, Stuart Gulliver, HSBC Group Chief Executive, said: “This transaction continues the execution of the strategy we announced at our Investor Day on 11 May to focus our US business on the international needs of customers in Commercial Banking, Global Banking & Markets, Retail Banking and Wealth Management and onshore Global Private Banking. Although dilutive in the short term, this transaction will reduce Group risk-weighted assets by up to US$40bn which, together with an estimated post-tax gain on sale of US$2.4bn, will allow capital to be redeployed over time.”
He added: “HSBC is pleased to be working with Capital One on this transaction, given its strong commitment to maintaining relationships with HSBC’s customers, as well as its credit card and retail merchant partners. All our employees will be offered the opportunity to join Capital One and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the management team and employees for their dedication and wish them every success for the future.”
HSBC and the Purchaser expect no immediate changes to HSBC card programmes and operations. HSBC customers will experience no change in service in the near term and should continue to use their cards in the same way they do today.
Reasons for the sale
At the HSBC Investor Day on 11 May 2011, it was announced that a strategic review of the Business was underway. The Business has performed strongly through the financial cycle but it is not aligned with HSBC Group strategy.
The sale of the Business and the recently announced disposal of 195 branches, primarily in upstate New York, are important steps in building an internationally focused business. The United States remains a key market aligned with HSBC’s strategy.
Following these transactions, HSBC’s US business will have a focus on international business through: (i) an expanding Commercial Banking franchise; (ii) Global Banking and Markets; (iii) a focused Retail Banking and Wealth Management business serving the needs of our Premier and other customers; and (iv) an onshore Private Banking business providing investment opportunities in emerging markets.
The sale agreement
An agreement for the sale of the Business was entered into on 10 August 2011 among each of HSBC Finance Corporation, HSBC USA Inc., HSBC Technology and Services (USA) Inc. and the Purchaser.
It is expected that closing of the transaction will take place in the first half of 2012.
Consideration
The consideration payable by the Purchaser to HSBC will be equal to the following and payable in cash except as mentioned below:
  • a premium equal to 8.75% of gross customer loan balances of the Business as at closing; plus
  • the face value as at closing of the gross customer loan balances of the Business which transfer to the Purchaser; plus
  • the aggregate value as at closing of all real estate which transfers to the Purchaser as determined by an independent appraiser, plus the aggregate net book values as at closing of certain other identified assets of the Business which transfer to the Purchaser; less the aggregate net book value as at closing of reward programme liabilities and other liabilities specifically assumed relating to the Business.
Based on figures as at 30 June 2011, the total consideration would be approximately US$32.7bn, including a premium of approximately US$2.6bn.
The consideration attributable to the premium may, at the option of the Purchaser, be paid in cash or a combination of cash and common stock (par value US$0.01 per share) of the Purchaser (‘Consideration Shares’). Any portion of the consideration to be satisfied in Consideration Shares will be subject to a maximum value of US$750m determined by reference to a price per Consideration Share of US$39.23, which represents the average of the closing prices of the existing shares of the Purchaser on the New York Stock Exchange on 8 and 9 August. This would represent a maximum of approximately 19.1m Consideration Shares. To the extent that HSBC receives Consideration Shares in payment, the current intention is to sell the Consideration Shares when appropriate taking into account, among other things, prevailing market conditions.
The Consideration Shares will be received in a private placement with US SEC registration rights that will permit the shares (subject to customary exceptions) to be sold free of any restrictions under the US securities laws and to be approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange. HSBC is not subject to any lock-up agreement requiring it to hold the shares for any period after receipt.
The consideration will be paid on closing based on an estimated closing statement with adjustments made following closing based on agreed final closing statements. Based on the current portfolio of the Business, more than half of the customer loan balances subject to the transaction will require partner consent to transfer to the Purchaser. To the extent such consents are not obtained, these partner relationships and related customer loan balances will not transfer and corresponding adjustments will be made to the consideration to be paid by the Purchaser. The premium payable to HSBC by the Purchaser, however, will not be reduced if such consents are not obtained.
HSBC’s Board of Directors believes the terms of the transaction are fair and reasonable and in the interests of shareholders as a whole. The aggregate consideration was arrived at after arm’s length negotiations and having taken into account the value of the component elements of the Business and the reasons for the sale set out above.
Conditions and termination rights
The transaction is conditional upon the satisfaction or waiver of various conditions including, among others, the receipt of applicable governmental and regulatory approvals.
The sale agreement is subject to customary termination provisions and may be terminated by either party at any time after 10 May 2012 if the transaction has not completed on or by that date.
Financial impact of the transaction
It is estimated that the post-tax gain on sale based on 30 June 2011 figures and calculated on an IFRS basis would be approximately US$2.4bn, largely comprising the gross value of consideration less the carrying value of the assets less liabilities being transferred less tax.
Based on 30 June 2011 figures, it is estimated that the sale of the Business would reduce risk-weighted assets at an HSBC consolidated level by up to US$40bn under UK regulatory rules. Together with the post-tax gain on sale of approximately US$2.4bn, this would lead to an increase in the HSBC consolidated core tier 1 capital adequacy ratio as at 30 June 2011 of up to 60 basis points from 10.8% to 11.4%.
The proceeds received from the sale of the Business are expected to be used for the repayment of debt, capital redeployment subject to regulatory approval, and for other general corporate purposes.
By Order of the Board
R G Barber
Group Company Secretary
HSBC Holdings plc
Incorporated in England with limited liability. Registered in England: number 617987
Registered Office and Group Head Office:
8 Canada Square, London E14 5HQ, United Kingdom
10 August 2011
Stock Code: 5
Information on HSBC
HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in London. The Group serves customers worldwide from around 7,500 offices in over 80 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, North and Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. With assets of US$2,691bn at 30 June 2011, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations.
Information on the Purchaser
Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a diversified financial services holding company whose subsidiaries had US$126.1bn in deposits and US$199.8bn in total assets outstanding as of 30 June 2011. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients. Capital One serves banking customers through approximately 1,000 branch locations primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ‘COF’ and is included in the S&P 100 index
Miscellaneous
The transaction constitutes a Class 2 transaction for HSBC under the Listing Rules of the UK Financial Services Authority and a discloseable transaction for HSBC under the Hong Kong Listing Rules.
The Board of Directors of HSBC Holdings plc as at the date of this announcement are: D J Flint, S T Gulliver, S A Catz, L M L Cha, M K T Cheung, J D Coombe, R A Fairhead, A A Flockhart, J W J Hughes-Hallett, W S H Laidlaw, J R Lomax, I J Mackay, G Morgan, N R N Murthy, Sir Simon Robertson, J L Thornton and Sir Brian Williamson.
† Independent non-executive Director
To the best of the knowledge, information and belief of the Directors of HSBC having made all reasonable enquiries, the Purchaser, a widely held New York Stock Exchange listed company, is a third party independent of HSBC and its connected persons (as defined under the Hong Kong Listing Rules).
HSBC continues to run-off its consumer lending and mortgage services business in the US; as at 30 June 2011, the customer loans and advances in these portfolios were US$53bn.
Forward-looking Statements
This announcement may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, the sale price, HSBC’s and the Business’s financial position, business strategy, plans and objectives for future operations. Words such as ‘may’, ‘will’, ‘should’, ‘would’, ‘could’, ‘appears’, ‘believe’, ‘intends’, ‘expects’, ‘estimates’, ‘targeted’, ‘plans’, ‘anticipates’, ‘goal’ and similar expressions and variations are intended to identify forward-looking statements but should not be considered as the only means through which these statements may be made. These forward-looking statements represent HSBC’s expectations or beliefs concerning future events and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainty that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the timing of closing under the sale agreement or the failure of one or more of the conditions to closing to be satisfied, the performance of HSBC and the Business through the date of the closing, the performance by other parties of their obligations under the sale agreement, the receipt and timing of regulatory and third party consents to the transactions, the Purchaser’s future share price, HSBC’s potential inability to reallocate capital efficiently in or from the US and the level of partner consents ultimately obtained. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this announcement and HSBC Holdings plc does not undertake to update the forward-looking statements to reflect the impact of circumstances or events that may arise after the date of the forward-looking statements (except as required by the rules of the UK Listing Authority and the London Stock Exchange or the Listing Rules of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange).
Notes:
(i) ‘HSBC’ means HSBC Holdings plc and its subsidiaries unless the context otherwise requires.
(ii) All references to dollars or US$ are to United States dollars.

Contacts

HSBC
Media enquiries to:
Hong Kong
Ruth Naderer, +852 2822 4947
ruthnaderer@hsbc.com.hk
US
Robert Sherman, +1 212-525-6901
robert.a.sherman@us.hsbc.com
UK
Robert Bailhache, +44 (0)20 7992 5712
robert.bailhache@hsbc.com
Investor Relations enquiries to:
London
Alastair Brown, +44 (0)20 7992 1938
alastair.brown@hsbc.com
Robert Quinlan, +44 (0)20 7991 3643
robert.quinlan@hsbc.com
Hong Kong
Hugh Pye, +852 2822 4398
hugh.pye@hsbc.com
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Subway to Launch NFC Payment in all 24,000 U.S. Locations

A SUBWAY restaurant in Dawson, Texas.Image via Wikipedia
According to NFCNews: 

Subway is preparing to launch NFC payment terminals in 24,000 restaurants across the U.S., according to Mobile Commerce News. The terminals, which are slated to hit stores this fall, will enable customers to pay for their meals with a tap of their NFC-enabled smart phone. As one of the first retailers to join Google’s Mobile Wallet project, the fast food giant hopes that the roll out will help speed the adoption of contactless mobile payments across the country, says Joost Zimmerman, Subway’s director of digital marketing. By 2012, Subway expects to roll out NFC payments in all 35,000 of its restaurants worldwide.   Read more here.
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First Data Releases July 2011 SpendTrend


http://www.firstdata.com
®
Card Spending Growth Slowed Sequentially in July; Credit Growth Stalled
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 July 2011 compared to July 2010. SpendTrend tracks same-store consumer spending by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT cards and checks at U.S. merchant locations.
“Despite rising input costs from inflation, many retailers have resorted to cutting prices in order to stimulate demand from an increasingly cautious consumer base”
Overall year-over-year dollar volume growth was 7.3% in July, a sharp slowdown from June’s 8.8% growth rate. Dollar volume growth was hampered by slower increases in average tickets. However, dollar volume growth at General Merchandise Stores, including Value Retail, rose 10.3%, the largest increase in 10 months. Value retailers increased merchant promotional activity and discounting to attract consumers.
Dollar volume growth on credit cards slowed from 10.7% in June to 7.4% in July. Several discretionary retail categories such as travel saw lower credit dollar volume growth. Higher-end consumers likely limited their credit spending due to the uncertain economic climate. Dollar volume growth was spread more evenly across all payment types in July.
“Despite rising input costs from inflation, many retailers have resorted to cutting prices in order to stimulate demand from an increasingly cautious consumer base,” said Silvio Tavares, SVP and division manager of First Data Information and Analytics Solutions. “This trend could have a negative impact on retailers heading into the peak of the Back-to-School shopping season.”
July Transaction Growth
CHANGE
July Dollar Volume Growth
CHANGE
Credit+5.3%Credit+7.4%
Signature Debit+7.8%Signature Debit+7.0%
PIN Debit+5.1%PIN Debit+7.5%
Check-12.3%Check-8.1%
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 July 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
Cara Crifasi, 303-967-6367
cara.crifasi@firstdata.com

Gartner's 2011 Emerging Technologies Hype Cycle Includes NFC Paymnent Analysis


http://www.gartner.com
Research Provides a Cross-Industry Perspective on Potentially Transformative Technologies
STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Activity streams, wireless power, Internet TV, NFC payment and private cloud computing are some of the technologies that have moved into the Peak of Inflated Expectations, according to the 2011 Emerging Technologies Hype Cycle by Gartner, Inc. Other newly featured high-impact trends include big data, and natural language question answering.
“Gartner's Hype Cycle Special Report for 2011”
Gartner's 2011 Hype Cycle Special Report provides strategists and planners with an assessment of the maturity, business benefit and future direction of over 1,900 technologies, grouped into 76 distinct Hype Cycles. The Hype Cycle graphic has been used by Gartner since 1995 to highlight the common pattern of overenthusiasm, disillusionment and eventual realism that accompanies each new technology and innovation. The Hype Cycle Special Report is updated annually to track technologies along this cycle and provide guidance on when and where organizations should adopt them for maximum impact and value
The "Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies" report is the longest-running annual Hype Cycle, providing a cross-industry perspective on the technologies and trends that IT managers should consider in developing emerging-technology portfolios (see Figure 1).
"Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies" targets strategic planning, innovation and emerging technology professionals by highlighting a set of technologies that will have broad-ranging impact across the business," said Jackie Fenn, vice president and Gartner fellow. "It is the broadest aggregate Gartner Hype Cycle, featuring technologies that are the focus of attention because of particularly high levels of hype, or those that may not be broadly acknowledged but that Gartner believes have the potential for significant impact."
"Themes from this year's Emerging Technologies Hype Cycle include ongoing interest and activity in social media, cloud computing and mobile," Ms. Fenn said. "On the social media side, social analytics, activity streams and a new entry for group buying are close to the peak, showing that the era of sky-high valuations for Web 2.0 startups is not yet over. Private cloud computing has taken over from more-general cloud computing at the top of the peak, while cloud/Web platforms have fallen toward the Trough of Disillusionment since 2010. Mobile technologies continue to be part of most of our clients' short- and long-range plans and are present on this Hype Cycle in the form of media tablets, NFC payments, quick response (QR)/color codes, mobile application stores and location-aware applications."
Transformational technologies that will hit the mainstream in less than five years include highly visible areas, such as media tablets and cloud computing, as well as some that are more IT-specific, such as in-memory database management systems, big data, and extreme information processing and management. In the long term, beyond the five-year horizon, 3D printing, context-enriched services, the “Internet of Things” (called the "real-world Web" in earlier Gartner research), Internet TV and natural language question answering will be major technology forces. Looking more than 10 years out, 3D bioprinting, human augmentation, mobile robots and quantum computing will also drive transformational change in the potential of IT.
Many of the technologies featured on this Hype Cycle contribute to the four themes featured in Gartner's recent report on top technology trends "Technology Trends That Matter":
The connected world: Advances in embedded sensors, processing and wireless connectivity are bringing the power of the digital world to objects and places in the physical world. This is a slow-moving area, but one that is now accelerating with the growing pervasiveness of low-cost, embedded sensors and cameras. Relevant entries on this year's Hype Cycle include the broad trend referred to as the Internet of Things; identification technologies, such as NFC payments (which will lead to broader use of NFC for other applications); QR/color code and image recognition; application layers, such as augmented reality, context-enriched services and location-aware applications; and communication technologies, such as machine-to-machine communication services and sensor mesh networks. Although this area will take at least another decade to unfold fully, many interesting and profitable opportunities will arise along the way.
Interface trends: User interfaces are another slow-moving area with significant recent activity. Speech recognition was on the original 1995 Hype Cycle and has still not reached maturity, and computer-brain interfaces will evolve for at least another 10 years before moving out of research and niche status. However, a new entry for natural language question answering recognizes the impressive and highly visible achievement of IBM's Watson computer in winning TV's Jeopardy! general knowledge quiz against champion human opponents. Gesture recognition has also been launched into the mainstream through Microsoft's Kinect gaming systems, which is now being hacked by third parties to create a range of application interfaces. Other areas continue to progress more slowly, including speech-to-speech translation, augmented reality and virtual assistants, while virtual worlds remain entrenched in the trough after peaking in 2007.
Analytical advances: Supporting the storage and manipulation of raw data to derive greater value and insight, these technologies continue to grow in capability and applicability. Predictive analytics is approaching maturity, but researchers and developers continue to apply and improve the core techniques for new data sources. Image recognition is driving new capabilities in search, retail and social media, and also contributes to advances in other areas, such as augmented reality and video analytics, for customer service. Social analytics continues to take advantage of new sources and types of social information. Computational advances, such as in-memory database management systems and big data, take the scope and scale to new levels.
New digital frontiers: Crossing the traditional boundaries of IT, new capabilities are reaching levels of performance and pricing that will fundamentally reshape processes and even industries. Examples on this year's Hype Cycle include 3D printing and bioprinting (of human tissue), and mobile robots.
"Many Gartner clients use Hype Cycles as part of their technology-planning process, often drawing from multiple Hype Cycles, augmented with industry- or company-specific topics to create their own Hype Cycles and Priority Matrices," said Ms. Fenn. "Technology providers use Hype Cycles as a way to understand the likely market reaction to their products and services based on the adopter community's expectations and attitudes. Investors watch for technologies that are on the rise in a Hype Cycle to try to catch them before the Peak of Inflated Expectations or at the beginning of the Slope of Enlightenment before they move into mainstream adoption."
Additional information is available in "Gartner's Hype Cycle Special Report for 2011" at www.gartner.com/hypecycles. The Special Report includes a video in which Ms. Fenn provides more details regarding this year's Hype Cycles, as well links to the 76 Hype Cycle reports.
Ms. Fenn will provide additional analysis during the Gartner webinar "The Gartner Hype Cycle Special Report: What's Hot for 2011" on August 25 at 9 a.m. EDT and 12 p.m. EDT. To register for one of these complimentary webinars, please visit
http://my.gartner.com/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=202&mode=2&PageID=5553&ref=webinar-rss&resId=1734616&prm=WB_HC11R.
Mastering the Hype Cycle
Ms. Fenn is co-author of the Gartner book "Mastering the Hype Cycle: How to Adopt the Right Innovation at the Right Time," published by Harvard Business Press. Ms. Fenn and Mark Raskino, vice president and Gartner Fellow, explain a market-tested approach that offers a smarter way for companies to sort through the hype and choose the right innovations at the right time. Information about the book is available on Gartner's website at www.gartner.com/hypecycle. The book can be ordered at:

http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Hype-Cycle-Innovation-Gartner/dp/1422121100/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216662511&sr=8-1.
About Gartner
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world's leading information technology research and advisory company. Gartner delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner is a valuable partner to 60,000 clients in 11,500 distinct organizations. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, Gartner works with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 4,500 associates, including 1,250 research analysts and consultants, and clients in 85 countries. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.

Contacts

Gartner
Christy Pettey, + 1-408-468-8312
christy.pettey@gartner.com
or
Laurence Goasduff, + 44 (0) 1784 267 195
laurence.goasduff@gartner.com

NCR Launches Self-Service Bill Pay and SIM Card Solution for Fast-Growth Telecom Companies in Middle East and Africa


http://www.ncr.com/
New kiosk lets consumers buy mobile SIM cards, phone credit and pay bills quickly and easily at stores and convenient locations
CYPRUS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) is today launching the NCR SelfServ™ Bill Pay Kiosk hardware, software and managed services payment solution with SIM card dispensing in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region to meet the needs of fast-growing telecoms companies. The innovative self-service solution enables consumers to quickly and easily purchase SIM cards, top up pre-paid mobiles and pay bills by cash, credit or debit card. Major telecom providers in the Middle East are already using the solution.
“NCR is responding to the strategic challenges of telecoms providers in the Middle East and Africa, who operate in one of the fastest growing and competitive markets in the world”
The self-service solution can help telecom operators capture more market share by enabling their in-store staff to focus on helping consumers with more complex questions about new products or services, rather than dealing with payment transactions. The kiosks are also ideally suited to offsite shopping malls, airports or railway stations, offering anytime, anywhere convenience for consumers.
NCR has designed the solution to meet the specific market needs in MEA, where consumers are increasingly buying multiple SIM cards for different pricing plans or personal and business calls. One in ten mobile phones sold in the region are now dual SIM on average, according to GfK, a market research company, and triple SIM card devices are being launched.
NCR also anticipates demand from tourists or migrant workers who opt to buy SIM cards for “unlocked” phones to be able to make calls when they are abroad rather than incurring expensive voice and data roaming charges from their home network operators.
“NCR is responding to the strategic challenges of telecoms providers in the Middle East and Africa, who operate in one of the fastest growing and competitive markets in the world,” said Nadine Routhier, vice president, NCR Telecom & Technology. “By delivering innovation to meet local market needs we are helping operators transform their businesses by increasing productivity while offering customers a choice and flexibility of channel, resulting in an improved customer experience.”
NCR’s software can vend SIM cards to any consumer or only those who have presented their proof of identity at a store and have an account with the mobile operator, according to local legal requirements. It also takes into account any regulatory policy limiting the number of SIM cards registered under individual customers' names if required.
Telecom operators can optimize their return on investment in the kiosks with NCR's managed services. NCR offers a complete portfolio of support services designed to increase availability and enhance consumer interactions while improving operational efficiency such as remote system monitoring and 24/7 help desk support.
About NCR Corporation
NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) is a global technology company leading how the world connects, interacts and transacts with business. NCR’s assisted- and self-service solutions and comprehensive support services address the needs of retail, financial, travel, healthcare, hospitality, entertainment, gaming, public sector, telecom carrier and equipment organizations in more than 100 countries. NCR (www.ncr.com) is headquartered in Duluth, Georgia.
Follow us on Twitter: @NCRCorporation, @careersatncr, and @ncrhealthcare
Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ncrcorp
Connect with us on LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/ncrgroup
NCR is a trademark of NCR Corporation in the United States and other countries.

Contacts

NCR Corporation
Helen McInnes, +44 (0)7748 761 041
Helen.McInnes@ncr.com

Survey: Consumers Don't Trust Google or Apple With Mobile Payments

Despite Slew of New Payment Apps, Credit-Card Companies Preferred Over Tech Brands to Handle Transactions

Read more at: AdAge

Ask consumers whom they trust to handle mobile payments, and the answer is pretty clear: the same brands they currently trust with payments today -- namely credit-card companies such as Visa, American Express and Mastercard, according to a study by Ogilvy & Mather.
Behavioral Archetypes chartData is based on Ogilvy & Mather's Mobile Shopper survey. Five hundred U.S. online users selected as many brands as they wanted upon being asked, Who would you trust with mobile payments?
That means incumbents have a big advantage as the fight for the mobile wallet heats up, even as giants with great consumer brands such as Apple, Google and eBay get into the market.

15 Common Financial Aid Scams to Watch Out For


OnlineCollegeCourses.com published an article on Financial Aid Scams.  To visit onlinecollegecourses.com click here 

August 9th, 2011
College students comprise a rather vulnerable demographic. Paying for classes and extracurricular activities ranks as one of the greatest stresses they face, and that’s exactly what scammers prey upon. Disguising themselves as everything from legitimate websites to "Financial Aid experts," they take advantage of fiscal desperation and wreak havoc on student bank accounts. Fortunately, however, taking time to read about their sinister strategies will make applying for loans, grants and scholarships far more productive. Not any easier, unfortunately, but cascades of legitimate paperwork is certainly preferable to losing everything.
  1. Millions in aid money go unclaimed every year

    According to South Seattle Community College, this super common scam immediately starts off with some underhanded numbering. Millions of dollars go unclaimed every year but frequently have little to do with student financial aid! Instead, they actually refer to employee or member benefits, not money that could be legally snatched up by or distributed to college kids.
  2. Buy now! Don’t miss this opportunity

    Financial Aid isn’t an infomercial product. Although the system undeniably needs some streamlining, opportunities to claim the money aren’t a "once in a lifetime" deal. Nor should students PAY anything up front. As soon as rhetoric starts requiring financial compensation or treating grants, scholarships and loans like Time Life retrospectives, back away quickly and run from a nasty little scam.
  3. Application fees

    Legitimate Financial Aid venues do frequently ask for an application before dishing out the monies, but never require any sort of processing fee. Or any fee at all! Once again, any sort of payment up front — no matter what sort of excuse the company gives — pretty much denotes that something sinister is afoot.
  4. Attend this free seminar

    Very rarely will free seminars targeting Financial Aid-seeking college kids genuinely offer the tips necessary to navigate the frequently foreboding large body of water metaphors. Typically, any events touting their ability to increase one’s chances of receiving money mask something a wee bit more commercial. Basically, if it starts sounding like a high-pressure sales pitch, it probably IS a high-pressure sales pitch.
  5. Guaranteed

    As awesome as anxiety-free grants, loans and scholarships sound, they’re unfortunately not realistic. Plenty of worthy students fall through the cracks every semester because Financial Aid isn’t a perfect system enjoying unlimited resources. So anyone claiming that they can guarantee money obviously lies and doesn’t exactly deserve any further consideration.
  6. Phone calls announcing scholarship approval

    Gerri Willis at CNN notes that legitimate scholarships always send letters of acceptance or denial through snail mail. Beware of any who prefer using the phone — and, by extension, those failing to provide adequate contact information. It’s a subtle sign that’s unfortunately easily ignored.
  7. Approval for scholarships and loans never considered

    If a student never applies for a scholarship, grant or loan, but still manages to receive an approval (or pre-approval) notice, he and/or she should trash it. Such scams are pretty much the college equivalent of those "You may have already won $1 million!!" They’re about as obvious as a clown on fire, and yet people still fall for them yearly.
  8. We just need your credit card and/or bank account number…

    Rather than asking for money up front, some of the more flagrant scammers out there prefer bank account numbers and credit card information. Help themselves to a bit more than just "processing fees." Suffice to say, this isn’t exactly a Financial Aid "opportunity" worth pursuing, especially since it means a far more precarious fiscal situation than before.
  9. Financial Aid consultants or coaches

    When looking for Financial Aid advice — and even the most bureaucratic-minded kids and parents will need it at some point — there’s only two places to turn. Either the college or university in question or high school counselors’ offices, neither of which charge for their services. Anyone advertising their services as counselors or coaches helping students snag more money (for a fee, of course!) probably harbors not-so-honest intentions.
  10. Inside information

    Along similar lines as "Financial Aid coaches" lurk organizations and individuals claiming to know top secret FAFSA information. Sure it’s a government bureau, but nothing that goes on there is necessarily clandestine or possesses some magical password for fiscal goodness. Once again, parents and students should consult with counselors at the high school or college level for free, updated guidance.
  11. Wanting cash only at any point

    It’s already been established that anyone requesting money for Financial Aid or advice on how to land it have safely earned the "scam artist" label. Asking for cash rather than check, credit cards or any other method involving a paper trail is a sure sign that something’s completely amiss. Not that anyone but the student should get any money in the first place…
  12. Fake websites

    Once Financial Aid applications have been properly filled out, make sure to file them at the official FAFSA website. Plenty of fake pages exist simply to steal "application fees," personal information or both. No matter how professional they appear, there’s no reason to submit forms anywhere but at the government’s page.
  13. Purchase necessary

    Rather than charging fees, some scammers prefer packaging their alleged services along with something else. Useless counseling or seminars, usually, but they could just as easily charge for books. The details don’t matter, though — any organization or individual "offering" Financial Aid (or assistance getting it) and requiring students to buy isn’t worth anyone’s time or energy.
  14. We’ll do all the work

    Endless Financial Aid forms and the accompanying migraine provide the dishonest with a perfect opportunity to prey on stressed-out students. Unfortunately, all perfectly legal, ethical grants, loans and scholarships require a right fair amount of work. Anyone purporting otherwise is probably…well…just read the article and figure it out.
  15. But we need an investment first

    Same tune as the "application fees" and required purchases, really, just from a different songbook. Any money up front, whether it be a direct payment or an "investment" should clue savvy students and parents in on what kind of nastiness is going down.

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