Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Malware Volume Hits All Time High in January

Distinct malware volume soared to over 9,000 last month, more than twice that in December.

"It will get worse before it gets better.." .PIN Payments News Blog, December 2009

Also highlighted in the report was the wave of attacks known as Operation Aurora--a major talking point following Google's threat last month to pull out of China. Fortinet said the attack, which uses a zero-day vulnerability in Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, was ranked No. 4 on the list of top 10 attacks for January. For more on this story, read Fortinet: Malicious code hits record-high in Jan on ZDNet Asia.

Juniper Research: Top Five Hot Topics at Mobile World Congress 2010

Mobile World Congress 2010

HAMPSHIRE, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mobile content is top of the agenda at this year’s industry jamboree in Barcelona and most industry announcements give something away about the content strategies of the organisations involved. A report detailing the findings is available to download for free from the Juniper website from today.

1. Flurry of launches to increase competition in the Smartphone space

Smartphone launches from Samsung, Sony Ericsson, ZTE, Motorola Acer and several others will dramatically increase competition in the Smartphone space. Samsung’s Wave will be available in May and includes access to Samsung’s App store.

2. Operators announce Apps Community

In the Apps market, the launch by 24 mobile operators of a 'Wholesale Applications Community' should allow for mobile internet and applications to be downloaded without the potential headache of conflicting technologies. Operators that have signed up include AT&T, China Mobile, Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica, Sprint and Verizon Wireless.

3. GSMA embarks on LTE interconnection standards

With LTE now boasting several live roll-outs and as many as 75 build-out commitments, some 40 mobile industry organisations have now backed industry association GSMA's initiative to standardise the delivery of voice and messaging services for LTE. The advent of LTE may also open the door for operators to tier their levels of service for content carriage and charge accordingly.

4. NFC payment trial at Mobile World Congress to presage widespread NFC adoption?

A SIM based mobile payments trial by the GSMA, Samsung, Telefonica, and several partners could herald a new era in the development of mobile payments using NFC (Near Field Communications) technology.

While this trial will raise awareness of the technology, it will be the commercial launch of NFC handsets that drive NFC’s adoption- as well as reconciling the interests of the various stakeholders in NFC- from mobile operator, such as 02 in this case, to payment facilitator (Visa, La Caixa).

5. Android platform gains critical mass- the rise of the open source OS

MWC 2010 has seen a proliferation of mobile handsets using Google’s Android platform with announcements from Alcatel, Dell, HTC, LG, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and ZTE.

Download the full report for free from our website here...

Juniper Research provides research and analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector, providing consultancy, analyst reports and industry commentary.

Javelin Releases it's Online Retail Payments Forecast 2010 – 2014

Alternative Payments Growth Strong but Credit Card Projected for Comeback says Javelin Research

Overview

Despite the sluggishness of the global economy in 2008 and 2009, the U.S. fostered a robust online transaction market. Domestic e-commerce climbed 10.8% from $185 billion in 2008 to $205 billion in 2009. At the same time, the share of total retail sales represented by online transactions continued to rise, reaching 5.5% in 2009. This report evaluates the actual and forecast changes in the online payment market and payment mix from 2008 to 2014 and identifies the drivers of market change. This report contains forecasts for online total payments volume and share and online credit card (network and private label), online debit card, online alternative payments, and online prepaid/gift card total payments volume and market share.The online debit* purchase volume was just under two thirds the level of major credit card online purchases in 2009 ($57 billion for debit card vs. $89 billion for credit card).

Editor's Note: "Online debit" purchase volume was much closer to $570,000 than it was to $57 billion. Debit transactions conducted online does not make them "online debit...they ALL are actually processed as "offline debit" transactions, Online Debit is PIN Debit. If you don't "swipe the card" and "enter the PIN",it is NOT an online debit transaction.

Primary Questions:

What are the major trends for domestic e-commerce payment transactions?

How will traditional online payments vehicles – credit and debit cards – fare as new payment options are introduced and economic factors influence consumer preferences?

Will online alternative payment options overtake traditional options within the five-year forecast horizon?

What factors influence consumer adoption and the use of various payment options for online purchasing?

How has consumer receptivity to online purchasing changed over time, and how will it continue to evolve?

Methodology

This report changes the methodology that Javelin has used previously in its online payments assessments and forecasts. The new methodology is designed to more accurately reflect full online commerce activity, including both travel purchases and auction transactions.

Using data collected online by Javelin in November 2009 from a random-sample panel of 3,294 consumers, the survey targeted respondents based on representative proportions of gender, age, and income compared to the overall U.S. online population. In 2009, the U.S. population was estimated to comprise 306 million people, including 232 million adults and 168 million online adults.1 Overall margin of sampling error is ±1.71% at the 95% confidence level.

Secondary data from public sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) was incorporated into the forecast. The forecast was derived using a combination of personal income forecasts from the OMB and BEA. The ratio of total retail to personal income was also drawn from these studies.

The total online retail payment volume was derived through survey results and a reweighting by payment type based on U.S. Census e-commerce data, U.S. online travel purchase estimates (based on BEA data), and publically available payments activity data from major service providers (e.g. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, eBay). The reweighting maintains survey integrity while anchoring the forecast to concrete market data developed by secondary sources. Prior years were also reweighted to maintain trendability.

¹www.census.gov accessed Oct. 25, 2009 and Javelin Annual Household Study, September 2009

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Chip and PIN Cambridge Research Slammed as "Alarmist"

Chip and PIN Research Slammed...as "Alarmist"

Chip and PIN research slammed as ‘alarmist’

Industry analysts have defended the benefits

of chip and PIN payments security after computer scientists at the UK’s University of Cambridge announced they had discovered a flaw in the PIN verification feature of the EMV protocol.

Acccording to the scientists, a man-in-the-middle device can intercept and modify the communications between a payment card and the POS terminal, and then trick the terminal into believing that PIN verification has succeeded. In a draft paper entitled ‘Chip and PIN is Broken’, the scientists said: “A dummy PIN must be entered, but the attack allows any one to be accepted.”

The report added: “Attacks such as this could help explain the many cases in which a card has supposedly been used with the PIN, despite the customer being adamant that they have not divulged it.”

Gareth Wokes, chairman of The Logic Group, which manages information and transactions for businesses, described the Cambridge research as “alarmist”.

Why do we still type our numbers into boxes at web checkout?

Wokes said: “To position this as an overall failure of chip and PIN is misleading and counter-productive to the industry’s efforts against fraud. Chip and PIN successfully addressed the issue that it was created to address: that the person making a transaction is who they say they are. As such, a year after chip and PIN was introduced, card fraud dropped by 48 percent.”

He added that fraudsters have since moved on to e-commerce fraud, where chip and PIN technology is irrelevant, Editor's Note: "irrelevant" ONLY because we still conduct online transactions as if we live in the stone ages, i.e. typing Primary Account Numbers into boxes at website merchant checkouts worldwide. which is why fraud figures have subsequently begun to increase.

Continue Reading at Lafferty

Gemalto Adds NFC-Based Mobile Coupons to its Trusted Service Manager Offer

Gemalto partners with HighCo to create a consumer friendly experience to collect and redeem coupons

Mobile World Congress 2010

BARCELONA, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO), the world leader in digital security, today announces a partnership with HighCo, a leading provider of marketing solutions for mass market retailers and consumer goods manufacturers, to provide user-friendly mobile coupon services via Near Field Communications.

The partnership aims at providing a more convenient way of collecting and redeeming coupons from NFC phones, replacing conventional paper coupons. Using an application in the mobile phone, users can easily connect to HighCo’s server, then select and download mobile coupons onto their handset. These are downloaded over the air and securely stored locally in the SIM card.

Automatic redemption

The coupons are automatically redeemed at the point of sale, where the contactless terminal communicates directly with the application stored in the SIM to find the right coupon used for the purchase. All the user has to do is wave their phone at the reader.

“Mobile coupons are a powerful marketing tool in promoting the right product to the right audience, thereby boosting sales,” said Rémi De Fouchier, Senior Vice President, Trusted Services Management at Gemalto. “With this partnership, Gemalto is enriching its Trusted Service Manager offer with mobile NFC couponing services that perfectly complement its solutions for payment and transport.”

The two companies met through the French “Pole de Compétitivité” called NFC Container*. This partnership draws on Gemalto’s worldwide experience as a trusted service manager for NFC, and HighCo’s experience as a leading coupon solutions provider.

Valérie Piotte, General Manager HighCo 3.0, commented: “Last year, we produced over 6 billion coupons and treated over 330 million coupons making us the leading coupon solutions provider in France and Belgium. Our aim, in partnering with Gemalto, is to use NFC technology to enhance the end-user experience by making e-coupons easier to store and use.”

*NFC Container is part of the French “Pole de Compétitivité” which aims at defining a generic framework to securely store data in the UICC and transfer data over the NFC reader.

Visit the Gemalto stand, 8A102, at the Mobile World Congress, 15-18 February 2010.

More info: http://www.gemalto.com/telecom/upteq/nfc.html

About Gemalto

Gemalto (Euronext NL 0000400653 GTO) is the world leader in digital security with 2008 annual revenues of €1.68 billion, and 10,000 employees operating out of 75 offices, research and service centers in 40 countries.

Gemalto is at the heart of our evolving digital society. The freedom to communicate, travel, shop, bank, entertain, and work—anytime, anywhere—has become an integral part of what people want and expect, in ways that are convenient, enjoyable and secure.

Gemalto delivers on the growing demands of billions of people worldwide for mobile connectivity, identity and data protection, credit card safety, health and transportation services, e-government and national security. We do this by supplying to governments, wireless operators, banks and enterprises a wide range of secure personal devices, such as subscriber identification modules (SIM), Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) in mobile phones, smart banking cards, smart card access badges, electronic passports, and USB tokens for online identity protection. To complete the solution we also provide software, systems and services to help our 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 please visit www.gemalto.com.

Oberthur Technologies and Sicap in Exclusive Partnership

BARCELONA, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oberthur Technologies and Sicap, respective leaders in the fields of smart card solutions and device management have today announced an exclusive agreement to provide a joint Full Device Management platform. The new offer combines their best of breed technologies to deliver converged, streamlined management of subscriber devices and SIM cards.

“By bringing together our 10 years experience in OTA platform development and more than 80 deployments worldwide combined with Sicap’s impressive technology and expertise in the field of device management, we can optimize real-time device and SIM support and better help mobile operators deploy their current and future services.”

When deploying new services, mobile operators need to reach as many subscribers as possible. With heterogeneous application components sitting in both handsets and SIM cards in end-user environments, the level of interdependency between devices and SIM cards has increased to a point where their side-by-side management is no longer sufficient.

As a response to mobile operator needs, the Full Device Management solution developed by Oberthur Technologies and Sicap offers real time configuration, updates and management of both devices and SIMs. This solution provides a unique customer care interface and can be operated as a single platform with common hardware, software, and administration either in the mobile operator premises or in Oberthur Technologies or SICAP certified datacenters. It also enhances the user experience by aligning services to the capabilities of each specific handset and SIM.

Xavier Drilhon, Managing Director of the Card Systems Division at Oberthur Technologies commented, “By bringing together our 10 years experience in OTA platform development and more than 80 deployments worldwide combined with Sicap’s impressive technology and expertise in the field of device management, we can optimize real-time device and SIM support and better help mobile operators deploy their current and future services."

Jürgen Samuel, CEO of Sicap, said “We are proud to present the Full Device Management solution developed with Oberthur Technologies. Their reputation in SIM management complements our device management excellence. Together we have a combined presence in OTA and device management platforms in over 120 networks worldwide. Our common focus on innovation and the complementarities of our technologies will empower operators to deliver advanced services which always work first time for their mobile subscribers. ”

About SICAP

Sicap is one of the world’s leading providers of customised mobile software solutions in the areas of communications and charging. Every day Sicap’s standards compliant technology empowers mobile operators to deliver a superior end-user experience, while maximising new revenue streams and reducing operating costs.

The company was one of the pioneering inventors of prepaid technology and was the first to both develop a USSD Gateway and configure a mobile handset remotely.

Sicap develops and implements solutions comprising convergent charging and rating, mobile payment, network services and messaging. These solutions cover mobile, fixed and IMS network environments and are used by more than 90 customers, serving more than 550 million end-users world-wide.

Sicap’s over-the-air technology enables mobile operators to provision, update, troubleshoot, correct, and secure all handsets in their network. This capability reduces operational expenses, enhances device usability, and ultimately results in a better customer experience through first time problem resolution.

Sicap’s versatile and flexible loyalty solutions empower mobile operators to dynamically segment and profile their subscriber base using data retrieved over-the-air. Armed with end-users preferences, mobile operators can deploy Sicap’s secure messaging gateways and over-the-air services to deliver a personalised end-user mobile experience, regardless of handset or location.

Our customer references speak for themselves – MTN, MTS, Orange, Telefónica, Vimpelcom, Vodafone and many others rely on Sicap to deliver competitive advantage and a superior end-user experience.

Global reach, local presence

With headquarters in Switzerland, Sicap’s network includes local and regional offices in France, Ivory Coast, Malaysia, Romania, Russia, Singapore and South Africa. These strategic locations provide real-time customer support.

A comprehensive network of partners complement Sicap’s solution kernel portfolio in the areas of marketing and realisation. Sales partners increase the company’s local presence, while portfolio and technology partners extend and enhance the solution kernels.

For more information: www.sicap.com

About OBERTHUR TECHNOLOGIES

With sales of 882 million Euros in 2008, Oberthur Technologies is a world leader in the field of secure technologies. Innovation and high quality services ensure Oberthur Technologies’ strong positioning in its main target markets:

Card Systems: The world’s second largest provider of security and identification based on smart card technology and associated services for mobile, payment, transport, digital TV and convergence markets.

Identity: Leading international supplier for the manufacture and personalization of secure identity documents such as passport, identity card, driving license or health care card - traditional and electronic - and associated services for both governmental and corporate markets.

Security printing: World’s third largest private security printer specialized in high security for the production of banknotes, checks and other fiduciary documents in more than fifty countries.

Cash protection: World leader in the emerging market of intelligent systems to secure cash-in-transit and ATM.

Close to its customers, Oberthur Technologies benefits from an industrial and commercial presence across all five continents.

Oberthur Technologies S.A. is a limited liability company (société anonyme) registered in France with its registered office at 50 quai Michelet 92 532 Levallois Perret, France. Oberthur Technologies S.A.’s corporate registration number is 340 709 534 R.C.S. Paris.

For more information, visit www.oberthur.com

Leading European Mobile Payment Provider mopay Expands Global Presence to United States

Brings More Than Ten Years of Expertise in Micropayments to U.S. Audience

Engage!

MUNICH AND PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--mopay, a leading provider of mobile payment solutions worldwide, today announced its expansion into the U.S. market, enabling North American gaming and social networking providers to open a new revenue channel and allowing U.S. consumers to purchase virtual goods and other digital content through their mobile phone accounts. mopay’s U.S. offices will be headquartered in Palo Alto, California and led by Kolja Reiss, Managing Director of mopay, Inc. mopay specializes in bringing the “unbanked”— people without bank accounts and limited or no credit – the power to purchase digital goods and services with ease by placing charges on their mobile phone bills.

Reaching more than 3.3 billion people with SMS-enabled mobile phones in 65 countries around the globe, mopay enters the U.S. market as a major challenger to providers BOKU and Zong. mopay, a European industry heavyweight with close to 100 employees and a blue-chip customer base that reaches 500 million users worldwide, brings unprecedented mobile payments experience to the U.S., offering a clear advantage over its competitors. Some of the global brands being served by mopay today include Bigpoint, Gameforge, Innogames, Sulake and Travian. A local presence in the U.S. will allow mopay to service those customers with a U.S. billing option and will extend its sales efforts to U.S. clients searching for an experienced mobile payment player with truly global coverage.

For the first time, online gaming and social networking providers in the U.S. can benefit from mopay’s world-class solutions, best practices in integrating mobile payments into providers’ revenue streams, and consulting expertise to guide customers from implementation through ensuring an optimum consumer experience. The mopay credo is doing mobile payment right which is much more than just adding a payment option at checkout. It is about end-customer confidence as well as vendor satisfaction which mopay has proven to deliver to its client base across the globe.

“The U.S. market is ripe for change and primed for growth in the mobile payment market,” said Mr. Reiss. “European providers have been ahead of the mobile payment curve for a number of years, successfully embracing the full potential of how easy it is to pay for goods and services via mobile. Now we’re bringing our ten years experience and market opportunities to U.S. vendors, so they can offer their customers the convenience of mobile payments around the globe. With more than 400 customers worldwide, mopay boasts more experience than most providers combined. We look forward to partnering with U.S. vendors to open up a new revenue channel and share with them our tremendous expertise and experience.”

As Managing Director of mopay, Inc, Kolja Reiss is responsible for overseeing all aspects of corporate relations and operations for mopay in North America. Mr. Reiss has over 14 years of experience in the telecommunications industry and is recognized as a leader in the mobile industry. Prior to mopay, Mr. Reiss headed the technical operations for MindMatics LLC in New York and Los Angeles. He holds a Master's Degree in Business Information Systems from the University of Paderborn in Germany.

mopay will be exhibiting at this year’s Engage! conference in New York City from February 16 – 17 at booth #55.

About mopay

mopay is one of the world’s leading solutions for network provider-based billing of small amounts. The mobile payment solution is providing 3.3 billion people in over 65 countries a platform on which digital goods and services can be billed by SMS. Among mopay’s customers are renowned portals from the gaming, community and contents sectors. mopay, part of the MindMatics group, has close to 100 employees at locations in Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom and the United States. For more information, visit www.mopay.com.

HomeATM Headline News through February 16th

Chip and PIN 'not fit for purpose', says Cambridge researcher

Wikinews ... said that there was no evidence the attack was in use and emphasized that card fraud had fallen with the introduction of chip and PIN.

Biz Break: Microsoft vs. Google vs. Apple: phone OS on Monday, maps today

Today: Microsoft is expected to introduce its new mobile operating system next week. Google rolls out new maps features, a day after Bing Maps enhancements by Microsoft. Read article »

Google Sees Facebook, Amazon, Kayak As Competitors

Wall Street Journal The Internet search giant on Friday filed its 2009 annual report, which for the first time named social networks like Facebook Inc., e-commerce sites like ...

Discover to Pay $775 Million to Morgan Stanley

Wall Street Journal But Riverwoods, Ill., Discover contended that Morgan Stanley had breached the spinoff agreement by meddling in the Visa-MasterCard settlement. ...

Mobile operators unite on global apps platform

The world’s largest mobile operators have joined forces to launch an open international applications platform, marking the largest unified move to date by the operator community into the mobile apps space. The so-called ‘Wholesale Applications Community’ will combine 24 of the world’s largest mobile carriers, including America Movil, AT&T, Bharti Airtel, China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, KT, mobilkom Austria, MTN Group, NTT Docomo, Orange, Orascom Telecom, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, Telenor, TeliaSonera, SingTel, SK Telecom, Sprint, VimpelCom and WIND. The four operators in the Joint Innovation Lab (JIL) mobile apps initiative – Vodafone, China Mobile, SoftBank and Verizon Wireless – are also included. The group serves a combined 3 billion mobile customers across the globe. Industry association the GSMA has backed the move. Read More

CEO Series: Jack Dorsey Reveals What's Next with Square

Will Square spell the death of cash? In an exclusive interview, Twitter-vet Jack Dorsey gives PYMNTS.com the skinny on Square. Dorsey answers security concerns and explains how Square has redesigned payments. Listen to the NEXTcast interview

SEO Series: Twitter Vet Jack Dorsey on Why Square is What's Next

When buzz began bubbling up around Square about a month ago, the industry took notice. Many charged that was due mainly in part because the driving force behind Square was the co-founder of Twitter, Jack Dorsey. Many industry insiders, like MagTek CEO Mimi Hart, raised security concerns around where the consumer's data was encrypted. There have been a number of devices to hit the market recently. Most notably was VeriFone's PAYware Mobile iPhone payments device. In a recent video interview with Tech Crunch, Dorsey was asked for his reaction to VeriFone's announcement as seen on PYMNTS.com. In the announcement, VeriFone CEO Douglas G. Bergeron said, "Banks and processors are concerned about the security issues of unapproved merchants using unregulated software and insecure fobs to accept card payments." When asked if he thought Bergeron was taking a swipe at Square, Dorsey took the high road and explained that Square would be going through the same PCI compliance measures as VeriFone or any other device would. Whenever Dorsey has demoed the device, he has made it clear that the device is just a small component of what Square is about. He has said that he and his Square-mates are interested in redesigning the payments experience. PYMNTS.com asked "Paying with Plastic" author and industry expert David S. Evans to speak with Dorsey about why Square is "what's next" in payments.

ICEMAN GETS 13 YEARS FOR MASSIVE CARD DATA THEFT

A Californian hacker known by the Internet alias 'Iceman' has been sentenced to 13 years in jail for stealing nearly two million credit card numbers. More on this story: http://www.finextra.com/news/fullstory.aspx?newsitemid=21086

2010 Identity Fraud Study: Threats and Trends

BankInfoSecurity.com For insight on the study results and what they mean to organizations across industry, James VAN DYKE of Javelin discusses: What organiztions and ...

Mobile Commerce: Experts Offer Strategy for Smaller Merchants

Practical Ecommerce Mobile commerce is a small fraction of this total. But as mobile usage becomes mainstream, and as a variety of devices expand the mobile web,

NOKIA PARTNERS INDIA'S YES BANK ON MOBILE FINANCE PILOT

The world's biggest handset manufacturer Nokia is teaming up with India's Yes Bank on a commercial mobile financial services pilot in Pune. More on this story: http://www.finextra.com/news/fullstory.aspx?newsitemid=21089

Global banking and payments tech provider opens Manila service center

Manila Bulletin ... nine million loyalty accounts, 125 million debit cards, 301500 ATMs and nearly two million POS locations through its NYCE EFT/PIN-debit network. ...

Online Banking Report Publishes New Issue “Online & Mobile Banking Forecast ...

Earthtimes (press release) Lastly the report lists the top 25 innovations of the decade topped by the invention of simple online payments by PayPal ten years ago and the advent of

TSYS Aims to Tap Growing Debit Trend with Its New Hybrid Card

Digital Transactions Verient Inc., a startup company with technology to secure online PIN-debit transactions, also is recruiting card issuers to use its platform for letting

Smartphone Market Drives 600% Growth in Mobile Web Usage, According to Bango Report

BlackBerry retains #1 position on mobile browsing leader board

NEW YORK & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bango (LSE:BGO) - the mobile payments and analytics specialist - reports a 600% growth in traffic to mobile websites. The company analyzed traffic to a range of mobile sites over the last 12 months. Data was gathered by sampling across 50 million phone users worldwide who have accessed third party mobile sites through its platform.

“While industry attention has focused almost exclusively on mobile app stores, the inexorable growth of mobile web usage is the most profound trend of the last twelve months”

The key findings from Bango’s annual mobile usage study record 6 times the number of visits to mobile websites, comparing December 2009 with the same month a year earlier. The average time on site is measured as 3 minutes, 21 seconds, averaged across user visits to all sites, compared with just over one and half minutes the previous year. The analysis also measured the average number of pages viewed per visit at 5 pages, up from just over 2 pages per visit twelve months before.

“While industry attention has focused almost exclusively on mobile app stores, the inexorable growth of mobile web usage is the most profound trend of the last twelve months,” said Ray Anderson, Bango CEO. “This confirms the view that the single most important app on any mobile device is the browser.”

To read the full press release go to http://news.bango.com/2010/02/16/600-percent-growth-in-mobile-web-usage/

About Bango

Bango provides the technology that enables commerce for businesses targeting the growing market of internet enabled mobile phone users. Bango’s products collect payment from mobile users for on-line content and services, and provide accurate analytics for mobile marketing campaigns and sites.

Bango Payment delivers the best user experience to give more successful transactions and help businesses sell more mobile content – even from smartphones over Wi-Fi, such as a BlackBerry. By uniquely identifying every mobile visitor as they browse websites and interact with mobile marketing campaigns, Bango Analytics provides precise real-time insight into customer behavior; and independently tracks the success of mobile advertising and search marketing, enabling businesses to determine which campaign delivered the highest ROI.

Bango is quoted on the London Stock Exchange (AIM: BGO). Learn more at www.bango.com

Barclaycard Announces New Smart Phone Enabled Terminal

Barclaycard today took another step towards making its customers lives simpler by revealing that it is trialling a new mobile payments service, designed to allow retailers to accept card payment through their smart phone. The announcement was made by Dan Salmons, Director of Payment Innovation, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and is part of Barclaycard’s commitment to delivering innovation that will make life easier for both merchants and consumers.

Barclaycard has found that a number of small businesses such as plumbers , electricians mobile hairdressers & market traders all understand the benefits of card payment; including security, wide consumer acceptance and guaranteed payment. However many of them do not want the burden of carrying and managing additional equipment. Barclaycard is therefore developing a new mobile payments terminal to help these businesses accept card payments quickly and securely.

The new solution works by utilising the ‘computer power’ of today’s smart phones (such as the Apple iPhone) along with a small attachable device which will allow businesses to accept ‘Chip and PIN’ card payments from their customers. This is a truly unique solution exploiting the full security and protection that Chip and PIN gives to both the merchant and consumer.

Merchants download an application onto their smart phone which acts as a Virtual Till – allowing them to enter a payment amount or pick from a price list of their products and services. They can also add a discount or apply loyalty features before completing the transaction. The app then interacts with a small Chip & PIN device which enables the customer to enter their card and PIN. The cardholder will have the option to receive their receipt electronically via SMS and/or email.

As well as processing card payments the app will allow the merchant to log any cash or cheque transactions thus helping with end-of-day reporting. The transaction log will also allow them to view transactions over a wider period for example the past week, month or year.

Paul Cook, Managing Director of Barclaycard Global Payment Acceptance said: “Barclaycard is continually looking for opportunities to offer new products and services to its customers. We understand how important convenient, widely accepted and guaranteed payment is to small businesses and also how mobile phones play an integral role in their life and their business. Developing a service which brings mobile and electronic card payments together in a simple compact solution illustrates how Barclaycard continues to develop innovations that make our customers lives easier”

A pilot of the new terminal with selected merchants is expected during the second half of the year, with a launch anticipated towards the end of 2010.

The launch of this trial represents another example of Barclaycard’s role in providing innovative technology solutions. Recently Barclaycard announced the launch of Barclaycard Freedom, a new retail rewards scheme with over 30,000 retail outlets.

Barclaycard, part of Barclays Global and Retail Banking division, is a leading global payment business which understands the needs of both purchasers and sellers. It enables retailers and merchants to accept cards, helps customers make payments through card, contactless and mobile applications as well as extending credit to consumers. The company is one of the pioneers of new forms of payments and is at the forefront of developing viable contactless and mobile payment schemes for today and cutting edge forms of payment for the future. It also issues credit and charge cards to corporate customers and the UK Government. Barclaycard partners with a wide range of organisations across the globe to offer their customers or members payment options and credit. In addition to the UK, Barclaycard operates in the United States, Europe, Africa and the Middle and Far East.

Key facts published in February 2010;

- number of UK customers: 10.4m

- number of International customers: 10.8m

- number of retailer/merchant relationships: 87,00

Zong Sees Exceptional Growth

Image representing Zong as depicted in CrunchBase

Zong⁺ Confirmed as a Game Changer, Secures New Landmark Deals and Continues Carrier Expansion

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Zong (www.Zong.com), the leading mobile payment platform used by online gaming and social networking web sites, announced today that Zong+ has delivered unprecedented payment volumes to its merchants. Zong+, launched at the end of last year, is the only online mobile payment platform to combine carrier billing with the low cost processing of credit, debit, and prepaid cards. Only six weeks after upgrading to Zong+, Aeria Games, one of the fastest growing publishers of free-to-Play online games, reported:

Over 32% of Aeria’s mobile payment revenue from Zong came from Zong⁺ users;

Zong⁺ transactions generated an average payout 12 times higher than traditional mobile payments, due to a combination of higher payout rates and flexible price points;

A massive 67% drop in transaction costs with Zong⁺ over traditional mobile payments;

A 48% increase in repeat payments—Zong+ users completed an average of 4.3 transactions per month, while regular users completed an average of 2.7 transactions;

100% incremental revenue: no cannibalization of existing card or carrier-based payment volumes.

“When we started thinking about Zong+, we were convinced that combining the convenience of carrier-based mobile payments with established payment methods had tremendous potential,” said David Marcus, founder and CEO of Zong. “We're thrilled that these initial results were well above our expectations.”

Additionally, since the beginning of 2010, Zong has grown by over 20 major publishers, including IAC’s Mindspark, Playdom, Slide, Kongregate, and TrialPay. Through its wide merchant distribution, Zong’s reach has surpassed over 500 million online users, while its carrier distribution just reached 1.5 billion mobile subscribers.

“The impulse nature of in-game purchases, prompted us to find the most convenient and efficient payment method for our users,” said Jim Greer, CEO of Kongregate. “Zong provides a fantastic user-experience and reach for our members to purchase our virtual currency, Kreds, with the ease and convenience of a ten digit mobile number.”

Also, in the last six weeks, Zong has not only expanded its merchant distribution, but also its country and carrier coverage by adding New Zealand, Argentina, and Venezuela, with Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Malaysia to follow shortly.

About Zong:

ZONG, the leading mobile payment service used by online gaming and social networking web sites, converts shoppers into buyers at rates up to 10 times greater than traditional payment methods. ZONG leverages direct connections with leading mobile network operators around the world to provide unrivaled connectivity and service quality. ZONG works with hundreds of top applications on popular social networks—such as Facebook and MySpace—and powers mobile monetization in leading virtual worlds and gaming sites, such as Gaia Online, IMVU and Aeria Games. In 2009, ZONG processed mobile payments for over 10 million unique users worldwide. In October 2009 ZONG released ZONG+ which combines the high conversion rates of mobile payments with the low costs of payment card networks. ZONG+ received the Frost+Sullivan Best Practices Award for product innovation. For more information, please visit www.zong.com.

Mobile Financial Services Demand Grows - eMarketer

Demand for Mobile Financial Services Grows

The majority of smartphone users bank online and want more advanced mobile offerings. Full Article

MTN Middle-East and North Africa Selects Gemalto’s SIM Security Solution to Launch Mobile Financial Services in Five Countries

Major step forward in rollout of MTN MobileMoney service with Middle-East countries joining in the program

Mobile World Congress 2010

BARCELONA, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO), the world leader in digital security, today announced that MTN Middle-East and North Africa (MTN MENA) has selected its SIM-based security solution to launch mobile financial services in five countries. MTN MENA is part of the MTN Group, which serves over 100 million subscribers in Africa and the Middle East, including 30 million in the latter region. Gemalto worked in close cooperation with Fundamo, a leading mobile financial services provider, to jointly supply the complete solution for the MTN MobileMoney service.

“Since our solution is compatible will all handsets, MTN MENA subscribers can immediately enjoy the convenience of transferring money when and where they want, with the security provided by the SIM card.”

The MTN MobileMoney service will enable MTN MENA to offer their subscribers a wide variety of financial services including money transfer, mobile payment and balance checking, mobile purchases, as well as the ability to buy airtime in real-time. MTN MobileMoney’s user friendly interface makes it simple and convenient for subscribers to enjoy financial services featuring simple menus and multiple language options, including English and a number of local languages.

For several years, Gemalto and Fundamo have worked together to provide optimal SIM-based solutions for mobile financial applications. SIM-based technology guarantees the highest level of security available for transactions through end-to-end encryption and offers subscribers the freedom to use the service from any type of handset by simply swapping out the SIM card.

“Our cooperation with Gemalto and Fundamo has been an incredibly positive experience in terms of product quality, project management, and support in general,” commented Jamal Ramadan, Vice President of MTN MENA. “We look forward to our continued work with Gemalto and Fundamo. Collaboratively, we will bring new levels of innovation, security and convenience to both mature and emerging markets.”

“Gemalto is proud to work with MTN MENA for the first SIM-based mobile banking solution in the Middle-East and North Africa,” added Philippe Vallée, Executive Vice President of the Telecommunications Business Unit at Gemalto. “Since our solution is compatible will all handsets, MTN MENA subscribers can immediately enjoy the convenience of transferring money when and where they want, with the security provided by the SIM card.”

“Working closely with market leaders such as MTN and Gemalto reinforces Fundamo’s position at the forefront of one of the world’s fastest-growing and dynamic wireless markets - set to be worth USD 65 billion by 2014*,” said Hannes van Rensburg, CEO of Fundamo. “Fundamo’s platform is built to evolve with the needs of mobile subscribers to deliver increasingly compelling, tailored and differentiated mobile financial services as the market matures.”

* Juniper Research, January 2010

Visit the Gemalto stand, 8A102, at the Mobile World Congress, 15-18 February 2010.

More info: http://www.gemalto.com/telecom/linqus/mobile_banking.html

About Gemalto

Gemalto (Euronext NL 0000400653 GTO) is the world leader in digital security with 2008 annual revenues of €1.68 billion, and 10,000 employees operating out of 75 offices, research and service centers in 40 countries.

Gemalto is at the heart of our evolving digital society. The freedom to communicate, travel, shop, bank, entertain, and work—anytime, anywhere—has become an integral part of what people want and expect, in ways that are convenient, enjoyable and secure.

Gemalto delivers on the growing demands of billions of people worldwide for mobile connectivity, identity and data protection, credit card safety, health and transportation services, e-government and national security. We do this by supplying to governments, wireless operators, banks and enterprises a wide range of secure personal devices, such as subscriber identification modules (SIM), Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) in mobile phones, smart banking cards, smart card access badges, electronic passports, and USB tokens for online identity protection. To complete the solution we also provide software, systems and services to help our 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 please visit www.gemalto.com.

Customer Satisfaction with E-Commerce Rebounds, According to American Customer Satisfaction Index

Online Brokerage Surges with the Market; E-Retail and Online Travel Sites Also Make Gains

ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Customer satisfaction with e-commerce websites stages a comeback a year after suffering its first decline since 2004, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The e-commerce sector gains 1.8% to 81.4 on ACSI’s 100-point scale, nearly matching its all-time high of 81.6 set in 2007. The annual ACSI e-commerce report measures customer satisfaction with online retail, online brokerage, and online travel companies.

The increase in the overall e-commerce sector (made up of the e-retail, online brokerage, and online travel industries) is clearly driven by the rebounding online brokerage industry, which surges 5% to 78 after it lost 6% last year amid a crashing stock market. But e-retail (+1% to 83) and Internet travel (+3% to 77) also improves over last year.

“It’s no surprise that satisfaction with online brokerages is linked to the stock market. When the market crashes, customers aren’t happy. When it recovers, they feel better about their experience,” said Claes Fornell, ACSI founder, professor at the University of Michigan, and author of The Satisfied Customer. “But the improvements in e-retail and online travel are a good sign that consumers may be ready to spend again, if they can find the means to do so.”

Today’s report marks the tenth anniversary of the inclusion of online businesses in the ACSI. E-Commerce as a sector has improved more than 8 % since it was first measured by ACSI in 2000.

“Ten years in internet commerce is a lifetime,” said Larry Freed, president and CEO of ForeSee Results. “The fast pace allows companies to succeed or fail much faster than was ever the case thirty years ago. The business advancements made in just ten years are incredible, and some of these companies have become models of innovation and strategy for organizations across all channels.”

Online Brokerage

The online financial services industry improves more than any other, and the biggest gainers are the smaller companies that dropped the most in the depths of the recession. Fidelity, despite a small drop in score, continues to lead the sector (-1% to 79) along with Charles Schwab (+1% to 79). The uptick in the industry overall is largely attributable to huge gains by E*Trade (+7% to 74) and TD Ameritrade (+7% to 76).

Online Retail

E-retail rises 1% to 83 and continues to be the highest scoring industry in the e-commerce sector. Additionally, satisfaction with online retail far exceeds satisfaction with brick and mortar retail (76). E-retail is the only industry in the e-commerce sector to score above 80, which is considered the threshold for excellence for the Index. Netflix (+2% to 87) leads the Index for the first time, with Newegg (-2% to 86) and Amazon.com (stable at 86) closely following.

“The dramatic increase in satisfaction with the e-retail industry over the last ten years has been driven largely by the success of pure-play e-retailers” said Kevin Ertell, Vice President of Retail Strategy at ForeSee Results. “The retailers who are only selling online have, for the most part, paid better attention to customer needs and expectations and have worked to create a better online software experience for their customers.”

Online Travel

Customer satisfaction with online travel increases for the first time in five years, matching its all-time high of 77.

Expedia (+3% to 79) remains the top-scorer of the sector. Of the companies rated, Priceline.com experiences the biggest gain, increasing 7% to 76. Over the past few years, the company has moved away from their “Name Your Own Price” auction bid approach to booking travel reservations along the lines of conventional, full-service online travel agencies. Additionally, the company launched a top-rated mobile application allowing users to research and book hotels on the go.

A free report with ten years of historical scores for all of the e-commerce companies measured by the ACSI is available at www.ForeSeeResults.com.


Overall E-Commerce Aggregate		81.4

E-Retail Aggregate		83
Netflix		87
Newegg		86
Amazon.com, Inc.		86
All Others		83
Overstock.com		82
eBay Inc.		79

E-Brokerage Aggregate		78
Fidelity		79
The Charles Schwab Corporation		79
All Others		78
TD Ameritrade		76
E*TRADE Financial Corporation		74

Online Travel Aggregate		77
Expedia, Inc.		79
All Others		78
Orbitz, LLC		76
Priceline.com Incorporated		76
Travelocity.com L.P.		75

About ForeSee Results

As the leader in online customer satisfaction measurement, ForeSee Results captures and analyzes online voice of customer data to help organizations increase sales, loyalty, recommendations and website value. Using the methodology of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), ForeSee Results identifies the improvements to websites and other online initiatives with the greatest ROI. With more than 44 million survey responses collected to date and benchmarks across dozens of industries, ForeSee Results offers unparalleled expertise in customer satisfaction measurement and management particularly in the e-retail category, with more than 140 retail measures in ForeSee Results benchmarks.

ForeSee Results, a privately held company, is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan; has offices in London and Toronto; and can be found online at www.ForeSeeResults.com.

About the ACSI

The American Customer Satisfaction Index is a national economic indicator of customer evaluations of the quality of products and services available to household consumers in the United States. It is updated each quarter with new measures for different sectors of the economy replacing data from the prior year. The overall ACSI score for a given quarter factors in scores from more than 200 companies in 44 industries and from government agencies over the previous four quarters. The Index was founded at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and is produced by ACSI, LLC.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Mobile World Congress 2010

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

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