Citi Simplifies Credit with a Single APR and No Late Fees or Penalty Rate

July 25, 2011 11:49 AM Eastern Daylight Time 

New Citi Simplicity^® Card Designed for Consumers’ Desire for Transparency, Flexibility and Control

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--More than half of consumers have paid a bill late in their lifetime, according to the Citi Simplicity Survey. Forgetting a due date was the top cause of delay, and late fees were the primary concern stated by survey respondents who have paid a bill late. Responding to consumers’ desire for a simplified credit experience, Citi Cards is introducing the Citi Simplicity Card to U.S. consumers. The Citi Simplicity Card uniquely offers the combination of: a single rate across all purchases, balance transfers and cash advances, no late fees and no penalty rate.

“Every busy life needs a little simplicity – for the person paying household bills, managing multiple schedules and demands, we’re giving peace of mind through a simple and straightforward card that has a single rate and removes the stress of late fees and a penalty rate.”

The new Citi Simplicity Card is part of Citi’s commitment to delivering modern solutions – from high-tech branches, mobile banking applications, and a single point of contact for mortgage needs, to a credit card that recognizes managing your household finances can – and should be – simpler and easier. Designed based on direct feedback from clients on what they want and need in a credit card, the Citi Simplicity Card includes the following benefits:

• A Single Rate for All Borrowing and Spending. The Citi Simplicity Card offers a single rate for all purchases, cash advances and balance transfers.
• No Late Fees.
• No Penalty Rate.
• No Waiting for Live Help. With the Citi Simplicity Card, clients can quickly and easily reach a customer service professional right away.
• Flexibility and Control. Clients can customize their payment due date and set e-mail and text payment notification alerts based on their preferences and needs.
• No Annual Fee.

“Consumers’ desire for solutions that simplify is clear – and the Citi Simplicity Card is designed to make it easier for clients who are short on time, yet focused on responsible financial management,” said Jud Linville, CEO of Citi Cards. “Every busy life needs a little simplicity – for the person paying household bills, managing multiple schedules and demands, we’re giving peace of mind through a simple and straightforward card that has a single rate and removes the stress of late fees and a penalty rate.”

The Citi Simplicity Survey revealed that the most complex aspects of life for today’s busy consumers are: taking time for oneself (31 percent), managing finances (25 percent) and managing the household (21 percent). According to the survey, in the past year, 41 percent have paid a bill late, and one in five paid a credit card bill late. The majority of survey respondents (61 percent) who have ever paid a bill late said it was due to forgetting the payment due date. These time-pressed consumers also cited being too busy (17 percent) and on vacation (16 percent) as reasons for late payment.

To support clients in managing their credit cards responsibly, Citi Cards offers the flexibility to adjust the payment due date to better suit their needs as well as the option to enroll in Citi’s alerting services. These alerts send a reminder of upcoming payment due dates via email or a message to their mobile phone, so clients are well positioned to make payments on time.

With the Citi Simplicity Card, clients can rest assured they have a single rate for everything from purchases and balance transfers to cash advances, and they won’t have the complexity of late fees or a penalty rate. For more information regarding the Citi Simplicity Card, including benefits, terms and how to apply for the card, visit www.citisimplicity.com.To view a video of the Citi Simplicity Card, visit http://citi.us/ooIPUi.

Citi Simplicity Survey Methodology

The Citi Simplicity Survey was conducted from June 23 – 30, 2011 via telephone interviews among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 U.S. adults who have a major credit card. Results of the survey have a margin of error due to sampling of no more than plus-or-minus three percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

About Citi

Citi, the leading global financial services company, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com.

appMobi’s cloudKey Revolutionizes E-Commerce Security by Eliminating Credit Card Databases

Image via CrunchBase

July 25, 2011 09:47 AM Eastern Daylight Time 

Patent-pending "Distributed Key" technology stores personal information locally, locked with secure keys delivered from the cloud

LANCASTER, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--appMobi (www.appmobi.com) today unveiled its secure cloudKey™ authentication technology, and announced cloudKey’s immediate integration into appMobi’s 1Touch “single touch” payment system. 1Touch with cloudKey is ready for use by Web and mobile app developers who seek to offer their users a highly secure and streamlined e-commerce experience. A 1Touch demonstration is available at http://www.appmobi.com/1Touch.

“The real breakthrough of cloudKey is the “distributed key”

The cloudKey technology takes a fresh approach to secure online commerce in which the user’s credit card information is stored only on the user’s device, never in an online database. The private data are stored using 256 bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) – the same encryption level approved by the NSA, widely regarded as “unbreakable.” Using a “distributed key” topology, cloudKey stores in the cloud only the decryption keys – information that is valueless without the user’s device and password.

“appMobi’s engineers have long recognized that securing a centralized database is basically impossible – if it’s online, it’s vulnerable to break-in ... there’s no way around it,” said Sam Abadir, appMobi’s CTO. “The real breakthrough of cloudKey is the “distributed key” data model - we don’t store anything of value in a centralized database, so there is nothing of value online for thieves to steal. With this advance, cloudKey has eliminated all the tempting targets for the bad guys; even if they could steal appMobi’s entire crypto key database and a user’s device, they’d then have to guess the user’s password, and at most they could get only 1 credit card number. It would be a huge expenditure of effort for very little gain. By keeping private data local on the device, cloudKey makes massive security losses like the recent 77 million account Sony PlayStation network breach impossible.”

In addition to eliminating online database security risks, the 1Touch payment system also offers users a streamlined way to transact mobile and online purchases with a single touch. As Amazon has proven with its 1Click patent, eliminating credit card re-entry is the best way to increase online sales conversions. With the rise of mobile shopping, ease and simplicity are even more important because credit card entry is much more tedious on a mobile device. appMobi’s 1Touch payment system leverages the cloudKey authentication system to provide a more secure, non-infringing alternative to the Amazon 1Click patent.

Abadir continued, “The Web has been at a severe disadvantage in comparison to native apps when it comes to consumers purchasing and making in-app payments – the buying experience on iPhones is so frictionless that consumers are spending like never before. 1Touch was designed to put the Web, whether mobile or desktop, on a level playing field with Apple’s in-app purchasing system when it comes to e-commerce. With all the talk of whether HTML5 provides developers the ability to create apps as good as native ones – it seems the world forgot that it doesn’t matter how good the app is when developers aren’t making money because consumers can’t spend it easily. 1Touch can be used for transactions involving digital or real goods and services, on any Web browser, and the transactions flow through the same shopping carts and payment gateways that are in daily use on millions of Web sites. With 1Touch, the days of the Web being a second-class e-commerce option are over.”

The 1Touch technology offers simple integration with any payment gateway such as PayPal, Authorize.net, and even direct carrier billing. 1Touch has been tested extensively and is compatible with all popular browsers, including Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 6.0 and later, and Safari. Like most cloud services, 1Touch is billed at a nominal fee per transaction, rather than a percentage of the transaction amount. Developers who wish to try the 1Touch system can visit the company’s website for full documentation, sample code, sample apps and instructional videos (http://www.appmobi.com/1Touch).

About appMobi

appMobi® provides highly integrated cloud-based tools and services for supporting large-scale developer communities and creating and operating complete mobile application ecosystems. By leveraging commonly used Web programming languages HTML5, CSS and JavaScript, and the open Web, appMobi’s development tools allow app developers to “write once” and publish anywhere, either in native app stores or via the Web. appMobi’s turnkey, white label platform-as-a-service offering enables carriers, device manufacturers and brands to create mobile app ecosystems under their own brand. For more information, visit http://www.appmobi.com.

appMobi, 1Touch and cloudKey are trademarks of appMobi Inc. iOS, Safari and related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Apple Computer Corp. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners including: Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Opera, Firefox, PayPal and Authorize.net.

MediSwipe Inc. Announces Five Additional Merchant Services Agreements for Wellness Centers, Medical Dispensaries and Internet Businesses

Source: MediSwipe Inc.

New Jersey Agent Office for Company Pushes MediSwipe to Over $1,000,000 for Record Month in New Business in Gross Monthly Processing Volume

LOS ANGELES, July 25, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MediSwipe Inc. (http://www.MediSwipe.com) (OTCBB:MWIP), a leading company specializing in merchant payment solutions and financial products for the medical health care industries and mobile payment industry, today announced that the company has signed five (5) new merchant services agreements with wellness centers, medical dispensaries and Internet businesses not related to the medical sector, allowing the Company to have a record month in new business, signing over $1,000,000 in new business in gross monthly processing volume or $12,000,000 annually for the month of July. Under the newly signed agreements, MediSwipe will provide merchant services, cash advance, debit and loyalty cards and personal digitized healthcare records to wellness centers and medical dispensaries located in Colorado and California, as well as provide merchant services to ecommerce and additional high risk merchants. The Company has also expanded merchant agreements this month to the 800 Commerce division covering non-medical related merchant agreements including ecommerce sites, penny auction sites, credit repair and vitamin sales. "Although merchant processing represents only a small amount of revenue to our company, roughly 1% to 1.5% monthly of gross volume, the most important factor is that MediSwipe Inc. has proven itself to be the most reliable Company within the payment services arena within this sector, and now that our network of dispensaries, pharmacies, wellness centers and like businesses is growing at a steady pace, our patient base has also expanded dramatically. This now affords us the opportunity to fully launch our MediSwipe Patient Cards with digital personal health records, as well as provide mobile payment services to a patient and client database exceeding 50,000 patients, and receive monthly fees to realize meaningful revenue and real shareholder value over the near term," stated B. Michael Friedman, CEO of MediSwipe Inc. About MediSwipe Inc. MediSwipe Inc. (www.MediSwipe.com) offers a full spectrum of secure and reliable transaction processing and security solutions for the medical and healthcare industries, using traditional, Internet Point-of-Sale (POS), ecommerce and mobile (wireless) payment solutions. The Company now also offers digitized personal health records in conjunction with Industry Alliance Partners. MediSwipe offers reliable merchant payment solutions and closed loop pre-paid stored value and loyalty cards as a unique cash alternative to these regulated and ecommerce businesses specializing within the healthcare sector.

Authentication ICs Will Be Revenue Champions in Anti-Counterfeiting, Brand Protection and Authentication Markets, Says ABI Research

July 21, 2011 10:02 AM Eastern Daylight Time 

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IC-based security chips, while amounting to just over 5% of all anti-counterfeiting, brand protection and authentication solutions shipped between 2010 and 2016, will contribute more than 32% of all revenues for the segment, according to latest ABI Research forecasts. Authentication ICs will account for the bulk of that revenue, and will show startling growth rates in a market expected to be worth $6 billion in 2016.

“As a new market it is relatively open”

Demand for anti-counterfeiting, brand protection and authentication (ACBP) is growing rapidly, driven by the threats from increasingly sophisticated counterfeiting techniques. Multiple solutions are usually required to achieve adequate levels of security.

A relatively new class of products, authentication ICs overlap with the secure memory ICs already found in some anti-counterfeiting and authentication applications. The difference, says group director John Devlin, is one of capabilities, flexibility and features. “Typically, authentication ICs are mounted on a printed circuit board. They have no contactless capability as yet, but that is in development. The likely inclusion of contactless will add to this market’s growth potential, since it will allow authentication ICs to be used in more (non-electronic) applications and products, and in form factors such as tags and stickers.”

Authentication ICs are manufactured by some well-known chip-makers including NXP, STMicroelectronics, Infineon, Inside Secure, Maxim, and Renesas. However, they don’t have the market sown up: “As a new market it is relatively open,” Devlin notes. “These vendors have an edge due to experience and proven products in smart card applications, but there are still opportunities for other companies from more traditional ACBP and document security backgrounds, or elsewhere from other chip and semiconductor backgrounds. RFID is one area from which companies might look to move in this direction.”

ABI Research’s new “Anti-counterfeiting, Brand Protection and Authentication” study (http://www.abiresearch.com/research/1005642) breaks down the market for each of the key vertical groups with solution attach rates and revenues forecast for each sector. Review of the developing ecosystem, brand owners’ decision making, and best practices to enter and serve this fast growing market are also included.

It is part of the firm’s Smart Cards and Embedded Security Research Service (http://www.abiresearch.com/products/service/Smart_Cards_and_Embedded_Security) which also includes other Research Reports, Market Data, ABI Insights, an ABI Vendor Matrix, and analyst inquiry support.

ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research’s worldwide team of experts advises thousands of decision makers through 40+ research and advisory services. Est. 1990. For more information visitwww.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.

Contacts

ABI Research
Christine Gallen, +44-203-326-0142
pr@abiresearch.com

GSMA Names Barcelona the First Mobile World Capital

Barcelona Edges Competition to be Named Mobile World Capital for 2012-2018

LONDON, July 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- After an 18-month search, the GSMA today announced that Barcelona has been selected as the Mobile World Capital from 2012 to 2018.  As the Mobile World Capital, Barcelona will be the home of the mobile industry's must-attend event, the GSMA Mobile World Congress, and will also develop a range of other programmes and activities that will span the entire year and will benefit not only the citizens of Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain, but also the worldwide mobile industry.

"We are thrilled to announce that Barcelona will be the Mobile World Capital for the next seven years," said John Hoffman, CEO, GSMA Ltd.  "All of the cities who competed for this title presented extremely innovative and compelling bids, but in the end, Barcelona truly demonstrated that it deserves the title of the Mobile World Capital, with its combination of outstanding exhibition and conference facilities, its transportation and hospitality infrastructure, its commitment to expanding the reach of mobility throughout Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain, and the strong support of the public and private sectors. This is an exciting time for Barcelona and for the mobile industry as a whole."  

"Becoming the Mobile World Capital was a strategic bid for Barcelona, and consolidates our leadership as a benchmark city for new technologies," said Xavier Trias, Mayor of Barcelona. "This will give a significant boost to the image of our city brand associated with a sector, that of mobile communications, which will experience strong growth in the next few years. Barcelona is reaping the rewards of the serious, professional work of different institutions with the involvement of many of the city's companies and entities. Now, Barcelona will be the center of a new model of international event linked to economic growth, industrial development and the creation of new jobs vital to the future of our economy."

Bringing the Mobile World Capital Vision to Life

The cornerstone of the Mobile World Capital is the Mobile World Congress, a four-day event which in 2011 attracted more than 60,000 attendees from 200 countries, including 3,000 CEOs, government delegations from 131 countries and more than 2,900 media representatives.  Starting in 2013, the Mobile World Congress will be held at the cutting-edge venue Fira de Barcelona Gran Via.  The dates for the 2013 Mobile World Congress are 25-28 February 2013.

Beyond the Mobile World Congress, the Mobile World Capital also features two additional elements: the Mobile World Centre and the Mobile World Festival. The Mobile World Centre will comprise permanent and temporary exhibitions which meld culture and technological innovation, facilities for the development and incubation of mobile solutions, and retail and hospitality venues. The Mobile World Festival, which is targeted to the general public, will incorporate a range of activities including sporting events, music and art festivals, film awards, applications and technology fairs and more.  

According to estimates from the Barcelona Candidacy, the Mobile World Capital would bring, in the first year alone, more than 300 million euro, along with thousands of part-time jobs. As some of the initiatives have a mid-term reach and will grow steadily during their implementation, the economic impact is expected to increase progressively and, based on Barcelona's assessments, could reach 3.5 billion euro over the seven years of the Mobile World Capital.

"I would like commend and thank all of the finalist cities – Barcelona, Milan, Munich and Paris – for their excellent proposals and the huge amount of energy and creativity that was put into them," concluded Hoffman.  "We look forward to working in partnership with the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce, the Government of Catalonia, the City of Barcelona, Fira de Barcelona and the Barcelona Tourism Bureau in bringing the vision of the Mobile World Capital to life."

The selection of the Mobile World Capital was based on many criteria and took into consideration all aspects of what a city can offer. The GSMA undertook a thorough and complex evaluation process, starting with 30 cities, narrowing it down to six cities, reducing it to a short list of four finalists, and then finally, selecting Barcelona as the Mobile World Capital.

Mobile World Capital Press Conference

The GSMA and Barcelona will hold a joint press conference at 11:30 am CET on Wednesday 27th July at the Fira de Barcelona Montjuic.  

Speakers will include:
John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA Ltd.
Artur Mas, President of Catalonia
Xavier Trias, Mayor of Barcelona
Juan Junquera, Secretary of State for ICT, Spain
Josep Lluis Bonet, President of the Fira de Barcelona
Joan Gaspart, President of the Barcelona Tourism Bureau

During the press conference, the executives will elaborate on the shared vision of Mobile World Capital – Barcelona and provide greater detail on the programmes and activities that Barcelona will be undertaking in the Mobile World Capital.  Media wishing to attend and to get further details should RSVP at press@gsm.org.

For more information on the Mobile World Capital, please visit www.mobileworldcapital.com.

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning 219 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world's mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers, Internet companies, and media and entertainment organisations. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as the Mobile World Congress and Mobile Asia Congress.  

For more information, please visit Mobile World Live, the online portal for the mobile communications industry, atwww.mobileworldlive.com or the GSMA corporate website at http://www.gsmworld.com.

SOURCE GSMA

Confident Technologies Unveils New Mobile Authentication Technology to Protect Online Businesses and Their Customers From Fraud

Image via CrunchBase

July 25, 2011 08:00 ET

Confident Multifactor Authentication^TM Delivers an Entirely Out-of-Band, Image-Based Authentication Challenge on Mobile Devices to Secure the Second Factor and Protect From Zeus-in-the-Mobile Attacks

SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - Jul 25, 2011) - Confident Technologies, Inc., a provider of image-based authentication and verification solutions for websites and mobile applications, today unveiledConfident Multifactor Authentication™, a new approach to two-factor authentication that delivers an image-based authentication challenge to users' mobile phones for a more secure out-of-band authentication process.

An increasing number of online businesses and websites -- from online banks and healthcare portals, to Google and Facebook -- have started deploying two-factor authentication by sending authentication text messages to users' mobile phones for added security. Unfortunately, cybercriminals are keeping pace and have been increasingly targeting the mobile channel for attack. Using a variant of the infamous Zeus malware to intercept and reroute authentication text messages, cybercriminals can authenticate their own fraudulent transactions.

Confident Multifactor Authentication provides a completely new and highly secure way to protect online businesses and their customers from fraud and Zeus-in-the-Mobile (Zitmo) attacks, by securing the second factor and verifying that it is in fact the legitimate user in possession of the mobile device and not another person who may have stolen the user's phone or is surreptitiously intercepting the authentication text messages. The Confident Multifactor Authentication process remains completely out-of-band from the web session and is more secure than displaying an authentication code in plain text, as is done in an SMS text message or soft token.

How Confident Multifactor Authentication Works:

1. When a user first registers with the website or online service, they select a few categories of things they can easily remember -- such as dogs, flowers and cars.

2. When out-of-band authentication is needed -- such as when the user is attempting to transfer money to another account -- an application on the user's smartphone displays a randomly-generated grid of pictures that has a one-time authentication code encrypted within it.

3. The user identifies the pictures that fit their previously-chosen, secret categories by tapping the appropriate pictures on the smartphone display. By identifying the correct pictures, the user is essentially reassembling the one-time authentication code that was encrypted within the grid of images.

The process takes just seconds and because the user authenticates right on the second factor device, it remains completely out-of-band from the web session. The specific pictures displayed on the image grid are different every time, but the user's categories always remain the same. This prevents someone else from learning the user's secret categories by shoulder-surfing or planting keystroke logging malware on the mobile phone.

Because the user must apply a form of secret knowledge on the second factor device itself, Confident Multifactor Authentication verifies that it is actually the legitimate user in possession of the second factor and not another person. Even if someone else gained physical or virtual possession of the mobile device, they would not be able to correctly authenticate when presented with the image grid because they do not know the user's secret categories.

In the wake of continuing large-scale password leaks at sites such as Sony and Gawker Media Group -- where more than 100 million user credentials were published online -- it is clear that businesses need more than just a single layer of password protection on externally-facing websites to protect online accounts and prevent fraud. From financial institutions needing to comply with FFIEC guidelines for strong authentication, to healthcare organizations seeking to provide secure patient access to online medical records, to e-commerce sites protecting access to credit card information stored in customer accounts, organizations across all industries are moving to strengthen user authentication.

"Businesses are struggling to find a way to deploy strong authentication on public-facing websites without excessively burdening their customers," said Curtis Staker, Chief Executive Officer, Confident Technologies. "It's a step in the right direction that more websites are deploying two-factor authentication for users, but the common approaches including SMS and soft tokens, are not very secure. More than 160,000 mobile phones are lost or stolen each day in the US alone and even more are infected with malware -- giving someone other than the owner physical or virtual possession of the second factor. When authentication codes are clearly displayed in plain text in an SMS message or as part of a soft token on the phone, they add virtually no security because anybody with physical or virtual possession of that second factor device can read the code and use it to authenticate a fraudulent transaction."

By encrypting authentication codes within a graphical display, Confident Multifactor Authentication provides a revolutionary new approach that solves the challenge of balancing strong security with ease-of-use, and makes the second factor secure from both sophisticated threats like Zitmo as well as low-tech threats like the physical loss or theft of the device.

Deployment and Integration Options

Confident Multifactor Authentication is a cloud-based service that can be used as a stand-alone multifactor authentication solution or integrated with existing authentication technologies, risk engines and security processes already in use -- including integrating it with existing SMS-based authentication services to graphically encrypt authentication codes and improve the security of the SMS delivery. It can be deployed as an application on users' smartphones or delivered as a zero-footprint model using the web browser on the mobile phone. Additional delivery options are available to serve users who do not have smartphones.

Confident Technologies' patent-pending approach to the encryption and graphical display of authentication codes is available for white-label integrations by security vendors, application developers and businesses wanting to incorporate the image-based authentication approach in their own mobile applications, web services or security offerings.

AvailabilityConfident Multifactor Authentication is currently available for trial use and evaluation by select organizations. Businesses interested in using Confident Multifactor Authentication can contactsales@confidenttechnologies.com or +1 (858) 345-5640. For more information visitwww.confidenttechnologies.com/multifactor.

• To view a video overview of Confident Multifactor Authentication, visit http://youtu.be/kMj-9wLWptg
• To try the live demo for yourself, visit http://mfa.confidenttech.com/
• Read the white paper on secure two-factor authentication here:http://www.confidenttechnologies.com/two-factor-authentication-white-paper

About Confident TechnologiesConfident Technologies, Inc. provides intuitive and secure, image-based authentication and verification technologies for websites, web services, mobile applications and mobile payments. Multifactor authentication solutions from Confident Technologies increase security without the need for expensive hardware tokens, smart cards or biometrics and improve user experience through an easy-to-use, image-based interface. For more information, visit www.confidenttechnologies.com.

Follow Confident Technologies on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ConfidentTech
Watch Confident Technologies on YouTube: www.youtube.com/ConfidentTech

Copyright 2011 Confident Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved. Confident Technologies is a registered trademark of Confident Technologies, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Netbiscuits and Admeris Create Mobile Commerce Payment Partnership

Image via CrunchBase

July 25, 2011 08:30 ET

Admeris Partnership Provides Additional, Simplified M-Commerce Payment Options for Netbiscuits Development Partners and Brands

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - July 25, 2011) - Netbiscuits, the world's leading cloud software service for cross-platform development and publishing of mobile websites and apps, today announced a Technology VAS partnership with Admeris Payment Systems to provide the Admeris patent-pending OneTouch m-commerce payment platform to its robust developer community, brands and partners. The partnership will see Admeris make its payment infrastructure available for Netbiscuits partners who need credit or debit card processing to help monetize mobile content or applications utilizing the Netbiscuits mobile development platform.

OneTouch is an end-to-end mobile commerce solution combining a revolutionary process around encryption and authentication of credit card and banking account transactions, creating a simple end-user experience. Admeris is known for their expertise in end-to-end PCI compliant mobile commerce solutions that combines authentication of end-users and transactions, creating the simplest and most secure mobile credit card payment experience in the market.

"Netbiscuits has deep experience in the mobile space. The company has been a proven leader in the industry for a decade. The Admeris OneTouch m-commerce platform will provide Netbiscuits mobile developers the simplest and most secure experience for processing credit and debit card transactions. This will translate into higher conversion rates on transactions and reduced chargebacks. We're thrilled to be a partner within this community," commented Jim Brown, SVP Business Development at Admeris.

Commenting on the partnership, Robert Slaughter, Senior Partner Manager for Netbiscuits said, "In Admeris we found a versatile and powerful partner that has built a reputation on providing clients with multiple payment options, simple integration, rapid customer service, and additional layers of security to reduce fraud."

To learn more about Affiliate Commerce Exchange go to www.netbiscuits.com or www.admeris.com/mcommerce.

Monster Offers' Mobile Payment Strategy Validated by Daily Deal Industry

July 25, 2011 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time 

ZalaPay Helps Daily Deal Providers Convert Customers and Increase Sales

Deals 3D 2011

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Monster Offers (OTCBB: MONT), a leading mobile solutions company and Daily Deal aggregator, announced today its mobile payment strategy is perfectly positioned to meet the current needs of the Daily Deal industry. As Daily Deal providers converged at last week's Deals 3D Conference in San Francisco, creating better mobile experiences and integrating mobile payment solutions prevailed as hot topics as the next phase of business development for the group buying industry.

“Recent announcements for payment solutions from MasterCard, Google, American Express and Facebook all substantiate the power of our business model. We aim to provide an even greater value proposition to the user, deal provider, and merchant with our ZalaPay platform which provides an “in-app”

Monster Offers' ZalaPay mobile payment solution proved to resonate with Daily Deal providers as current payment methods lack tight integration with providers’ sites and distracts users from completing the purchase process, especially from mobile devices. The ZalaPay solution provides a truly integrated “in-app” purchase experience for the user, resulting in significant conversion of sales for the deal publisher.

Monster Offers' mobile financial services include “EZ-Click” Mobile Cashier, Pre-Paid Debit Cards, P2P Mobile Money, Redemption, and Daily Deal Wallet. The first of these integrated in-app mobile solutions is expected to be available later this summer.

MONSTER OFFERS QUOTE

"Recent announcements for payment solutions from MasterCard, Google, American Express and Facebook all substantiate the power of our business model. We aim to provide an even greater value proposition to the user, deal provider, and merchant with our ZalaPay platform which provides an “in-app” purchase experience across all mobile platforms. When customers can purchase deals within the application, user conversion increases exponentially. With Monster Offers' ZalaPay mobile payment solution, we are perfectly positioned to offer Daily Deal publishers a mobile payment solution that can increase sales and boost revenue."

- Paul Gain, Monster Offers CEO

About Monster Offers:

Monster Offers is a leading mobile banking solutions company and Daily Deal aggregator, collecting daily deals from multiple sites in local communities across the U.S. and Canada. Focused on providing innovation and utility for Daily Deal consumers and providers, the company collects and publishes thousands of daily deals and allows consumers to organize these deals by geography or product categories, or to personalize the results using keyword search. The company will introduce new mobile technology in 2011 to address unmet category needs in areas such as loyalty, rewards, payment processing, merchant services, and a Daily Deal eWallet. Monster Offers recently launched its Hyper-Local Daily Deal Reporting Program, designed to help providers improve the revenue and profits of local and regional Daily Deal programs. More information can be found by visitinghttp://www.monsteroffers.com.

Moneystar Appoints Citi® Prepaid Services in South Africa

July 25, 2011 06:06 AM Eastern Daylight Time 

JOHANNESBURG & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Citigroup, through its Global Transaction Services unit, today announced that Citibank, N.A., South Africa Branch, has signed an agreement with Moneystar, a financial services provider based in South Africa. Under this arrangement, Moneystar has started disbursing micro loans to eligible loan applicants using Citi’s Visa® Prepaid Card.

“Moneystar is pleased to have taken hands with Citi South Africa in this venture and we foresee a number of Prepaid Cards being distributed in the market in a short space of time”

Citi is delighted to support Moneystar and the South African community with its Prepaid Card Capabilities”, says Donna Oosthuyse, Citi Country Officer for South Africa. It represents a significant contribution to the Microfinance industry as Citi will be facilitating the payment of Microfinance loans to South African citizens, thereby supporting responsible finance.”

"Moneystar is pleased to have taken hands with Citi South Africa in this venture and we foresee a number of Prepaid Cards being distributed in the market in a short space of time", says Eugene van Niekerk, CEO of Moneystar.

Global Transaction Services, a division of Citi’s Institutional Clients Group, offers integrated cash management, trade, and securities and fund services to multinational corporations, financial institutions and public sector organizations around the world. With a network that spans more than 100 countries, Citigroup’s Global Transaction Services supports over 65,000 clients. As of the second quarter of 2011, it held on average $365 billion in liability balances and $13.5 trillion in assets under custody.