Thursday, January 7, 2010

Domino's Pizza Sees Strong UK eCommerce Sales in 2009...up 40.4%



New Media Age reports that Domino's Pizza in the UK saw e-Commerce sales rise 40.4% and now account for "over a quarter" of all Domino Pizza deliveries in 2009...



Domino's sees online sales increase



Online sales accounted for over a quarter of Domino’s Pizza deliveries in 2009, the company has announced.



Ecommerce sales increased by 40.4% through the year to 78.5m, up from £55.9m in 2008, accounting for 27.8% of all deliveries compared to 23.2% the year before.



Overall like-for-like sales increased by 8.4% in 2009, but was down on the 10% growth rate for 2008.

Domino’s Pizza CEO Chris Moore said, “We have been up against some very tough comparatives during the year, which makes these figures even more pleasing. The success of Britain’s Got Talent, the use of short-term tactical promotions and our continued focus on building our online sales have been major drivers during the year.”



In November Domino’s launched an iPhone site to allow customers to order pizza from their handset.

Consumers which visit the Domino’s website via their iPhone will automatically be directed to the app, which will not initially be available via the App Store (nma.co.uk 17 November 2009).









U.S. Bank ReliaCard Wins OSCARD Award for Card Innovation

http://www.usbank.com
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--U.S. Bank, the nation’s top issuer of Visa® prepaid cards, was honored with a prestigious OSCARD award for its ReliaCard® Visa. The OSCARDS recognize international excellence in card innovation. The annual awards program is organized by Publi-News, a French publisher specializing in banking publications, and Altenor, an international consulting firm specializing in the payments industry.

“We currently partner with almost 30 government agencies to issue nearly two million ReliaCards as a solution for their disbursement needs”



The U.S. Bank ReliaCard Visa was selected as the winner in the Services category. Overall, more than 500 cards were in competition for the 2009 OSCARDS.



“We currently partner with almost 30 government agencies to issue nearly two million ReliaCards as a solution for their disbursement needs,” said Ralph Bianco, U.S. Bank senior vice president of Retail Payment Solutions. “This honor reinforces our focus on innovation in the prepaid sector while also recognizing our commitment to providing a more economical way for government agencies to disburse funds to recipients and for people to receive and use their government benefits.”



The U.S. Bank ReliaCard Visa is a reloadable card designed to replace costly paper checks for government agencies with recurring cash and check disbursement activities, such as child support or unemployment insurance. Cards are issued through a partnership with state agencies, and cardholders can use the cards everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted worldwide. Visit www.usbank.com/reliacardvisa for details.



U.S. Bank Retail Payment Solutions (RPS) is one of the nation’s leading providers of payment processing, issuing and advisory services. RPS offers credit, debit, and prepaid payment solutions to consumers and small businesses through U.S. Bank and in partnership with financial institutions, businesses, governments and employers.



U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB), with $265 billion in assets as of September 30, 2009, is the parent company of U.S. Bank, the 6th largest commercial bank in the United States. The company operates 3,002 banking offices in 25 states and 5,170 ATMs and provides a comprehensive line of banking, brokerage, insurance, investment, mortgage, trust and payment services products to consumers, businesses and institutions. Visit U.S. Bancorp on the web at usbank.com.

Source Technologies Introduces Next-Generation of PilotPoint™ Self-Service Bill Payment Kiosk





Greater performance, more robust security and marketing capabilities


CHARLOTTE, N.C., January 7, 2010
– Source Technologies, a leading provider of innovative transactional and interactive kiosks, announced the availability of its PilotPoint™ 5-Series Plus kiosk. This new model, the latest in the evolution of the award-winning and proven successful PilotPoint kiosk family, offers more robust performance and advanced security options along with marketing and digital signage capabilities. The kiosk will be featured at the National Retail Federation’s 99th Annual Convention and Expo in New York, January 11 and 12, Booth # 545.



“The 5-Series Plus combines all of the benefits of the current bill payment kiosk product with the ability to process transactions more quickly and incorporate digital signage and marketing efforts onto the kiosk,” shares Sarah Burkhart, Director of Product Marketing. “This performance augmentation assimilates the PilotPoint 5-Series Plus bill payment kiosk into both the financial and the marketing systems of retailers, utility providers, and cellular phone operators. Digital signage and marketing communications messages displayed in conjunction with existing bill payment applications provide a greater return on investment for deployers.”



The PilotPoint 5-Series Plus kiosk offers the following performance features:

  • Robust Computing Capabilities nimbly and securely process transactions and customer interactions while allowing the kiosk to be used for marketing and branding efforts including digital signage.

  • Cash Access Door allows easy clearing of cash acceptor mechanism while limiting access to the cash box.

  • Redesigned Check Scanner quickly and accurately reads MICR check data on the first attempt.

  • Audit Trail Lock (for cash door) provides secure protection and records all lock activity.

  • 2000 Note Cash Acceptor holds twice the capacity of notes securely inside the unit.

  • Cabinet Door Alarm Switch internally mounted switch that notifies facility security system when front cabinet door is opened.

  • Kiosk Elevation Pedestal raises kiosk higher for locations that do not need to meet 2006 ADA height requirements.

For many years, the Source Technologies self-service bill payment solution, powered by the PilotPoint 5-Series, has enabled consumers to independently pay their bills, research their account status and forego waiting in line to complete these transactions. The new 5-Series Plus bill payment kiosk provides the same superior customer interaction with the added benefits of improved performance, tighter security and marketing functionality for the deploying organization. Source Technologies is changing the self-service experience…for good.





Source Technologies Announces Layaway Feature for Bill Payment Kiosk







Adding More Functionality to an Already Successful Solution



CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Source Technologies, a leading provider of transactional and interactive self-service kiosks, announced an exciting new layaway addition to its existing bill payment kiosk solution. This new functionality allows retail shoppers to browse available products including those that may not be in inventory at their current store location, select an item, place the item on layaway and make payments toward the layaway item all from the convenience of a single kiosk located within the retail store. This layaway kiosk eliminates the need for shoppers to search the aisles for product or wait in line to make a deposit or payment toward their layaway selections. It also allows retailers to accommodate layaway shoppers’ product selections while reserving inventory items for purchasers, freeing up valuable retail floor space and giving retailers an advantageous forecasting tool.





“Our bill payment kiosks are readily accepted by consumers as a quick, convenient way to pay their bills. Expanding the solution to include a layaway option gives the shopper and the retailer more options to engage, ultimately converting more shoppers into purchasers”



With thousands of bill payment kiosks installed that currently process more than ten million transactions, representing an excess of one billion dollars annually, Source Technologies’ bill payment kiosk solutions have already revolutionized consumer bill payment at retail locations throughout the United States. Now, this award-winning bill payment solution is the platform of choice for the resurging popularity of layaway payment options at retail locations worldwide. “Our bill payment kiosks are readily accepted by consumers as a quick, convenient way to pay their bills. Expanding the solution to include a layaway option gives the shopper and the retailer more options to engage, ultimately converting more shoppers into purchasers,” offered Sarah Burkhart, Director of Product Marketing. “Empowered shoppers can place select items for layaway or make payments toward layaway items while employees are free to focus on more complex transactions or ring up today’s purchasers.”



The Source Technologies self-service bill payment and layaway solution, powered by the new PilotPoint™ 5-Series Plus transactional kiosk, offers shoppers the ability to purchase without relying on credit cards. It also promotes efficient staffing models by allowing the workforce to focus on revenue-generating activities. The kiosks also reduce operational overhead while maximizing customer satisfaction and loyalty.



Currently, there are thousands of Source Technologies’ bill payment platform kiosks installed in more than 200 cities across 50 states.



About Source Technologies




Source Technologies’ self-service kiosks and secure print solutions empower businesses to automate a wide-range of processes including complex banking transactions, customer-facing retail and hospitality interactions, and the secure printing of sensitive information and negotiable documents. Our self-service kiosks support multiple applications including bill payment, price checker, quick serve orders, and digital signage. Our secure printers and MICR printing solutions support even the most time- and information-sensitive applications, such as payroll, accounts payable and prescription printing. For fresh inspiration, come see what Source Technologies can help you achieve.



Innovation underway at www.sourcetech.com.



More On Visa's Decision to Push Signature over PIN



Amanda Becker writes for True Slant: on the recent piece in the NY Times.  Her conclusion?  She didn't know she was being manipulated by Visa to conduct an offline debit transaction vs. an online one.  She concludes her article with the statement: 

I almost always choose to sign — Visa has poured big bucks into convincing us that it’s the way to go — but I might not anymore.

In Visa vs. MasterCard, You Lose

The New York Times has the first in what should be a fascinating exploration of how Visa has come to dominate the debit card market — and why it’s costing us all money.



Each time you use a debit card, you have a choice to make: run it like a “credit card” and sign your signature, or use a PIN number like you do at the ATM. It might seem like it makes little difference, but as the merchants in this story explain, it definitely does.



Visa has waged a years-long — and successful — campaign to pressure banks, merchants and consumers into opting for the “credit card” option. It makes Visa more money — but has a cost for merchants, and likely consumers.

More after the jump.





The Times describes Visa’s business model like this:

Visa provides an electronic network that acts like a tollbooth, processing the transaction between merchants and banks and collecting a fee that averages 5 or 6 cents every time. For the financial year ended in June, Visa handled 40 billion transactions. Banks that issue Visa cards also pay a separate licensing fee, based on payment volume.

Then goes on to explain how debit purchases differ from credit purchases:

While there is little controversy about the fees that Visa collects, some merchants are infuriated by a separate, larger fee, called interchange, that Visa makes them pay each time a debit or credit card is swiped. The fees, roughly 1 to 3 percent of each purchase, are forwarded to the cardholder’s bank to cover costs and promote the issuance of more Visa cards.

As merchants struggle to recoup the fees the person who ultimately pays might be you:

National Retail Federation says the interchange fees cost households an average of $427 in 2008.

I almost always choose to sign — Visa has poured big bucks into convincing us that it’s the way to go — but I might not anymore.











comScore Reports $29.1 Billion in U.S. Retail E-Commerce Spending





Full November-December Holiday Season, Up 4 Percent vs. Year Ago
Season Highlights Include Growth Surpassing Forecasts and First $900 Million Spending Day on Record



RESTON, VA,
- PIN Payments News Blog -  comScore (NASDAQ : SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today reported holiday season retail e-commerce spending for the entirety of the November – December 2009 holiday season. For the full holiday online shopping season, $29.1 billion was spent online, marking a 4-percent increase versus the same period last year. The season featured distinct periods of strong spending growth surrounding the Thanksgiving-Black Friday timeframe and the final shopping week leading up to Christmas.














2009 Holiday E-Commerce Season vs. Year Ago

Non-Travel (Retail) Spending

Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases

Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations

Source: comScore, Inc.
  Millions ($)
2008 2009 Percent Change
November 1 – December 31 $27,982 $29,084 4%
Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 26)* $288 $318 10%
Black Friday (Nov. 27)* $534 $595 11%
Cyber Monday (Nov. 30)* $846 $887 5%
Green Monday (Dec. 14)* $859 $854 -1%
Tuesday, Dec. 15* $754 $913 21%
Weekend Before Christmas (Dec. 19-20)* $677 $767 13%
*Versus corresponding shopping days from 2008, not same calendar dates



“The 2009 online holiday shopping season was a positive one as its growth rate slightly surpassed our forecast and returned to solidly positive rates after nearly a full year of marginally negative growth,” said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. “Among the highlights of the season was the first $900 million online spending day and a strong late season spending surge, propelled by effective retailer promotions, guaranteed shipping and a major snowstorm on the eastern seaboard that convinced many to shop from the comfort of home. It’s possible that this better-than-expected end-of-year performance is a harbinger of renewed vigor and optimism for 2010 as the consumer economy seeks to rebound from one of the worst years in memory. At the same time, we need to remember that consumers’ spending power remains constrained by high unemployment levels, substantial debt and a new-found desire to save.”



“Green Tuesday” Emerges as Top Individual Spending Day as Nine Surpass $800 Million in 2009


Tuesday, Dec. 15 ranked as the heaviest online spending day of the year – and of all time – at $913 million, one of nine individual spending days to surpass $800 million during the 2009 holiday season. The heavy spending on this day represented a surprise total on the heels of a somewhat lower than expected $854 million spent on Green Monday (Dec. 14, 2009).

Meanwhile, Cyber Monday (Monday, Nov. 30), propelled by aggressive retailer promotions, ranked as the second heaviest spending day of the season, the highest it has ever ranked on this list, with $887 million in spending. The third heaviest spending day of the year was Tuesday, Dec. 1 with $886 million in spending, followed by Wednesday, Dec. 16 with $874 million and Green Monday (Monday, Dec. 14) rounding out the top five with $854 million.
















Ten Heaviest U.S. Online Retail Spending Days of 2009

Non-Travel (Retail) Spending

Excludes Auctions and Large Corporate Purchases

Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations

Source: comScore, Inc.
  Date Spending in Millions ($)
1 Tuesday, Dec.15 $913
2 Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 (Cyber Monday) $887
3 Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009 $886
4 Wednesday, Dec. 16 $874
5 Monday, Dec. 14, 2009 (Green Monday)* $854
6 Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009 $852
7 Tuesday, Dec. 8 $828
8 Thursday, Dec. 17 $809
9 Thursday, Dec. 3 $809
10 Wednesday, Dec. 2 $797
*Green Monday occurs on the Monday with at least 10 days prior to Christmas and tends to be the heaviest online spending day of the season.



Jewelry & Watches and Consumer Electronics Rank as Top Performing Online Retail Categories


Jewelry & Watches, following a disastrous 2008 holiday season in which sales plummeted 29 percent, rebounded strongly to rank as the top performing online retail category for the 2009 holiday season growing 20 percent versus year ago. Consumer Electronics ranked second with 15-percent sales growth, bolstered by strong sales of flat panel TVs (which experienced significant price cuts this year), mobile devices and e-readers. Other categories performing quite strongly included event tickets (up 8 percent), computer hardware (up 7 percent) and books & magazines (up 6 percent).













Top Growing U.S. Retail E-Commerce Categories for 2009 Holiday Season

November-December 2009 vs. Year Ago

Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations

Source: comScore, Inc.
Retail Category Percent Change in Dollar Sales
Jewelry & Watches 20%
Consumer Electronics 15%
Event Tickets 8%
Computer Hardware 7%
Books & Magazines 6%


Weekly Online Holiday Retail Sales

About comScore

comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/companyinfo.



Contact:


Andrew Lipsman

Director, Marketing Communications

comScore, Inc.

+1 312 775 6510

press@comscore.com

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Cardlytics Names SVP of Product Management and Marketing

http://www.cardlytics.comCardlytics Names Rod Witmond Senior Vice President of Product Management and Marketing

Veteran software executive to guide strategic direction of transactional marketing platform



ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cardlytics, a provider of targeted, card-based, merchant-funded rewards technology, has named Rod Witmond senior vice president of Product Management and Marketing.



In this role, Witmond will oversee the strategic planning and execution of Cardlytics’ marketing and product management and development of the company’s transactional marketing platform. He will also guide Cardlytics in defining and developing additional market opportunities for banking, retail and other vertical industries.



Prior to joining Cardlytics, Witmond was senior vice president of Product Management and Marketing for Minneapolis-based Ceridian Corp., where he led strategic planning of the company’s products and increased growth of its top selling product by more than 300 percent over a four-year period.



Witmond has experience in both the U.S. and Europe, working with corporations as well as start-up companies. He held executive-level marketing and operations positions for Paris-based Neopost and San Mateo, Calif.-based eStamp. Prior to this, Witmond was a principal consultant in the Washington, D.C. practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Process Improvement Group. A native of Great Britain, he served more than 11 years as an aviator and officer in the Royal Navy.



Witmond has an MBA in Marketing and Operations from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. and a bachelor’s degree from The City University in London. He has also studied business law and finance at San Jose State University in Calif.



“Rod has a history of success in defining and developing market opportunities that directly benefit the bottom line,” said Lynne Laube, president of Cardlytics. “His knowledge and experience in multiple industries will make him an invaluable asset to Cardlytics current and future growth.”



“Cardlytics has developed a technology that is changing the way retailers present product offers and banks deliver rewards,” said Witmond. “It’s truly exciting to be a part of a company with such a groundbreaking vision and technology.”



About Cardlytics



Through a highly relevant, "market-of-one" approach, Cardlytics unites banks and merchants to provide rich rewards to customers based on their individual purchase behavior. Its technology tracks consumers’ actual purchases, providing the first digital channel that can guarantee offline sales and help consumers realize savings of hundreds of dollars per year on the products they purchase every day. The rewards improve consumers’ banking behavior by increasing usage, reducing attrition and strengthening engagement with online banking. Cardlytics’ multi-channel approach includes online banking, SMS, e-mail, mobile, online-mall and social networks. For more information about Cardlytics, visit www.cardlytics.com.

Orange and BarclayCard Launch Contactless Card

Silicon, Finextra and other's are reporting that Orange and BarclayCard have launched a contactless credit card -



"...the first fruit of a strategic partnership between the credit card company and network operator announced last year." The card also has a mobile tie-in - with automated SMS alerts to help customers keep track of their balance and payment due dates...



The two companies announced their strategic love-in in March last year, with the stated aim of building new mobile, financial and payment services.


Read in it's Entirety at Silicon.com



Photo from Silicon.com









USA Today Posts Follow Up to ABA Warning to Use Separate PC for Online Banking





USA Today said in a followup post that "The American Bankers Association's advice to small and mid-sized businesses to only use a dedicated PC for online banking has surprised some tech security experts."



Here's more...



That's because the ABA's public stance has long been that online banking is completely safe and, in fact, makes banking safer since customers do not have to wait for a monthly statement to arrive in the mail to monitor for suspicious activity.  They also benefit from checking their account balances in real time via the Internet.



After reading our story on how cyber-robbers are targeting small business online banking accounts, security consultant Jennifer Bayuk  went scrambling to find the ABA's new guidance at the organization's  Web site.  Bayuk, former chief information security officer at Bear Stearns, could find nothing.



That's because the ABA's latest warning came in response to our initial request that it describe its current position on the safety of online banking, vis-a-vis small organizations.  We asked the ABA to explain why it considers Internet banking safe for smaller firms. Here's the full response from Doug Johnson, Vice President and Senior Advisor for Risk Management:

ABA, along with the financial services community, developed precautions that we have communicated with all member banks. Small- and medium-sized businesses are strongly advised to heed the guidance issued by their banks. The fraudulent transactions represent a very small portion of the millions of safe and successful ACH transactions conducted daily by businesses across the country. However, ABA is actively monitoring the situation and believes that commercial bank customers can safely utilize online banking by taking the precautions outlined in the alert.

The alert he speaks of  was  issued privately to banks by the Financial Services Information Services and Analysis Center. It warns small and mid-sized organizations never to use a PC dedicated to Internet banking for e-mail or Web browsing. We also asked the ABA to elaborate on the rationale that it should be largely left up to small and mid-sized organizations to take full responsibility for keeping any  PC used for Internet banking free of banking Trojans. Johnson's full answer:

Each bank sets its own policy regarding a business customer's liability related to unauthorized electronic transfers. The banking industry is committed to protecting all customers – including businesses – from the fraudulent activities of criminals. Therefore, banks urge business customers to be aware of their responsibility to keep computers used for online banking free of malicious programs. The American Bankers Association has encouraged member banks to distribute to their business customers guidance developed by the FBI and the financial industry on how to guard their computers against unauthorized security breaches. Specifically, ABA recommends that business customers always initiate ACH or wire transfers under dual control, with one person initiating the transaction and another person approving it. Such controls can greatly reduce the risk of unauthorized transactions made possible by a breach of computer security.

 "I was actually surprised to see that the ABA put out this type of warning because member banks don't usually publicly address this issue," says Bayuk.



By Byron Acohido











The Economist on American Express



The Economist takes a look at American Express. 



Charge!

Jan 7th 2010 | NEW YORK

From The Economist print edition


A card company returns to its roots

THE title of best performer in the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 2009 is a dubious accolade. American Express, whose shares notched up a gain of 118% last year, did so well in part because its stock had slumped in late 2008. For an iconic brand with affluent customers, volatility on this scale does not do nicely.



The financial crisis uncovered two weaknesses. First, when securitisation markets collapsed, the company lost its primary source of funding. By converting into a bank-holding company in November 2008, Amex was not just able to get money (since repaid) from the Troubled Asset Relief Programme; it could also accept more deposits. Its haul of $24 billion-worth of certificates of deposit still represents a limited portion of overall funding. And it remains to be seen whether these depositors will remain loyal in times of trouble. But Amex says it will keep a more diversified funding model.
Continue Reading at "The Economist"





Detecting DNS Hijacks Via Network Monitoring





John Sawyer writes for the darkReading's Evil Bytes Blog on the recent "slew" of DNS attacks.  He specifically points out that the recent Twitter DNS Hijack would have been immensely more effective if Twits (or is it Twitterers?) were redirected to a cloned Twitter website....





Posted by John Sawyer
, Jan 6, 2010 02:52 PM




Last year saw a slew of different DNS attacks. The most recent incident was the hijacking of Twitter's DNS records to redirect to a Website stating, "This site has been hacked by the Iranian Cyber Army." Though the impact to a company's public image can be large, DNS redirection attacks have the potential to be even more devastating than a tarnished image.



As mentioned in Dark Reading's Twitter DNS hijack article, the attack would have had much more serious consequences if the impostor site held a replica of the Twitter site in order to harvest user credentials. And since we all know how often people use the same password on multiple sites, that would spell disaster for many people.



Visa Offers Opportunity to Win a Trip to Olympic Winter Games for Life

http://www.visa.com/goworld

U.S. Cardholders Automatically Entered for Chance to Win When Paying with Visa  (unless you use your PIN) 



SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a first of its kind promotion, Visa Inc. (NYSE: V), a worldwide Olympic Games sponsor for more than two decades, today announced that it will award one winner a trip to the Olympic Winter Games for life. From Jan. 1 – Feb. 28, 2010, Visa cardholders in the United States will automatically be entered for a chance to win a trip to the Olympic Winter Games for the rest of their lives when they use their Visa card. The Visa Olympic Winter Games Trip for Life Sweepstakes is part of the company’s comprehensive Olympic-themed marketing campaign for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The global campaign also includes Olympic-themed advertising – Go World – usage promotions and host market merchant activation programs that enable Visa to connect with cardholders and Olympic and Paralympic Games fans to drive preference for and usage of Visa products worldwide.



“For more than two decades Visa has used its relationship with the Olympic Games to bring fans closer to the Games and the athletes competing,” said Antonio Lucio, Chief Marketing Officer of Visa Inc. “This promotion is a first for any Olympic partner and gives one winner the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the emotions and unforgettable moments that happen at every Olympic Winter Games.”



Every four years beginning with the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, one grand prize winner of the Visa Olympic Winter Games Trip for Life Sweepstakes and one guest will receive round-trip airfare and accommodations for two, round-trip event transportation, and tickets to Olympic events. Official rules are available at www.visa.com/goworld. No purchase or obligation necessary to enter or win. Winner will be selected in March.



“I’ve been to many Olympic Games in my career, as a competitor and spectator, and there is nothing in the world that compares to experiencing the Games firsthand, watching athletes achieve their dreams and witnessing fans coming together to cheer on their accomplishments,” said Dan Jansen, 1994 Olympic gold medalist and the focus of a new Go World commercial that debuted on January 3. The spot recounts one of the most unforgettable moments in Olympic history as Dan Jansen overcame the death of his sister, Jane, at the Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games and went on to win a gold medal at the Lillehammer 1994 Olympic Winter Games. He celebrated the emotional win by taking his daughter, Jane, for a celebratory lap around the speedskating track in memory of his sister who originally inspired him to take up the sport.



Visa has been a worldwide Olympic Games sponsor since 1986 and is the exclusive payment card and official payment network of the Olympic Games.



Editors Note



To view the latest Visa Go World commercials, visit www.visa.com/goworld. To view and download Visa Olympic images, videos and assets, visit www.thenewsmarket.com/visa or www.visa.com/olympics.



About Visa



Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable digital currency. Underpinning digital currency is one of the world’s most advanced processing networks—VisaNet—that is capable of handling more than 10,000 transactions a second, with fraud protection for consumers and guaranteed payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank, and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa’s innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: Pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid or later with credit products. For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.









Top Retailers To Present At MRC's 2010 Annual E-Commerce Payments And Risk Conference





January 7, 2010



The Merchant Risk Council (MRC) is pleased to announce that several leading multi-channel and online merchants will be presenting at the MRC's Platinum Meeting and 2010 Annual e-Commerce Payments and Risk Conference at the Wynn Las Vegas Resort on March 16-18, 2010.



A total of 13 plenary and breakout sessions will be led by merchant representatives during these three days – each delivering unique and valuable insight and information on the growth, diversity and risks associated with global online payment trends and strategies, managing and reducing chargebacks, identifying global cyber threats, and utilizing the newest fraud prevention tools.



Scheduled merchant presenters include:



Tuesday, March 16 – Platinum Meeting

  • Emerging Issues in Multi-Channel Retailing, presented by Barnes and Noble

  • Determining Your Optimal Fraud Rate, presented by Expedia

  • Signaling Value in Collaboration, co-presented by TigerDirect

  • Global Payment Strategies, presented by Wal-Mart

  • Focus on the Positive, presented by Urban Outfitters

Wednesday, March 17 – General Conference - Day 1

  • Trends in Payments, presented by Yahoo

  • Payments 101, co-presented by BestBuy.com

  • Fraudsters on the Move, presented by Expedia

  • Recent Activities and Trends in e-Commerce Fraud, presented by eBay and Rosetta Stone

  • Fraudulent Behaviors in Search Engine Marketing, presented by Microsoft

Thursday, March 18 – General Conference - Day 2

  • Reducing Chargeback Volume from the Inside-Out, presented by Avelle

  • Working with Law Enforcement, presented by Rosetta Stone and Dell

  • The Weakest Link, co-presented by Staples




In addition to these merchant presenters, an all-star lineup of industry experts will also be speaking, including leaders from: Accertify, American Express, Chase Paymentech, ClearCommerce, CyberSource, Discover, Ethoca, FBI, 41st Parameter, GlobalCollect, Kount, Litle & Co., PayPal, Retail Decisions, RMS, RSA, Trustwave and Visa.



Keynote speakers include: Wayne Best, chief economist from Visa, Bob Carr, founder and CEO of Heartland Payment Systems and Bill Kurtis, investigative reporter and television personality.



For registration or exhibition information for this conference, or to receive MRC membership information, please visit the MRC's website at www.merchantriskcouncil.org.



About the Merchant Risk Council

The Merchant Risk Council (MRC) is a merchant-led trade association focused on electronic commerce risk and payments globally. The MRC leads industry networking, education, benchmarking and advocacy programs to make electronic commerce more efficient, safe and profitable.



Today, with the power of its member-base, the MRC is the leading trade association for managing payments, preventing online fraud and promoting secure e-Commerce. The MRC is dedicated to working with e-Commerce and multi-channel merchants, payment processors, credit card issuers, credit card companies, alternative payment providers, risk management experts, and law enforcement to make the Internet a safer and more profitable place to conduct business.



The MRC Board of Directors and Advisors includes: Accertify, Apple, Chase Paymentech, CyberSource Corporation, Dell Inc., Discover, Expedia Inc., Gap Inc. Direct, GlobalCollect, Linden Lab, Microsoft, Neiman Marcus Direct, PayPal, Trustwave, Visa Inc. and Wal-Mart.



The MRC is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.



SOURCE: Merchant Risk Council

2009 Proves to be a Milestone Year for Monitise Americas



PROVIDENCE, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Monitise Americas, LLC, the leading mobile banking and payments provider, announces today that it has had a banner year and is firmly established as a leader in the mobile financial services market.

“We have exceeded all expectations for 2009 and are extremely proud of our leadership status”

Notable achievements in 2009 for Monitise Americas and its partner, U.K.-based Monitise plc, include:

  • Over 200 U.S. financial institution partners signed up for Mobile Money services1

  • Registration of one million customers in the United Kingdom and the United States.

  • 200% quarter-on-quarter end-user growth rate

  • Over 2,000 different types of mobile phone handsets now support Mobile Money services

  • Launch of the U.S. Mobile Money iPhone App available for download from the Apple App Store

  • PCI certification, a recognized stamp of approval by industry security advocates

  • Global Alliance Agreement signed by Monitise plc to supply its Mobile Money Manager platform to Visa Inc., which has 1.7 billion card-holders across the world





“We have exceeded all expectations for 2009 and are extremely proud of our leadership status,” says Soren Bested, managing director of Monitise Americas. “As industry research confirms, mobile will become an even more important acquisition point for financial institutions in the coming year. And, our strong partnerships have positioned Monitise Americas to be able to accommodate the mobile money needs of virtually all card and account holders in the North American market today.”



Monitise Americas has developed a substantial range of Mobile Money services from its own flexible Mobile Money Manager capability.



Monitise Americas’ partners are now able to offer to their customers both “Essentials” services, which provide alerts, balance updates, and on-demand balance inquiries via text message, and “Active” services, which use a streamlined user interface to provide real-time balance inquiries, mini-statements, account transfers, bill payments, same-day payments, and more.



Technical developments have enabled Monitise Americas to provide full network and device coverage for a multitude of platforms including debit, prepaid, and bill pay.



In allowing consumers all three modes to access their financial information (downloadable application, browser service, and SMS services), Monitise Americas provides an unparalleled end-user experience delivered through a truly intelligent provisioning system.



Customer uptake has steadily increased across Monitise Americas’ broad range of services. Consumers are texting for account balances on the move and receiving text alerts to help them manage their funds. Likewise, consumers are regularly transferring money and paying bills by their mobile phones – all delivered through an easy-to-use, safe, and reliable interface.



The successes Monitise Americas has received over the course of 2009 serve as confirmation that the U.S. market sees the value of mobile access for the financial services industry.



Following in the footsteps of their U.K. partners, Monitise plc, which rolled out to the market two years ahead of the U.S. launch, Monitise Americas has now reached the “tipping point” with tens of thousands of enrollments each month. “The UK has proven to be our crystal ball in terms of forecasting consumer adoption of this new access channel,” says Soren Bested. “The view looks very robust for the coming year.”



Monitise Americas’ growth in the coming year is set to include new and improved capabilities, including enhanced alerting features, peer-to-peer payments, couponing, and loyalty/rewards programs to name a few.



About Monitise Americas



Monitise Americas is a joint venture between FIS, one of the world's largest providers of banking and payments technology to financial institutions and businesses worldwide, and Monitise plc (MONI.L), a specialist in mobile banking and payments technology. Monitise Americas provides mobile banking and payment services to North American financial institutions predicated on an "ecosystem" principle, which allows multiple mobile carriers and financial institutions to deliver services over a single platform. Current partners of Monitise Americas include FIS, NYCE, Everlink, Corporate Network eCom, and eCommLink. For more information on Monitise Americas and details of how to benefit from participating in its cross-America ecosystem, please visit www.monitiseamericas.com.



1 Financial institutions are accessing the Mobile Money Manager solution through their relationships with FIS™, one of the world’s largest providers of banking and payments technology, NYCE, a leading U.S. electronic payments provider and an FIS company, and Corporate Network eCom, a leading provider of online and mobile services.




Contacts



Monitise Americas

Rebecca Warzycha, 401-305-5211

Marketing Communications Manager

rebecca.warzycha@monitiseamericas.com

Why Paypal May Do to Pymnts What Apple Did to the Mobile Ecosystem





PYMNTS.com

W H A T ' S   N E X T   I N   P A Y M E N T S                     Thursday 01.07.10





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TODAY'S TOP STORY

Patrick GauthierWhy Paypal May Do to Payments What Apple Did to the Mobile Ecosystem

In the latest Commerce Fault Line post, industry expert Patrick Gauthuer on how PayPal will open up the walled garden of payments: "While I have been following with interest the likes of Boku, Zong and mPayy, the game changing announcement in my opinion came from PayPal, the "grand-daddy" of alternative payment platforms, as it was celebrating its 10th anniversary." Read more


Degussa Bank Selects TSYS for Commercial Payment Services





COLUMBUS, Ga. & FRANKFURT--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TSYS today announced it has signed a multi-year payment services agreement with Degussa Bank of Germany to provide a broad range of products and services for its corporate and business clients.

“Germany is a key market for TSYS and provides a great foundation to further show TSYS’ commitment to Europe as we continue to expand across the region.”

Following an evaluation process that included both global and German-market processors, Degussa Bank chose TSYS’ highly specialised TS2® commercial card platform and other proprietary card management tools. Key factors in outsourcing to TSYS included its market-leading technology, proven delivery track record and the TSYS partnering approach. The conversion is planned for the first half of 2010 and will further expand TSYS’ presence within the German market.



“TSYS has strong experience and deep expertise in commercial cards and is the right partner to provide the level of service our clients expect from us as we expand our market presence,” said Karl-Heinz Golder, Head of Product Management Cards for Degussa Bank.



“Servicing Degussa Bank further enhances TSYS’ reputation within the German market,” said Bob Evans, group executive of TSYS International. “Germany is a key market for TSYS and provides a great foundation to further show TSYS’ commitment to Europe as we continue to expand across the region.”



Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.



About Degussa Bank



Degussa Bank is a fast growing Retail Bank. Currently it serves with 200 bank branches throughout Germany more than 330,000 customers with a total retail balance of about $10 billion.



About TSYS



TSYS (NYSE: TSS) is one of the world's largest companies for outsourced payment services, offering a broad range of issuer- and acquirer-processing technologies that support consumer-finance, credit, debit, healthcare, loyalty and prepaid services for financial institutions and retail companies in the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific regions. For more information, contact news@tsys.com or log on to www.tsys.com. TSYS routinely posts all important information on its website.

CT-Payment Inc. Acquires TELUS Debit and Credit Card Processing Business



REPENTIGNY, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - Jan. 7, 2010) -



CT-Payment Inc. (subsidiary of Central Tax Inc.), a company specializing in electronic payment processing, announces today that it acquired the Assure Pay Debit and Credit Card processing business from TELUS Corporation (TSX:T)(TSX:T.A)(NYSE:TU). This business unit offers custom payment solutions across a wide range of communication protocols. It supports transactions from all major credit cards, as well as private-label, travel & entertainment and fleet cards. The newly combined CT-Payment transactional volume will excess 110 million transactions annually, serving government's agencies, large merchants, telecommunication companies, service companies and retailers. The platform is also able to meet the payment processing needs of large oil companies.



"Barely one year after the purchase of the CGI Group payment solution, CT-Payment is thrilled to add to it the powerful switching capabilities of the newly acquired TELUS platform." explained Denis Savard, CEO of CT-Payment. "This acquisition is consistent with our strategy and makes us the largest third party payment processor with actual connections to all Canadian acquirers. Our integrated solution combined with our neutral stance towards acquirers makes it possible for our merchant-customers to switch acquirer without operational impacts. Merchants will use this capability to better negotiate the credit card processing rate - or merchant discount rate - charged to them."



CT-Payment will immediately interface its newly acquired platform to its current payment solution. To insure a trouble-free and smooth transition, TELUS and CT-Payment have entered into a set of managed service agreements, the first one ensuring a seamless transition for the application development, maintenance, support and client care functions. The second one will ensure the hosting, operations, and overall management of the IT infrastructure for a duration of 5 years. CT-Payment and TELUS will work closely together to maintain high quality services for all customers.



"Both CT-Payment and TELUS are committed to ensuring the integration is operationally seamless and transparent for our customers." said Keith Nugara, senior vice-president, TELUS Financial Services.



This transaction was made possible by the financial contribution of three Quebec institutions: The Solidarity Fund QFL who is at the center of the financial montage with a significant investment, along with Investissement Quebec and the National Bank of Canada.



"CT-Payment is driven by a solid business model and shows a very favourable growth outlook. This new acquisition strengthens even more its product portfolio. In the highly competitive field of the new technologies, these are strong assets that make us confident about the company's future. With this investment and by bringing its expertise to the table, The Fund is proud to support CT-Payment management in their Canadian expansion" declared Gaetan Morin, Senior Vice-President Investments at The Solidarity Fund QFL.



About CT-Payment



Born from Central Tax Inc., which was founded in 2002, CT-Payment is a new company which operates in two domains: the electronic processing of debit and credit card payments, and the management and payment of property taxes. CT-Payment objective is, for both these fields, to centralize and standardize the processing of transactions in a secure, stable, reliable, and high-performance environment. For more information, please visit www.ctpayment.com.



About The Solidarity Fund QFL



The Solidarity Fund QFL helps drive our economy. With net assets of $7.0 billion as at November 30, 2009, the Fund is a development capital company that through its RRSP channels the savings of Quebecers into investments in all sectors of the economy to help create and maintain jobs and to further Quebec's economic growth. The Fund is a partner, either directly or through its network members, in 2,000 companies. It currently has nearly 571,000 shareholders and has helped, on its own or with other financial partners, to create, maintain and protect nearly 143,000 jobs. For more information, visit www.fondsftq.com.



Canadians Opened Wallets in Record Numbers During Holidays



Jan 07, 2010 09:26 ET

Holiday Joy! Consumers Dig Deeper Into Their Wallets Than They Did a Year Ago

Data by Moneris reveals consumers purchased everything from discount goods to luxury and big ticket items during the recent holiday season



TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Jan. 7, 2010) - Data released today by Moneris Solutions, Canada's largest debit and credit card processor, reveals that consumers opened their wallets in record numbers during the holidays, spending almost eight per cent more from Christmas Eve through Boxing Week than they did the previous year. The findings clearly reflect renewed consumer confidence and serve as welcome news to retailers looking forward to a healthy and prosperous New Year.



"When it comes to shopping – whether for clothing, jewellery or major appliances – Canadians have demonstrated they are once again ready to spend," said David Ades, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Moneris Solutions. "The creativity shown by retailers during the volatile economy worked to entice shoppers back to the stores throughout the holiday season for a diverse range of purchases. We expect the momentum to continue to build in 2010, positioning Canada's retail landscape for a bright future."



Shoppers across the country were certainly busy in the seven weeks leading up to Boxing Week 2009. The busiest shopping day of the year was December 22, with Canadians spending 4.54 per cent more on debit and credit card purchases than they did on the same day in 2008. The week of December 24-29, which includes Boxing Day, reported a 7.93 per cent spending increase in debit and credit card purchases over the same period in 2008.



Canadians demonstrated no preference between debit and credit cards with both types of cards showing an equal division of transactions.



Department stores recorded the biggest year-over-year change during the seven-week period, with debit and credit card purchases up by 7.12 per cent from 2008. Drug stores and pharmacies fared best from Christmas Eve through Boxing Week, increasing debit and credit card sales by 8.47 per cent compared to the same week in 2008.



During the seven weekends from November 28 to December 29, 2009, consumers in Prince Edward Island showed they were happiest to be back in spending mode, purchasing 13.84 per cent more on their debit and credit cards than any other province in Canada. Albertans, on the other hand, reduced their 2009 spending during the seven weeks by 5.75 per cent compared to the same period in 2008.



December 2009 as a whole proved lucrative for retailers, the Moneris data found, with a 5.22 per cent increase in debit and credit card spending over December 2008. Again, PEI showed the biggest year-over-year spending increase at 9.83 per cent, followed closely by Newfoundland (9.73 per cent increase), Saskatchewan (9.48 per cent), and Quebec (7.64 per cent).



Every major merchant category experienced spikes in consumer spending on debit and credit cards throughout December 2009. Luggage/leather goods stores and household appliance stores made the most significant gains, with consumers across the country spending 18.37 per cent and 13.65 per cent more in the respective categories over December 2008. Discount stores were also big winners, experiencing a 10.61 per cent increase in debit and credit card purchases over December 2008.



"Discount stores did brisk business spending, yet consumers still demonstrated their willingness to spend by continuing to purchase big ticket items such as jewelry and household appliances," said Mr. Ades.



Moneris' 2009 holiday spending data compared national retail sales during the month of December 2009 as well as seven weekends in November and December 2009 with the same periods the previous year. The data covers all merchant categories (excluding gas merchants since gas volumes fluctuate according to gas prices) and tallies the dollar value as well as the number of transactions made on Moneris debit and credit card terminals across the country.



About Moneris Solutions



As one of North America's largest providers of payment processing solutions, Moneris offers credit, debit, wireless and online payment services for merchants in virtually every industry segment and processes more than three billion transactions annually. Through its Ernex division, Moneris offers electronic loyalty and stored-value gift card programs. With more than 350,000 merchant locations, Moneris provides the hardware, software and systems needed to improve business efficiency and manage payments. For more information please visit www.moneris.com.



ACH Federal Launches to Set New Standard in Payment Services for FI's

ACH FederalJan 07, 2010 08:00 ET

New Standard in Electronic Payment Services for Financial Institutions and Small Business Customers



New Technology Company Already Processing Over 1.8 Million Transactions in 2009


CHATTANOOGA, TN--(Marketwire - January 7, 2010) - ACH Federal, based in Chattanooga, TN, is a provider of electronic payment services to both banks and businesses. Today, they are formally introducing their suite of solutions including ACH processing and merchant services. Founded to address the growing need for electronic payment processing ranging from direct deposit to web payment portals, ACH Federal has already processed more than 1.8 million transactions since May 2009.



ACH Federal's easy-to-use Web-based platform enables financial institutions and businesses to securely process ACH transactions through a terminal that connects directly to the Federal Reserve in conjunction with a "sponsor bank." The company offers Merchant Services, processing debit and credit card transactions for business customers. As an outsourced solution, ACH Federal assists financial institutions to mitigate risk, reduce costs and drive better organizational efficiency. The unified platform meets the highest security standards, dual file approval systems, multi-factor authentication and best-of-breed data encryption technology for all transactions.



According to NACHA, The Electronic Payments Association, 3.77 billion ACH transactions were conducted in the third quarter of 2009, totaling more than $7.3 trillion. TowerGroup, a leading financial services industry research firm, forecasts that ACH transactions will grow 7 percent annually through 2012, totaling $31.24 trillion in ACH transactions in 2010.



"We are seeing a growing demand for Web-based electronic payments options," said Pam Pliler, Senior Operations Officer at Summit Bank, in Eugene, OR. "ACH Federal provides us with a comprehensive end-to-end solution and the strong industry expertise that enables us to deliver a seamless experience for our customers."



In addition to working with financial institutions, ACH Federal also provides businesses with a central Web-based interface to collect payments from customers, make payments to vendors and deposit payroll funds into employee accounts. With debit and credit card processing, ACH Federal is a one-stop-shop for electronic payment processing services.



"With over 70 years of combined experience in ACH transactions, ACH Federal provides banks and small businesses with the trusted advice and customized services to uniquely address their electronic payment needs," said Clint Blaylock, VP of Operations at ACH Federal. "Our secure, reliable electronic payment processing system helps to streamline the process, reduce costs and mitigate risk."



About ACH Federal



ACH Federal provides a simple and secure Web-based solution for banks and businesses to reduce the risk associated with electronic payments, while decreasing costs and increasing efficiency.



ACH Federal was founded in 2007 by three accredited ACH professionals with vision for providing better ACH solutions and customized services to banks and small businesses. Today, the company's expert management team has more than 70 years of combined ACH industry experience including six Accredited ACH professionals (AAPs). ACH Federal began working with banks and small businesses in mid-2009 and has already processed more than 1.8 million transactions. For more information, visit www.ACHFederal.com.



For media inquiries, please contact:

LaunchSquad for ACH Federal

Gavin Skillman or Brigid Zapp

ach@launchsquad.com

(212) 564-3665

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