ISOs

Hypercom Corp. made its case Nov. 2 that it can succeed as an independent company.

The Federal Reserve Board’s still-unwritten debit-interchange rules and new restrictions on network-exclusivity agreements could help First Data Corp.’s business, executives at the transaction processor predicted Nov. 4.

Effective Jan. 1, merchants and payments companies must ensure their systems comply with versions 2.0 of the Payment Card Industry and Payment Application data-security standards the PCI Security Standards Council released Oct. 28.

In today’s marketplace, where members of the merchant-acquiring community are using every resource available to improve their professional standing and to find new business, many are turning to such social-networking websites as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to get in front of their respective audiences.

Internet PIN-debit payment technology is slowly, but steadily, gaining traction in the marketplace as several companies have introduced products intended to bring more security to online transactions.

Visa Inc. is making inroads into the world of third-party software development, bolstering its ability to compete in e-commerce payments.

VeriFone Systems Inc.’s move to buy the point-of-sale terminal business of the France-based card maker Gemalto NV could be especially helpful in the event that its attempt to buy rival Hypercom Corp. fails.

Overnight, young mobile-payment company Bling Nation Ltd. became visible to 4 million smartphone users.

Companies continue to release mobile point-of-sale acceptance services amid few, if any, signs of the trend abating.

ISOs and acquirers will have work to do because of the Federal Reserve Board’s impending regulations that will set policy for establishing “reasonable and proportional” debit card interchange rates, panelists at the Western States Acquirers Association conference in San Diego told attendees last week.

Point-of-sale terminals five years from now may not look much different from today’s devices, but big changes are anticipated for the software running on them, new research suggests.

Guest column

Card-skimming attacks are on the rise this year as crooks devise relatively simple, inexpensive new ways to compromise payment terminals, the Payment Council Industry Security Standards Council’s top technology executive told attendees last week at SourceMedia Inc.’s ATM, Debit & Prepaid Forum.

Point-of-sale terminal maker VeriFone Systems Inc. says it will continue its attempts to buy Hypercom Corp., its Scottsdale, Ariz.-based rival, even though VeriFone’s $5.25-per-share offer is more than a $1 shy of Hypercom’s $6.35 closing price Tuesday.

Merchant acquirers once again may offer retailers dynamic currency conversion on Visa Inc.’s network now that the card brand has ended a six-month moratorium on expanded use of such services.

Global Payments Inc. this week reported $440.1 million in revenue for its fiscal first quarter ended Aug. 31, up 7.4% from $409.9 million in revenue during the same period last year.

It is no surprise that the maturing merchant-services industry constantly needs smart, well-trained sales agent. Agents leave the industry for a variety of reasons.

Bling Nation Ltd.’s deal with Fifth Third Processing Solutions LLC could give the company the entree they need to promote the company’s postage stamp-sized contactless payment sticker across the country.

By proposing to combine two of the world’s three largest makers of payment terminals, VeriFone Systems Inc.’s hostile bid for Hypercom Inc. appears to raise antitrust issues.

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