Payment processing

I&M Bank Ltd. in Kenya has received a license from Visa Inc. to process online credit card payments for goods and services in East Africa, reports Bloomberg News.

Payment Alliance International today announced it has acquired Comdata Processing Systems’ merchant-processing business, which includes 5,000 merchant locations and more than 50 independent sales organizations.

U.S. Bancorp today reported credit and debit card revenue for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31 of $273 million, up 6.6% from $256 million during the same period a year earlier. For the year, the Minneapolis, Minn.-based bank reported card revenue of $1.06 billion, up slightly from $1.05 billion in 2008.

Heartland Payment Systems Inc. this week announced it will offer members of the National Restaurant Association a suite of payment products that includes card processing, check services, and payroll, tip-reporting and compliance reports as part of an agreement between the payment processor and the Washington, D.C.-based trade group.

Bank of America Corp.’s Global Card Services unit today reported a net loss of $1 billion for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31; the unit reported a $9 million loss for the same period a year ago.

Bank of India is looking to acquire more than 100,000 point-of-sale terminals this year as part of its POS-network expansion drive, an official from the Mumbai-based financial institution tells PaymentsSource.

The Canadian Minister of Finance’s draft code of conduct for the credit and debit card industry is too restrictive, contends Visa Canada, while MasterCard Canada contends “vigorous debit competition can thrive” under the proposed code. Both card brands submitted their comments on the proposal Jan. 18.

Elavon, U.S. Bancorp’s merchant-acquiring unit, has purchased Citizens National Bank’s portfolio of more than 300 merchant-processing accounts, according to the companies. Terms were not disclosed.

Mobile-payments company Apriva announced today the launch of the AprivaPay and AprivaPay Professional mobile-payment services. Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Apriva operates its own network that connects mobile-payment terminals to processors.

Citibank customers in Thailand can now use their cell phones to access their bank accounts with Citi Mobile, Citi announced earlier this month. The company says it is the first foreign bank to offer mobile banking in Thailand.

Axis Bank soon will outsource its ATM operations, an official for the Mumbai-based bank tells PaymentsSource. The financial institution is in the final stages of selecting a vendor for the outsourcing, says the official, who wished to remain anonymous.

China UnionPay last week signed an agreement that will allow Chinese tourists to use their China UnionPay cards to access a Standard Chartered Bank subsidiary’s ATMs in several African countries, a spokesperson for the China-based card company tells PaymentsSource. Standard Chartered is based in the United Kingdom, and the subsidiary is based in Kenya.

SourceMedia Inc., publisher of PaymentsSource, today announced the appointment of Douglas J. Manoni as chief executive officer. He replaces James M. Malkin, who has left the company.

Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.-based Co-op Financial Services announced Thursday it has extended its electronic funds transfer network access agreement with First Data Corp.’s Star Network.

Each of the four major U.S. card brands is waiving interchange fees on Haitian relief donations made to select charities for a limited time to ensure a greater portion of contributions made with their cards reaches victims of the massive earthquake that struck the region Jan 12.

NCR Corp.’s German subsidiary today announced it has signed agreements with 20 banks to monitor their self-service systems, increasing the time the machines are available for customer use.

The National Bank of Kuwait has renewed its credit card processing agreement with United States-based First Data Corp.

EProcessing Network LLC, a Houston-based online payment gateway company, says its ePNJPOS payment software now supports VeriFone Holdings Inc.’s PINpad 1000SE PIN pad.

Gemalto NV said Wednesday it will set aside between 6 million euros (US$8.7 million) and 10 million euros to “cover the potential consequences related” to an apparent programming glitch that left millions of German payment cards useless earlier this month (see story).

The difference between Mophie LLC’s payment card reader for Apple Inc.’s iPhone and similar products competitors have debuted is that Mophie’s Marketplace product will work with any merchant account, according to the Paw Paw, Mich.-based provider of technology accessory products such as smartphone batteries. Retailers can set up a merchant account through Mophie or use an existing account, and “this is the main difference between the Marketplace and competitors,” says a company spokesperson.