Retailers

FreedomPay Inc. is opening up its payment and transaction gateway to third-party developers, the company announced April 8.

Independent sales organizations are using value-added services as profit centers, differentiators, or both, observers say.

Retirement suited Larry Petru, but going back to work in the acquiring business suits him even better. As soon as his two-year noncompete clause expired earlier this year, Petru, 65, started another independent sales organization.

In response to increasing ATM thefts and rising insurance rates, Cash Connect has published a best-practices guide for armored cash carriers.

Independent sales organizations are using social media, including Twitter and Facebook, to communicate daily with their agents, observers say. In their “tweets” and other messages, they share information on new products, contests and sales results.

Isis, the mobile payment venture founded by AT&T Inc., Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA, said it is opening up its network and preparing for a pilot next year.

French terminal maker Ingenico SA announced April 4 that it is buying Hypercom Corp.’s U.S. payments systems business for $54 million.

Merchant processor Global Payments Inc. on March 31 reported net income of $47.8 million for its fiscal third quarter ended Feb. 28, down 1% from $48.5 million during the same period last year. Revenues, however, increased by 15%, to $456.4 million from $398.5 million.

This article was revised after Vivotech distributed a follow-up press release containing various "corrections."

A coalition representing consumers this week is urging lawmakers to oppose legislation that would put the brakes on proposed debit-interchange rate reductions, while a group of 7-Eleven Inc. franchisees similarly is vowing to keep lobbying Congress to oppose such a delay.

Google Inc. is joining the NFC Forum, a nonprofit association that sets technical specifications for how businesses use Near Field Communication technology for payments applications and other services.

Delaying the start of proposed debit-interchange rules would represent a “huge handout” to large banks that do not deserve another bailout by consumers and businesses, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told reporters during a teleconference.

Lawmakers’ efforts to pass a “stop-and-study” law that would delay the start of the Durbin amendment are gaining ground, a growing number of analysts say.

Gemalto NV is offering a software package for MasterCard Worldwide’s PayPass contactless payment system, the chip maker announced March 30.

Besides making the process easier for merchants, a good payment-security vendor can ease the burden of Payment Card Industry data-security standards compliance for independent sales organizations, a growing number of ISOs are finding.

The Smart Card Alliance’s transportation council this year plans to continue its focus in support of open-loop contactless transit payment card systems as more cities realize the potential benefits over closed-loop systems, according to an organization executive.

The Federal Reserve Board’s decision this week to take more time to analyze comments before finalizing its proposed debit-interchange rules could mean the final rules might not take as big a bite out of issuer revenue, some analysts believe.

Visa Inc., MasterCard Inc. and several leading Canadian banks that issue their cards face being included in proposed national class-action litigation tied to a lawsuit filed March 28 in the Supreme Court of British Columbia. The suit alleges the card networks and their major issuers conspired to fix prices on fees merchants ultimately pay to accept cards.

Citing the proliferation of smartphone Near Fear Communication applications, NFC provider Vivotech Inc. next year plans to conduct an initial public offering of company stock to help boost its ability to build more NFC products and systems, Muhammed Khan, founder and president of Vivotech, tells PaymentsSource.

Citigroup Inc.’s deal to join Syncada could boost momentum for the receivables processing network, which has announced only one other third-party bank participant.