Retailers

VeriFone Systems Inc. is planning major investments in payment terminals with contactless readers built in as wireless carriers, card networks and banks proceed with mobile-payments initiatives.

Ingenico S.A. says its new point-of-sale mobile terminal line is smaller, lighter and has longer battery life than its predecessors.

VeriFone Systems Inc. this afternoon reported fiscal fourth quarter revenue of $276 million, up 26.7% from $217.8 million during same period ended Oct. 31 last year. The quarter’s performance pushed the point-of-sale terminal maker’s annual revenue past the $1 billion mark for the first time.

Heady growth in the Asia-Pacific, Europe and Latin America made for a strong third quarter for France-based point-of-sale equipment maker Ingenico S.A.

Advent International and Bain Capital have completed their acquisition of a majority interest in RBS WorldPay, the payment-processing arm of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC, the two private equity firms announced Dec. 1.

Electronic Payment Systems LLC, a Denver-based ISO, owns a toll-free number used by approximately 515,000 merchants processing with TSYS Acquiring Solutions, a federal judge ruled last month.

After piloting an online payment network that it says guards against potential identity theft, JetPay LLC will be providing that same platform, Secure Vault Payments, to its own clients.

Independent sales organizations and merchant acquirers wondering what steps they should take as VeriFone Systems Inc. prepares to buy Hypercom Corp., its chief U.S. rival in the point-of-sale terminal market, should remain patient, observers suggest.

Roam Data is making available a Roampay Swipe card reader that plugs into the audio jack of BlackBerry smartphones, the Boston-based firm announced Nov. 30.

Nontraditional opportunities such as mobile-based marketing, group coupons and merchant-funded rewards programs are providing new ways for merchant acquirers to help retailers increase consumer spending and traffic, a recently released report suggests.

Despite growth in Germany’s e-commerce market within the past year, Deutsche Card Services GmbH, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bank Group AG, believes merchants should support multiple languages on their websites to attract international customers and enable Germany to compete better with other European e-commerce merchants.

PIN-debit payments initiated online slowly, but steadily, are gaining traction in the marketplace as several companies have introduced products intended to bring more security to online transactions.

Electronic Payment Systems LLC, a Denver-based independent sales organization, says a federal judge has ruled that it owns a toll-free number now used by approximately 515,000 merchants processing with TSYS Acquiring Solutions.

Weiss & Lurie says it is examining the proposed sale of Hypercom Corp. to VeriFone Systems Inc. for legal issues. The New York-based firm says it is looking at “possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by members of the board of directors of Hypercom.”

PayPal Inc.’s impending move into face-to-face transactions enabled by VeriFone Systems Inc. mobile point-of-sale terminals has the eBay unit developing a reseller program, Laura Chambers, PayPal senior director of mobile, tells ISO&Agent Weekly.

Through its acquisitions, VeriFone Systems Inc. soon could become the largest terminal maker in the world. On Nov. 17, the San Jose, Calif.-based company announced an all-stock purchase of its rival Hypercom Corp. valued at $485 million, including net debt VeriFone would assume. This is a step up from the $280 million hostile bid VeriFone made public in September.

Sales agents, and some ISOs, that consider their no-risk status as an exemption from being on the hook for merchant charge-backs, fines, fees, rejected automated clearinghouse transactions and other merchant losses may be surprised to find that many agent agreement often find ways to hold some agents liable for some merchant losses.

Discover Financial Services is still struggling to reach “the last mile” of full U.S. merchant acceptance as many retail locations fall short in promoting the brand at the point of sale, Roger Hochschild, Discover president and chief operating officer, told analysts on Nov. 16.

VeriFone Systems Inc. is getting a marketing boost for its iPhone payment card reader through a new partnership with the Atlanta processor Elavon.

Through its acquisitions, VeriFone Systems Inc. soon could become the largest terminal maker in the world.