Retailers

A new bulletin from Visa indicates that it is increasingly concerned about point of sale terminals being adapted to steal card data over Bluetooth connections.

Most independent sales organizations are turning their backs on a whole category of potential card-acceptance accounts, according to a payments-gateway provider.

In an effort to make the technical aspects of credit card security compliance easier for its small-business customers, Century Payments Inc. will put Trustwave fraud-protection programs in place within three months, the company said Sept. 7.

Visa Europe is making more headway promoting its contactless card and mobile technology in France, as it launches a second contactless pilot in Strasbourg. Visa also has a contactless pilot operating in Nice, France, which launched in May 2010.

Andrews FCU on Wednesday announced it is rolling out a Globe Trek Visa Rewards credit card with both magnetic strip and the Europay, MasterCard and Visa EMV technology, also known as Chip and PIN.

VeriFone Systems Inc. continues to show positive quarterly results in terms of revenue and net income, and company executives expect the trend to continue as contactless mobile payments grow worldwide and EMV chip-and-PIN takes hold in the United States.

VeriFone Systems Inc. on Sept. 6 reported a 21.5% increase in third-quarter revenue, marking the fifth consecutive quarter in which the company experienced a revenue gain of 20% or more compared with the previous year.

Following recommendations from India’s central bank urging the country’s financial institutions to issue chip cards, ICICI Bank Ltd. has begun to issue its first EMV-compliant credit card, the issuer announced Sept. 5.

Growth in merchant accounts that translated into more credit card transaction-processing fees helped Canadian merchant processor VersaPay Corp. boost second-quarter revenue.

A directive earlier this month from Visa Inc. designed to motivate merchants to support the EMV chip card standard for U.S. cards and payment terminals may spark a cottage industry in EMV training seminars and consulting.

Independent sales organizations have a new opportunity to sign up merchants for a low-cost service that helps consumers pay bills, transfer funds internationally, reload prepaid card accounts and buy minutes for their cell phones.

Viewing the world of bloggers as a potential retail landscape, Jumio Inc. has broadened the availability of its webcam credit card reader software to anyone using a WordPress Foundation website, the company CEO says.

As Visa Inc. has been ramping up its promotion of one-time-use card data for security, Discover Financial Services is winding down its support of a similar technology.

In a move exemplifying efforts to move more cash and check payments to credit and debit cards, a national social network of babysitters and parents called SitterPals.com has signed up to use Square Inc.’s service to accept credit card payments for their services, the company announced Aug. 31.

In announcing during the past week a deal to provide terminals capable of accepting mobile payments at hypermarkets in the Czech Republic and the acquisition of a terminal-servicing company in Italy, Ingenico SA flexed its muscles in the wake of the recent acquisition by VeriFone Systems Inc. of most of Hypercom Corp.’s non-U.S. assets, an industry analyst says.

The wireless carriers involved in mobile-payments venture Isis reportedly plan to invest more than $100 million into the project.

Intuit Inc.’s deal to sell its GoPayment software application and card reader at Verizon Wireless stores could significantly accelerate competition in the fast-growing market for smaller-ticket mobile payments, one analyst suggests.

Tio Networks Corp. is looking for independent sales organizations willing to buy and set up “reverse ATMs” that collect money instead of dispensing it.

Transaction Wireless Inc. became one of the first digital gift card providers to achieve the highest level of PCI Data Security Standard compliance for its computing cloud, defined as the interconnectivity of multiple computer servers, the company announced Aug. 23.

Despite increasing activity involving mobile payments, consumers still trust credit card companies more than companies such as Google Inc., eBay Inc. or Facebook Inc.