Visa USA reported today that Verified by Visa's share of e-commerce transactions has grown over 40$ with transaction volume during the first quarter of 2005 increasing more than 230% over last year.   » Continue Reading

MarketWatch publishes Renaissance Capital's report on the upcoming initial public offering of VeriFone.

EE Times reports that NTT Docomo has announced a new phone-based credit card service.

NTT Docomo will collaborate with Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. (SMFG), Sumitomo Mitsui Card Co. Ltd. and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. (SMBC) to establish a platform for a credit-payment service using Docomo's phones equipped with the Felica wireless IC chip for cashless payments.

Under the deal, Docomo will shortly launch a new credit card brand and acquire 34 percent of the equity of Mitsui Card, paying approximately 98 billion yen (about $925 million). Docomo expects that Sumitomo's card network will accelerate deployment of its new credit card network.

Business Week reports on S&P's downgrade of Visa International's credit rating from A+ to A.

S&P believes Visa's risk profile has significantly changed in the past decade, with its ongoing legal challenges having emerged as a major risk component. The speed, number, and potential severity of events in aggregate elevate business risk to new levels. Concerns about legal risk and, to a lesser extent, changing industry dynamics, reduce the ratings on Visa by one notch. The negative outlook highlights further potential ratings pressure due to the negative effect of current litigations.

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