MasterCard has introduced a "comprehensive" roadmap focused on advancing the U.S. electronic payments system to EMV and dynamic transaction data.

“Consumers deserve a great experience any time they use MasterCard products,” said Ed McLaughlin, Chief Emerging Payments Officer, MasterCard. “As the industry invests in the upgrade to EMV in the U.S., we now have the ability to enhance the consumer experience and the security of a payment, regardless of the device – contactless card, mobile, eCommerce and technologies still to come.”

Registration is open for Glenbrook's Payments Boot Camp February 15th and 16th in Santa Clara, CA and April 10th and 11th in New York. Our constantly-updated material includes a substantial section on all things wallet - NFC, cloud, P2P and more. Come hear Glenbrook explain what's happening, why, and what the future may look like. More dates, agendas, testimonials and information at www.glenbrook.com or contact Glenbrook partner Carol Coye Benson.

Xsolla announced that they have partnered with ZipZap, an alternative payments company that enables cash transactions for online purchases.

ZipZap's CashPay payment option enables those without bank accounts or credit cards to be able to pay for virtual currency in their favorite games using their extensive cash payment network, which includes over 700,000 payment centers worldwide.

More information on ZipZap is available from their website at www.zipzapinc.com.

I Love Velvet, a Mobile POS provider, has announced that "it reached the second level of EMV certification--EMV2--which authorizes PIN and integrated chip (IC) payments from debit, credit and smart cards around the world."

Fifteen leading companies have announced the formation of DMARC.org, a working group that has been developing standards to fight spam and phishing.

"Email phishing defrauds millions of people and companies every year, resulting in a loss of consumer confidence in email and the Internet as a whole," said Brett McDowell, Chair of DMARC.org and Senior Manager of Customer Security Initiatives at PayPal. "Industry cooperation - combined with technology and consumer education - is crucial to fight phishing."

Founding financial services providers include Bank of America, Fidelity, and PayPal.

Several new positions for payments professionals have recently been posted to Glenbrook's payments industry job board in the last 30 days:

• Executive Payments Position - Dynamics Inc. - Cheswick, PA
• Business Dev Exec - Nationwide/Virtual - FrontStream Payments - Brentwood, TN
• Sales Exec (Non Profit Segment) - West Coast Based - FrontStream Payments - Brentwood, TN

Sequent Software has announced a suite of NFC-related middleware services called 'Core Card Services (CCS)'. "Sequent's CCS unlocks NFC innovation for app developers, making it possible for any mobile app to seamlessly integrate NFC payments, ticketing, coupons, ID badge access and more."

Over on Payments Views, Glenbrook's Russ Jones blogs about "Who Knows What In Payments?" and the explores whether or not the targeting of ads and offers can be enhanced with insight from payment transaction data. He also looks at what mobile wallets will know about the consumer's purchase behavior.

On the web:

• A Guide to PayPal Alternatives in Asia - SGEntrepreneurs
• Contactless ATMs: The New Wave of Banking? - Think Money
• Obama Campaign Is Using Square For Fundraising - TechCrunch
• Google Wallet Struggles to Gain Acceptance - Mobile Commerce Daily
• Is the U.S. Payments Industry Following in the Footsteps of the Netherlands? - Portals and Rails
• Green Dot to Launch Bank Account This Year - American Banker

On the wires:

• PayLane Becomes a Certified American Express Partner
• GE Capital Extends Consumer Financing Program with Art Van Furniture
• MusicSkins Partners With Virtual Piggy Offering Innovative Youth Purchasing System
• South Carolina Selects Heartland as Preferred Provider for Electronic Financial Aid Disbursement
• GE Capital Retail Bank and ShopNBC Announce Renewal of Consumer Credit Card Program
• Canada's Payfirma Updates Its Mobile Payment App