PayPal's parent eBay announced financial results for 1Q2011.

eBay's Payments segment (including PayPal and BillMeLater) revenue was $992 million for the quarter, an increase of 23% year over year. Net total payment volume (TPV) for the quarter was $27.4 billion, an increase of 28% year over year. In term of revenue mix, Merchant Services (the off-eBay business) represented 63.0% of TPV. Active accounts (defined as active in the last 12 months) reached 97.7 MM, up 16% year over year. Bill Me Later's volume for the quarter was $0.32 billion, up 42% year over year.

The Payments segment contributed 38.9% of total revenue for the quarter.

Many media outlets are reporting that Visa has invested an undisclosed amount in mobile payments provider Square. The Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital has a good summary. Glenbrook's Scott Loftesness also shared some of his thoughts on Square's progress over on Payments Views in post entitled "Yep, It’s Hip to Be Square".

On the wires:

• Bremer Bank Selects Memento Enterprise Platform for Detecting and Managing Cross Channel Fraud Threats
• Experian and Symantec Collaborate to Protect Online Services with Best-in-Class Identity Proofing and Authentication Technology
• Regulatory Strategies Publishes Detailed Guide for Europe, US, Canada to Precedents and Best Practices for Sharing Data to Stop Ecommerce Fraud

On the web:

• TechCrunch: PayPal Buys Mobile Payments Startup Fig Card
• Chicago Tribune: Facebook Credits to be Used for Real World Goods
• StorefrontBacktalk: Visa Talks Up Canadian EMV E-Commerce Trials
• TechCrunch: PapayaMobile Raises $18 Million (Android In-App Payments)
• NetBanker: Full FinovateSpring 2011 Demo Lineup Revealed

"One hundred eleven pages. That is the median length of the checking account disclosures consumers are supposed to read and understand before opening an account at any of the 10 largest banks, according to documents analyzed in a new report from the Pew Health Group's Safe Checking in the Electronic Age Project."

Visa has announced the release a set of mobile acceptance best practices for merchants, software developers and device manufacturers who are using consumer mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablet computing platforms to facilitate the acceptance of card payments.

In related news, Square said it would support the new Visa best practices.

MoneyGram and InComm have announced an agreement where InComm will assist MoneyGram in the distribution and activation of MoneyGram Xpress packages in select outlets in InComm’s network of more than 225,000 retail locations.

“We are pleased to introduce this new money transfer service and bring a whole new level of ease and convenience to our consumers,” said Stu Kiefer, MoneyGram vice president of product management. “Prepaid money transfers allow consumers to pay for the transfer amount and fees at the same time as they make other retail purchases and then actually make the transfer when convenient for them – online or by phone. The product broadens ways to access money transfer services and for many, assists with time and money management.”

On the wires:

• BPC Banking Technologies Plays Key Role In The Development Of Russia's "Universal E-Card"
• ShopVisible and Pitney Bowes to Help U.S. Retailers Deliver Seamless International Purchasing and Shipping Experience
• TEC Announces New Skip Trace Optimization Service

On the web:

• AMEinfo: MasterCard and Aramex Help Boost E-Tail in the Middle East Economy
• Bank Info Security: New Wave of Wire Fraud Strikes Banks

CashEdge has announced the results from its 2011 Small Business Payables and Receivables Survey, which found "that there is a strong desire among small businesses to accelerate and simplify current payable/receivable processes and a willingness to adopt new electronic payment solutions in support of this. Importantly, most of these small businesses also report a strong loyalty to their bank, representing a key opportunity for banks to provide these payment services."

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has announced that it is retiring the paper Social Security check for millions of baby boomers and others applying for federal benefits, "a move that will save taxpayers $1 billion over the next 10 years. Beginning May 1, 2011, anyone newly applying for Social Security, Veterans Affairs or other federal benefits will need to choose an electronic payment method – paper checks will no longer be an option."

ThreatMetrix has announced some results of a joint study with the Ponemon Institute that reveals consumers' growing concern over online fraud.

Results showed that 85% of survey respondents reported being worried and dissatisfied with the level of protection online businesses are providing to stop fraudsters today, which is up 5% from a 2009 Ponemon study that asked the same question. 42% of respondents, in fact, said they have been the victim of online fraud. Of those, 80% said they did not report the crime, however, and only 19% said they reported it only to the online business directly.

On the wires:

• Despite Exemption, Small Issuers Expect Significant Decline in Interchange Revenue After Implementation of Durbin Amendment Provisions
• Verizon Wireless and USA Technologies Partner to Deliver Industry-Leading Cashless Payment Services, M2M Solutions for Vending and Automated Retail Industries
• Zuora Delivers New Invoicing Flexibility and Amendment Previews to April ‘11 Release
• New Junpier Research Report on Mobile Ticketing for Transport Markets

On the web:

• Amazon Payments Blog: Amazon Payments Launches in Germany
• New York Times: Possible Sony PlayStation Network Card Data Breach
• MIT Technology Review: Your iPhone Can Buy Your Groceries

On the wires:

• MoneyGram International Introduces Cash-To-Account Money Transfer Service in the Philippines
• International Visa Cardholders Increased Tourism Spend in the US by 18% in 2010
• comScore Says Credit Card Shopping More Prevalent as US Consumer Economic Sentiment Improves

On the web:

• Fortune: Venmo: Fighting the good fight against the online payment giants
• Digital Transactions: eBillme Takes a Dive into the E-Gift Card Pool
• Mashable: Why the Mobile Payment Debate Is Headed in the Wrong Direction [OPINION]

Visa has announced with Gap, "a leading global specialty retailer", to deliver real-time discounts and promotions to consumers via SMS text messages. Gap customers who opt-in to participate in the service are notified of money-saving discounts or promotions in real-time while shopping.

Intuit has announced that its iPad-optimized GoPayment app is now available on the App Store.

This optimized version of the GoPayment app makes mobile payments easier with a new layout that takes full advantage of iPad's large, high-resolution display and Multi-Touch interface. It also includes new features such as the ability to add product photos, making it easier to find a product and complete a sale. GoPayment is also compatible with the free Intuit Credit Card Reader letting users save time by swiping credit cards instead of entering card data manually.

Capital One has reported first quarter 2011 financial results. In its credit card business, first quarter Domestic Card purchase volumes grew $3.0 billion, or 13.8%, from 1Q2010 but declined by $2.0 billion, or 7.3%, compared to 4Q2010 due to seasonal patterns. The net charge-off rate for Domestic Cards improved 108 basis points to 6.20% from 7.28% in the prior quarter.

On the wires:

• Fiserv Launches Enhanced Relationship Rewards for Premier, Now with Loyalty Points
• IronKey Research Finds UK Organisations Fearful of Organised Cyber Crime

On the web:

• Business Standard: RuPay Network Likely to be Rolled Out in 18 months in India
• NetBanker Blog: 30 Most Popular iPad Apps from U.S. Banks and Other Financial Services Companies
• Skatter Tech: Apple Stores Now Stocking Square Card Readers
• Freshbooks Blog: PayPal Business Payments – $0.50 Flat Fee Online Payments
• Digital Money: Contactless in Chaos

American Express has reported financial results for the first quarter 2011. Net income was $1.2 billion, up 33% from $885 million a year ago.

“Record earnings this quarter reflect credit quality and billed business trends that are among the best we’ve seen,” said Kenneth I. Chenault, chairman and chief executive officer, American Express. “Cardmember spending was up 17 percent, with broad-based strength across all our businesses segments. After several years of decline, our lending portfolio leveled off and total revenues grew at the healthiest pace since before the recession.

On the wires:

• Survey Says Asian Consumers Seek Better Tools to Manage Payment Card Spending
• WorldPay Partners with CellPoint to offer mPoint® Mobile Payments
• Green Dot Launches Government Division
• JetPay Now Offers PaySecure Internet PIN Debit
• Prosper.com Reports Record P2P Lending Growth in the First Quarter of 2011
• Oberthur Technologies Announces Availability of its First MasterCard® M/Chip Advance Product
• NetSpend Selects Actiance's Socialite SaaS Platform to Ensure Compliance and Security of Social Media Channels

On the web:

• Wall Street Journal: Jamie Dimon Has Annoyed Sen. Durbin
• TechCrunch: Processing $500 Million A Year, Payoneer Launches Local Money Transfers
• New York Times: Choosing the Best Credit Card for Travel

Glenbrook's Erin McCune will be speaking at the upcoming Chicago Federal Reserve conference May 19-20 focused on "The New Face of Retail Payments: Markets, Strategies, and Regulations." She'll be discussing social payments and emerging social-mobile payment business models along with panelists from Verifone, PayPal, and VISA. If you haven't registered for the Chicago Fed's 11th Annual Payments Conference you can do so here - but do so soon, as there are limited spaces and the conference is sure to sell out.

BillFloat has announced that it has entered into an agreement with Online Resources Corporation. "Under the strategic agreement, Online Resources will extend its biller-direct suite of electronic bill payment, presentment and receivables solutions by marketing BillFloat as a consumer payment option. BillFloat helps consumers avoid late fees, bank overdraft charges and expensive loans when paying critical bills during a cash flow crunch."

On the wires:

• New Aite Group Report on Biller Direct Technology Vendors
• New Pyramid Study Projects Strong Growth for NFC-Enabled Smartphones
• Bancorp Bank and ACE Commercial Risk Services Launch Prepaid Card to Provide Quick Financial Relief to Customers Impacted by Natural Disasters

On the web:

• AuctionBytes: PayPal on Board with White House 'Trusted Identity' Initiative
• Mobile Commerce Daily: Multiple Mobile Payments Models Evolving, Making an Impact

On the wires:

• Kmart Launches Western Union’s Next Generation of Walk-in Payments Service
• SIX Card Solutions Boosts Global Payment Services with TNS Agreement

On the web:

• TechCrunch: Square’s Disruptive Payment Service About To Get A Huge Retail Boost From Apple
• MasterCard Blog: It’s Time to Get Serious About Mexican Remittances
• Portals and Rails: Can electronification close tax loopholes opened by cash?

Over on our sister blog, Payments Views, Glenbrook's Erin McCune takes a look at Western Union's Small Business Payment Solution, interviewing Brian Harris, Vice President of Marketing and Product Management. This post, entitled "FX for the Little Guy", is the third in a new series of Glenbrook profiles on major players in electronic B2B payments.

AisleBuyer has announced that it has added card capture technology to its roster of mobile retail solutions.

"Card capture is a natural extension of our mobile self-checkout strategy," said Dan Preston, CTO of AisleBuyer. "By enabling payments through computer vision technology, retailers have an easier way for customers to pay, thus increasing customer satisfaction with the shopping experience."

On the wires:

• Chase Card Services to Issue Chip-and-Signature Cards
• Jimdo (Germany) Expands Internationally With Using Zuora
• New Juniper Research Report on the NFC Retail Payments Market

On the web:

• Rethink Wireless: AT&T Launches White Label M-Commerce Platform for Retailers

American Express and Payfone have announced a strategic alliance to create a new global mobile checkout service.

“This alliance brings together Serve’s unified online, mobile and real-world functionality with Payfone’s advanced mobile authorization and payment services to deliver a seamless payment solution,” said Dan Schulman, Group President, Enterprise Growth, American Express. “The alliance is an important next step for the international roll out of Serve. We look forward to working with Payfone as we evolve the Serve platform to provide the most advanced payment solutions for buyers and sellers, while setting new standards in security, simplicity and reliability.”

Fargo has announced that its piloting a Visa-branded EMV card for international travelers.

“U.S. issuers and merchants rely primarily on magnetic stripe technology,” said Eric Schindewolf, vice president of product development for Wells Fargo Consumer Credit Card. “However, many parts of the world have adopted chip-enabled payment cards as a primary means of authentication, which has been problematic for customers who travel abroad and were unable to use their credit card. By combining traditional magnetic stripe along with the EMV chip technology, we hope our customers will have the convenience to use their credit card no matter where they are in the world.”

Visa has announced the global launch of Visa IntelliLink Compliance Management, a web-based solution offering enhanced control, compliance and cost-savings for businesses using commercial card programs.

Visa IntelliLink Compliance Management converts commercial card transaction data into information that card program managers at government agencies and private sector enterprises can use to minimize and deter commercial card misuse, such as using cards for personal expenses. A complement to the Visa IntelliLink product suite, this new service gives organizations a more detailed view of commercial payment program data, complementing existing card management and issuer reporting systems for a 360 degree view of commercial payment solution activity.

On the wires:

• Striata and Payments Gateway Partner to Securely Deliver Property Tax Bills Electronically
• USA Technologies Transaction Processing Volume Growth Continues

On the web:

• Mobile Money to Deliver on the Promise | Merchant Account Industry & Credit Card Processing Blog
• Credit Slips: How Credit Card Companies Get Around the Card Act

New boot camps, new webinars! Glenbrook’s industry education webinars for April, May and June are now open for registration, as are fall boot camps in New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Payments Essentials Webinars - Tuesdays 10:30am - 11:30am PDT, $149

Apr 26, 2011 - Card Acquiring – Vendor Evaluation – A Merchant’s View

May 03, 2011 - Cross Border B2B Payments

May 10, 2011 - Small Business Payments – Best Practices

May 17, 2011 - Prepaid Essentials

May 24, 2011 - Mobile P2P Payments in the U.S.

May 31, 2011 - eCommerce Payments Acceptance – Europe

Jun 07, 2011 - Durbin – Where We Are Now

Jun 14, 2011 - eCommerce Payments Acceptance – Asia

Jun 21, 2011 - Online Wallets, Shopping, and Digital Content

Jun 28, 2011 - Card Essentials

Payments Boot Camps – Two day “deep dive” into the industry, $1995

May 18-19, 2011: Santa Clara, CA - with Scott Loftesness and Carol Coye Benson

Oct 04-05, 2011: Santa Clara, CA - with Scott Loftesness and Carol Coye Benson

Oct 26-27, 2011: New York, NY - with Bryan Derman and Carol Coye Benson

Dec 07-08, 2011: Santa Clara, CA - with Scott Loftesness and Carol Coye Benson