hi5, a social game platform, has announced the launch of the SocioPay monetization platform designed to maximize revenue for social games.

"SocioPay dynamically determines the optimal monetization solution for every commerce opportunity, including identifying players who are less likely to purchase and offering advertising as an alternative to traditional payment options. The launch of the new SocioPay platform marks the first public release of a robust ad/commerce hybridization model for the social games industry.

VeriFone is urging "aspiring mobile payment service companies to engage with retailers in determining market requirements to enable mobile phone-initiated payments and services at the retail point of sale."

Responding to growing interest from major industry players intent on claiming a stake in emerging mobile commerce opportunities, VeriFone CEO Douglas G. Bergeron articulated key guidelines to ensure that mobile payments don’t follow the path of previous alternative payment schemes that only succeeded in alienating merchants.

The Direct Response Forum (DRF) has announced it will hold its annual forum on Monday August 8th through Wednesday August 10th, 2011 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina. According to the DRF, "This year's Direct Response Forum, Cruising Through Payment Challenges, will provide a variety of educational sessions designed to give direct merchants real-time strategies for streamlining payment processes and cutting costs."

Transport for London (TfL) has announced that by the end of 2012 readers across the whole TfL network will have been upgraded so that a touch of a contactless bank or credit card will allow passengers to pay for travel on the bus, Tube, Docklands Light Railway (DLR), Tram, and London Overground network.

Bankrate's 2nd annual Credit Union Checking Study reveals that free checking accounts are alive and well at many of the nation's top credit unions.

"Bankrate.com found that 96% of the nation's largest credit unions offer a checking account that is free, or can become free with minimal effort," said Greg McBride, CFA, senior financial analyst for Bankrate.com. "Even with continued declines in the prevalence of free checking, it remains within the grasp of most Americans and credit unions are a viable option."

On the wires:

• Every Major National Bank and Credit Union Trade Association Joins to Urge Fundamental Fundamental Revision of Federal Reserve's Debit Card Rule
• Retailers Say Federal Reserve Proposal to Lower Debit Card Swipe Fees Doesn’t Go Far Enough
• Digby Enhances Its Mobile Commerce Software Platform by Adding PayPal Mobile Express Checkout
• Affluent Consumers Are Finding eLayaway a Smarter Way to Plan and Pay
• New Aite Group Report on Trends in Bank-Supported, Business-Initiated Payments
• Wirecard Bank Partners With China UnionPay

On the web:

• SabDesi: PayPal Will Trial Several Payment Systems at Retail This Year
• Visa Blog: Speeding Up P2P Payments with New Visa Service
• Internet Retailer: PayPal Warily Eyes the Fed’s Forthcoming Debit Card Rule

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eBillme has announced that the payment option will now be available on the Discover Network through CardinalCommerce’s Centinel Universal Merchant Platform. As a result of this new partnership, online merchants will now be able to quickly integrate eBillme acceptance with integrated settlement and reporting via the Discover Network.

Intuit has announced that it "has equipped the Girl Scouts of North East Ohio with its GoPayment mobile payment app, including a free Intuit credit card reader, and reduced pricing on transaction fees. GoPayment provides them with an easy and affordable way to process credit card payments on their mobile devices while protecting sensitive credit card information with industry-leading data encryption."

On the wires:

• TNS Launches Enhanced Payment Gateway Service in UK and Ireland
• MoneyGram, Iris Wireless and Globe Telecom Partner to Provide Mobile Top-Up to Philippines
• Paydiant Closes Series A Funding for Mobile Payments Venture
• Zeevex Chosen by Leading Online Game Publishers to Provide Open Virtual Currency Solution
• Zuora’s February ’11 Release Brings Deeper Integration with PayPal and Easy Connections to Third Party Subscription Commerce Systems

On the web:

• Inside Mobile Apps: Are In-App Payments and Facebook Credits on a Collision Course?
• Springwise: Peer-to-Peer Currency Exchange Puts Users in Control
• TechCrunch Europe: SponsorPay Takes Funding from Nokia Growth Partners to Target Mobile
• RFPConnect: NetSpend Unveils iPhone App
• TrialPay Blog: The History of Video Game Monetization

Fortumo has announced a partnership with BilltoMobile that brings direct mobile billing in the US to online game developers in Europe and Asia.

Direct billing has significantly lower transaction fees as compared to Premium SMS, which means that developers will earn more from every transaction. In addition to that direct billing also brings improved security.

Fiserv has announced that Discover Financial Services is now offering electronic bills through the more than 3,000 banks and credit unions in the Fiserv bill payment network. Cardmembers who pay their Discover bill online at their financial institution website will see an icon notifying them that a paperless, electronic version of their bill is now available at that site, and will be able to sign up for the service immediately.

On the wires:

• U.S. Credit Card Delinquencies Fall by More Than 32% Compared to Same Time Last Year
• NetSecure Technologies Introduces Enhanced Endpoint Security Product Suite
• FICO Offers Telrock Mobile Payment Apps to Help Clients Improve Customer Service and Payments
• ACCEL/Exchange Network Sets New Growth Records in 2010
• Authentify Celebrates 10 Years of Providing Phone Based Authentication Services

On the web:

• eMarketer: Mobile Payments Take Hold Around the World
• NPR: Mobile Payments Challenge Credit Cards
• Portals and Rails: Third-party service provider risk and the Unfair and Deceptive Acts and Practices rule
• Square: Square Drops Fixed Component of Swipe Pricing

On the wires:

• Logica signs deal to provide managed fuel cards service for Shell
• Fiserv Delivers Web and Mobile Self-Service Channels for Loan Servicing
• MyCommerce Rolls Out Revamped eCommerce Web Platform

On the web:

• Phone Beta: Deutsche Telekom announced rolling out mobile payments in 2011-2012
• CrunchGear: Video Interview: Boku’s Ron Hirson Describes Their Mobile Payments Service
• CNET: Mobile Phone e-wallets Get Closer to Reality | Mobile World Congress Review