Plink has launched a Facebook Credits-based loyalty program that rewards Facebook members for dining and making purchases at their favorite restaurants and offline retailers.

"Facebook Credits is the missing ingredient that's been needed to connect social media to offline sales," said Peter Vogel, co-founder of Plink. "Now with the 'glue' of Facebook Credits our national restaurant and offline retailer partners have a way to tap into the nearly 800 million users on Facebook, motivate them to become loyal customers, and reward them."

Plink is a new company on Glenbrook's radar screen. For more information, see www.plink.com.

LevelUp has announced a new custom hardware line for merchants. Merchants can sign up for LevelUp (for free) and be up and running in minutes. "Open the box, turn on the T-Mobile terminal, plug it in, and you're connected to the LevelUp nationwide payment network. It's that easy."

Experian Data Breach Resolution and the Ponemon Institute have released survey findings from more than 500 IT professionals who have experienced a data breach at their company.

"The responsibility of keeping customers' information secure cannot lie solely on the shoulders of IT; rather every executive in the organization should be aware since the reverberation of a breach will be felt by everyone," said Ozzie Fonseca, senior director at Experian Data Breach Resolution. "Survey results show us that a data breach is often the result of human error or a crime– neither of which can be 100 percent prevented. As such, companies must put measures in place – training, preparedness plans, guidelines, etc. -- to help protect their customers' information."

FIS, "the world’s largest provider of banking and payments technology", has announced an innovative mobile payments solution that allows consumers to use most smartphones to make purchases at the point-of-sale (POS) and for online shopping.

This cloud-based payment solution is adaptable and secure, requiring only downloadable applications for both consumers and retailers. Importantly, the mobile payments solution can be built into retailers’ and financial institutions’ existing mobile applications, preserving brand equity and strengthening customer loyalty.

CorFire and SNAP (Social Network Appreciation Platform) have announced plans to integrate the SNAP platform into CorFire’s mobile wallet solution, CorPay, and its suite of mobile marketing services, Cor360.

The combined solution will provide a one-stop shop to enable QSRs and other retail segments to connect their m-commerce apps to social networks such as Facebook, Foursquare, and Twitter. Consumers are enabled to post pre-defined messages and check in automatically on their social networks each time they use their mobile merchant-branded payment cards, vouchers, and loyalty cards at the POS. Customers are rewarded with gifts, position on leaderboards and timely offers.

Finsphere has announced an $11.3 million investment led by Vodafone Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Vodafone Group.

"Through strategic relationships with mobile network operators and working with key industry partners, Finsphere enables wireless carriers to help protect their customers," said Mike Buhrmann, CEO of Finsphere. "Finsphere provides a sophisticated analytics platform for the development of non-intrusive identity services to enhance privacy and protect information across all industry segments."

On the web:

• Why Mobile Payments Still Haven’t Revolutionized Retail - VentureBeat
• Personal Finance Platform HelloWallet Raises $12M From Morningstar - TechCrunch
• PayPal Formally Open Home Depot "POS" Pilot Program - PayPal Blog

On the wires:

• American Express Launches Social Media Show + Tell
• Green Dot Will Launch AARP Foundation Prepaid MasterCard
• Payment Data Systems Announces "Debit Only" Payment Product Offering
• Euronet to Deploy ATMs in German Airports, Tourist Hubs and Military Base Locations
• SHAZAM Launches Adaptive Payment's Pentagon Mobile Payment Application
• RushCard Announces Plan to Reduce and Simplify Fees, Enhance Customer Benefits and Help Consumers Achieve Financial Freedom
• Green Dot Acquires Prepaid Processing Assets of eCommLink