Visa has announced a number of enhancements to the Authorize.Net Developer Center, a resource that enables "independent developers to create applications supporting electronic payments and related services for major payment networks including VisaNet." The Developer Center builds on Authorize.Net’s existing platform, which Visa acquired as part of the purchase of CyberSource earlier this year.

Besides an improved developer program, what's new here is a PCI-friendly card acceptance technique called the Direct Post Method. "Because customer billing data posts directly to Authorize.Net without touching the merchant server, the merchant can retain control over the receipting experience without incurring PCI DSS overhead."

CyberSource has announced that its Authorize.Net small business solution will be releasing a new Advanced Fraud Detection Suite (AFDS) - calling it "a robust, rules-based fraud detection system that allows online merchants to identify and handle suspicious transactions using multiple filters, tools and custom settings." READ MORE »

CyberSource has announced that its Authorize.Net small business solution has launched Simple Checkout allowing online merchants to create easy-to-implement 'Buy Now' and 'Donate' buttons. 'Simple Checkout was designed specifically for organizations that rely on donations and specialty merchants that typically sell one item per order.' READ MORE »

CyberSource and Authorize.Net have announced the signing of a definitive agreement for CyberSource to acquire Authorize.Net in a stock and cash transaction valued at approximately $565 million - about a 20 percent premium over the market value of Authorize.Net at the market close last Friday.

Authorize.Net has announced the launch of the Authorize.Net Verified Merchant Seal - designed to confirm to consumers that Web sites displaying the seal are verified Authorize.Net merchants. According to the company, "the seal is available free of charge to Authorize.Net's 158,000 merchants for display on their Web sites to create confidence for consumers who may be concerned about the security of making online purchases."