Discover Financial Services and Ariba have announced Ariba® Pay™, a new service to be offered by Ariba that the companies say "is expected to transform B2B payments by eliminating paper transactions, providing better visibility into cash flow and producing rich remittance information that improves reconciliation processes for buyers and sellers."

AribaPay will provide a reliable and cost-effective way for buyers to create purchase orders, receive invoices and send payments, while sellers receive more-detailed remittance information – all in a fast, secure, electronic environment.

"Ariba and Discover are seizing the opportunity to digitize a share of the estimated $30 trillion in B2B payments that are still mostly made with paper checks,” said Roger Hochschild, president and chief operating officer for Discover.

“Discover is broadening its network capabilities and infrastructure and choosing diverse business partners like Ariba to move beyond facilitating payments to enabling and improving business commerce.”

On the web:

• India: Oxigen ties up with NPCI to unveil instant remittance service OxiCash for unbanked people - TechCircle.in - "OxiCash is a mobile wallet service through which people can make money transfers to any bank and also receive funds using the IMPS (Immediate Payment Service) platform of the NPCI…"
• Google Wallet chief leaves the company - VentureBeat - "Osama Bedier, the head of Google Wallet is out, according to several sources."
• Gay Bankers, Once Silent, Speak of Progress — and Hurdles - American Banker - "No one should be afraid to come to work every day as who they are, and no one should have to check who they are at the door…"
• PayPal’s John Lunn reveals how online retailers are using consumer data to beat high street stores - The Next Web - "…find out which startups are helping online retailers to maintain this market dominance, and what physical retailers should do next to fight back."
• Why mobile wallets alone will fail - Cyriac Roeding (shopkick CEO) - "The problem with mobile payments is that payment isn't a problem in the shopping world."
• Off The Schneid - AVC - "I've led a new venture investment for USV, which closed a few weeks ago and was announced last night. The company is Coinbase and my blog post announcing the investment is on the USV blog."
• Purchase, Deposit, and Bank from a Smartphone with Paidpiper - Programmable Web - "Paidpiper represents a new player to the field with a slightly different value proposition over some of its competitors."
• CardFlight Partners With Stripe And Launches SDK To Become The ‘Stripe Of Real-World Payments’ - TechCrunch - "Enter CardFlight, which is launching with an encrypted, Square-like card reader of its own, as well as an SDK and APIs that will allow developers to create apps and take “card-present” payments on their mobile apps."
• EMV Takes Center Stage on Day Two of THE Tech EVENT - Convenience Store News - "Several speakers stressed in today’s standing-room-only session that EMV is a set of guidelines, not standards."
• Prepaid Cards for Jobless Benefits - The Members Group - "…42 states in the U.S. now direct deposit monthly unemployment benefits to out-of-work consumers on reloadable prepaid cards…"
• Discover Card's Email Balance Alert is a Thing of Beauty - NetBanker - "The message is nicely laid out with plenty of white space and it's chock full of links to get more information."

On the wires:

• MasterCard to Power Nigerian Identity Card Program - "This program is the largest roll-out of a formal electronic payment solution in the country and the broadest financial inclusion initiative of its kind on the African continent."
• Wells Fargo Adds Bankers, Launches New Secured Credit Products to Help More Small Businesses - "Wells Fargo’s new Business Secured Credit Card also helps new businesses establish and rebuild business credit…"
• Tabbedout and Future POS Expand Partnership to Bring Unrivaled Merchant Marketing Solution to All Future Fusion Merchants - "This new partnership means that the Tabbedout merchant marketing solution, Periscope, is now available in the 4,000+ Future POS merchant locations that use the Future Fusion software in their restaurants, bars, and hotels…"
• Elavon Names Simon Haslam President and Chief Executive Officer - "Simon’s experience and passion for growth and innovation make him the best individual to lead Elavon as we continue to extend our global reach and the value we deliver to our customers."
• Barclays Uses Nuance Voice Biometrics to Identify Customers by the Sound of their Voice - "No longer will customers need to answer intrusive security questions in order to verify their identity. By simply speaking with an agent, a customer’s voice is verified using Nuance voice biometrics technology, making the authentication process quick, secure and transparent."

Discover Financial Services has announced another partnership with a regional payment network - partnering with Network International, a payment solutions provider in the Middle East and promoter of the newly launched Mercury domestic card network.

The alliance will allow acceptance of Mercury Network Cards on Discover, Diners Club International and PULSE networks for international purchases and cash access outside of U.A.E.

“This alliance is another example of Discover’s flexibility, unique positioning in the market and ability to support and encourage domestic payment networks around the world,” said Diane Offereins, EVP and President of Discover Payment Services.

"By partnering with regional payment networks such as Network International, Discover is able to leverage its assets to grow volume and increase brand awareness in places like the U.A.E., one of the fastest growing economies in the world. We’re also providing our partners with customized solutions to help them achieve global reach and address localized preferences."

Discover has announced that it has signed contracts with 50 merchant acquirers to help extend PayPal’s in-store acceptance to more than 2 million merchant outlets by the end of 2013. The relationship between PayPal and Discover to expand PayPal's acceptance was announced last August.

“With the signing of 50 merchant acquirers to date, we are well on our way toward helping PayPal reach its goals of acceptance at millions of physical locations in the U.S.,” said Diane Offereins, president of payment services at Discover.

“Our relationship represents the unique abilities we have to leverage our payments assets and infrastructure to work with emerging payments leaders like PayPal, and we’re proud of the progress we’ve made in such a short time.”

In a blog post this morning, PayPal's Don Kingsborough, VP of Retail Servicess, announced the expansion of PayPal's participation payments made at physical point of sale merchant locations.

Today, we are pleased to share the news that through our collaboration with Discover, we have expanded our presence from 20,000 locations in the U.S. to more than a quarter of a million. By the end of 2013 we expect to be in more than 2 million locations.

On Twitter (follow us: @paymentsnews):

Banks,merchants,3rd parties all want to control mobile wallet experience. Don't consumers want to control their own experience?#PAYMENTS2013

— gschmeltzer (@gschmeltzer) April 23, 2013

Metaphor of the day: USAA exec compares MCX to the boat in "Life of Pi" #payments2013

— Aaron McPherson (@aaronmcpherson) April 23, 2013

Why can't the US have an FPS? They have laser beams and transistors and things don't they, same as us? #NACHA

— Dave Birch (@dgwbirch) April 23, 2013

50+% of all deposits are via mobile says Andrew Collins from USAA #payments2013 @chyppings

— Lanny Byers (@lannybyers) April 23, 2013

On the web:

• How Not to Install an ATM Skimmer - Krebs on Security - "Experts in the United States and Europe are tracking a marked increase in ATM skimmer scams."
• Macworld’s Transcript of Tim Cook’s Remarks on Today’s Earnings Call - Daring Fireball - "So he’s not talking about a new iPad or iPhone, he’s talking about an entirely new leg on the stool."
• Apple's Tim Cook on Mobile Payments: 'It's In Its Infancy' - MacRumors - "While he didn't address the topic directly, he did note that the mobile payments were "just getting started" and still "in its infancy."
• Payment Platform Startup ZooZ Raises $2M Series A To Add Product Functionality & Build Global Presence - TechCrunch - "The startup says that its user-friendly checkout platform helps prevent cart abandonment by frustrated mobile shoppers." (Zooz website)
• Passbook is standard for mobile wallets: Sumotext exec - Mobile Commerce Daily - "What I do like [about Apple] is that they didn’t wait for all of the payment stuff to shake out…"
• How Apple and Amazon Will Shape Mobile Payments - Bank Systems & Technology - "Although Apple already has a bridgehead into the payments business thanks to iTunes, experts seem to think Apple will refrain from entering the mobile payments business."

On the wires:

• The Center for Financial Services Innovation Awards $2.5 Million to Promote Financial Capability - "The eight organizations funded this year offer fresh perspectives on the industry’s efforts to foster positive financial behavior and provide concrete mechanisms for meeting consumer needs in new ways…"
• U.S. Bank Employees Testing Voice Command Feature on FlexPerks Visa Mobile App - "…allows U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Travel Rewards Visa Signature® customers to use their voice to view account balances, search transactions and make a payment on their accounts in the FlexPerks mobile app."
• ROAM Launches ROAMPay™ X4 - a new Mobile Point of Sale Application - "ROAMpay X4 is designed to help businesses of all sizes and geographies extend their traditional point of sale infrastructure onto Android and iOS-based smartphones and tablets."
• Vindicia and GlobalCollect help digital media distributors extend reach internationally
• Discover Financial Services Reports First Quarter Net Income of $673 Million or $1.33 Per Diluted Share - "Discover delivered strong profitability and growth in the first quarter, which combined with our outlook allowed us to increase our dividend by 43%..."
• Chase Sapphire Preferred Gives Cardholders New Reason to Celebrate Fridays - "The First Friday Favorites Facebook app, now available on Chase Sapphire’s Facebook page, allows consumers to interact with top restaurant lists in 17 U.S. cities by making reservations directly through OpenTable…"
• Fiserv Introduces Processing Services for Positive Pay and Account Reconciliation Solution - "ARP/SMS from Fiserv allows for immediate correction and updating of transactions as well as files and reports for real-time positive pay reporting, helping corporate customers gain tighter control over disbursements."
• ACI Worldwide Completes Expansion of Online Banking from the Desktop to the Mobile Device - "The solution delivers features to iPhone and Android smartphones previously limited to the desktop including personal financial management tools, integrated bill payment and account-to-account transfers."
• VeriFone Helps China PnR Address Growing Payments Complexity with POS Estate Managed Services Contract

On the web:

• CMU students show fingerprints may be way to buy - "With PayTango, a swipe of the finger links users' personal information to their credit or debit card in less than 15 seconds, making for a quick and easy-to-use system."
• Do Cyberattacks Threaten Confidence in Our Payment Systems? - FRB Atlanta Retail Payments Risk Forum
• Atlanta a Key Talent and Business Market for Square's Payments Business - MidtownPatch - "The company, which launched its Atlanta presence by hiring eight former Google Inc. engineers, expects to have a staff of 35 infrastructure engineers and customer support staff by the end of the year."
• Alipay Launches Sound Wave Mobile Payments System In Beijing Subway - Techcrunch - "Alipay has launched a new payment system in the Beijing subway that uses sound waves to connect smartphones with ticketing machines."
• American Express mobile advertising campaign generates 95pc view-to-completion rate - Mobile Commerce Daily - "A big part of American Express’ mobile and digital initiatives center around narrative storytelling, from both marketing and consumer perspectives."
• The real cause of the Bitcoin bubble and burst - Financial Services Club Blog - "Bitcoin is an experiment. Treat it like you would a promising Internet start-up company: Maybe it will change the world, but recognize that investing your money or time in new ideas is always risky."
• Consultation on a new payments regulator for the UK - Consult Hyperion's Tomorrow's Transactions Blog - "Will PayCom work? It's impossible to say, since I don't know what it is supposed to do."
• Will Bitcoins make you rich? - Sydney Morning Herald - "…indeed, I don't care at all for Bitcoin as a currency. Instead, I wanted to buy Bitcoins as pure, shameless speculation. I wanted a chance to ride a rocket ship."

On the wires:

• Discover Card Leads the Way in Customer Loyalty for the 17th Consecutive Year - "Discover has managed to create the highest levels of loyalty by leveraging real, emotional category values…"
• UL first lab selected to provide testing for mPOS solutions for the Visa Ready Partner Program - "UL was selected as the first lab to guide mPOS solution providers who want to ensure their products are ‘Visa Ready’ through all of the certification processes required by Visa."

The Secure Remote Payment Council has announced that the ten debit network members of its Chip and PIN Workgroup have agreed to adopt a common debit application identifier (AID) and will work with Discover Financial Services to license its D-PAS as the foundation of a common debit card EMV solution in the U.S.

"We are honored to have been chosen by the SRPc Chip and PIN Workgroup and feel that the strength of Discover's D-PAS technology, coupled with our universal and choice-centric EMV approach, will enable the market to move forward," said Diane Offereins, President of Payment Services at Discover. "Discover has deployed D-PAS for the past four years and already has millions of cards in market among international issuers. We are confident it is the right path forward for U.S. debit networks."

Visa and MasterCard are not part of the SRPC Chip and PIN Workgroup.

On the web:

• Payments Company Stripe Makes First Acquisition, Buys Kickoff - TechCrunch
• PayPal Launches Next Generation Developer Tools Mobile Payments - PayPal Blog
• Payments Startups Take The Data, Design And Development Route To Reengineer The Credit-Card Business - TechCrunch
• Retailer Sues Visa Over $13 Million 'Fine' for Being Hacked - Wired.com
• The ATM: Disappearing Soon from a Location near You? - Portals and Rails

On the wires:

• Elavon Launches Mobile Innovation Center
• Western Union Continues Mobile App Expansion
• Early Warning Advances Mobile Banking by Reducing the Threat of Duplicate Deposit Fraud
• Discover Announces International Alliance with Nigeria’s Interswitch Limited
• Fiserv Multiplies Consumer Mobile Payment Options by Combining P2P Payments and Mobile Banking
• FirsTech Accelerates Electronic Payments Growth With the Fusion Bill Pay Platform
• Earthport Signs American Express for its Cross-Border Payments Service
• Net Element International to Acquire Unified Payments

On the web:

• Coinstar Expands Rollout Of Its PayPal-Powered, Coin-Counting Kiosks - TechCrunch
• Samsung Imitates Apple Passbook With New Wallet App Without NFC - Forbes

On the wires:

• 19 mPOS Solutions Achieve MasterCard Best Practices Certification
• Discover Extends Direct Banking Reach with Launch of Cashback Checking Accounts
• Western Union Certifies Ericsson’s Wallet Platform for Mobile Money Transfers
• Mastercard Launches Its First NFC Payment Project in Latin America
• VeriFone and SK C&C Team On Mobile Wallet Acceptance

On the web:

• In Sweden, In-Store Mobile Payments Lag - eMarketer
• FTC Report: Small Banks Aren’t Hurt by Debit Fee Limits - NACS Online
• Coinstar Kiosk Turn Your Gift Cards Into Cash - The Columbus Dispatch
• Credit Card Histories Analyzed To Offer Personal Deals - Springwise

On the wires:

• Discover Launches Game-Changing New “it” Credit Card
• Trust One Payment Services Is Purchased by Charge Payment, LLC
• Signifyd Raises $2 Million in Seed Financing to Deliver Frictionless Payment Validation

Discover Financial Services has reported financial results for the fourth quarter 2012. "The company said card sales volume grew 6% from the prior year to $26.5 billion. Credit card loans ended the quarter at $49.6 billion, up 6%, from the prior year. The delinquency rate for credit card loans over 30 days past due was 1.86%, an improvement of 53 basis points from the prior year, and a seasonal increase of 5 basis points from the prior quarter. The credit card net charge-off rate improved to 2.29% for the fourth quarter of 2012, down 95 basis points from the prior year, and 14 basis points from the prior quarter."

In the App Stores:

• Discover Mobile App Now Uses Passbook to Redeem Cashback Bonuses

On the web:

• Starbucks Rolls Out Limited, $450 Gift Card - USA Today
• S Starbucks Mobile Vets Get $10M For CARDFREE Mobile Payments Tool - GigaOM
• ORCC Jumps On The Mobile Bill Payment Bandwagon - MobilePaymentsToday.com
• Jumio bags 20 new identity and payment verification clients in US and Europe - Pando Daily
• How Coinstar’s New Kiosks Puts Change Right In Your PayPal Account (Video) - VentureBeat
• FinCEN, Federal Reserve Seek Comments on Bank Secrecy Act Definitions - JDSupra
• Balanced Is In A Dogfight For Peer-To-Peer Marketplace Payments - Pando Daily
• Rakuten Rolls Out 'Smartpay' Mobile POS Solution in Japan - Tech In Asia

On the wires:

• Digital River World Payments to Provide European Payments Services for Skullcandy
• Bill.com Now Available for Over 4 Million Small Businesses Using Intuit QuickBooks
• Virtual Piggy Signs Agreement With WorldPay To Expand Global Support

On the web:

• E-Z Pass Payments For Tolls, Parking, And Big Macs? - Fast Company
• Google Acquires Incentive Targeting To Improve Its Couponing Service - IntoMobile
• Apple Introduces Variable Cost iTunes Gift Cards to Third Party Retailers - 9to5Mac
• CFPB Modifies Remittance Disclosure and Error Resolution Rules - Portals and Rails
• Dwolla Launches eCheck-based Guest Checkout Option For Merchants - TechCrunch
• Discover Testing "Pay By Touch" Fingerprint Payments - chicagotribune.com

On the wires:

• Pageonce Enhances Mobile Bill Pay Service
• Intuit Launches Mobile Payments Pilot in the U.K.
• Adyen Announces European Availability of Chip & PIN Mobile POS Solution
• WEX and CashStar Partner to Provide eGift Card Services in Australia and New Zealand
• “la Caixa” launches its TAP Visa contactless payment stickers in Barcelona
• Sam’s Club to Sell PayAnywhere Mobile Payment System
• CorFire Expands Into United Kingdom

Discover has announced the next milestone in its global EMV deployment: a comprehensive strategy and roadmap that includes Discover Network, Diners Club International, PULSE and Discover Card.

“Our timeline to support chip-based credit and debit transactions, in addition to our Fraud Liability Shift policy, are critical milestones to helping make EMV a reality in the U.S.,” said Diane Offereins, President of Payment Services at Discover. “As with the Discover mandate announced earlier this year, our approach to EMV enables participants to select verification methods and transaction types that meet their organization’s needs.”

Discover Financial Services has reported financial results for the third quarter 2012. The company said card sales volume grew 4% from the prior year to $27.2 billion. Credit card loans ended the quarter at $48.1 billion, up 4%, or $1.9 billion, from the prior year. Credit card loan delinquencies and net charge-offs reached historic lows with a delinquency rate for loans over 30 days past due of 1.81% and a net charge-off rate of 2.43%.

On the web:

• Square To Sell Card Readers At AT&T Stores - Reuters
• ‎Quiet During the Wallet Wars, Visa Readies V.me for a Year-End Rollout - Digital Transactions
• Square Clone Payleven Hits UK, Brazil, Confirms Double-Digit Million Funding - VentureBeat
• Pointing to the Future: Biometrics Crucial for Data Protection - Portals and Rails
• Walmart Tests iPhone App Checkout Feature - Reuters

On the wires:

• mopay Study Reveals Consumers’ Spending Behavior Via Direct Carrier Billing
• Western Union Launches International Business Payments Services in Chile, Cyprus and Jordan
• Discover Financial Services and Russian Standard Bank Announce Discover Card Issuance in Russia

PayPal has announced an extension of its offline strategy by teaming up with Discover to bring PayPal to more than 7 million merchant locations across the U.S.

"We couldn't be more thrilled to work with Discover. This relationship quickly extends PayPal's reach to millions of merchant locations nationwide and is a milestone moment for us that will create new benefits for Discover merchants without requiring new hardware or software,” said Don Kingsborough, PayPal’s Vice President of Retail. "This relationship will deliver a truly seamless digital wallet, available most places consumers shop offline, which offers the speed, simplicity and security already enjoyed by 113 million active PayPal customers online."

Rollout to merchants will launch in April 2013.

Discover has announced Discover announced that it is partnering with Google to allow its cardmembers to save their credit card directly into Google Wallet by logging into the online Account Center at discover.com/googlewallet.

“Our cardholders regularly use their Discover card to make purchases and payments online, in-store and now more frequently through their mobile devices,” said Sanjay Gosalia, Director of Mobile at Discover. “By offering the ability to join Google Wallet through our Account Center, Discover is providing our cardmembers with even greater flexibility and convenience when it comes to paying for their purchases.”

"We’re excited to partner with Discover to make it even easier for cardmembers to pay for their purchases,” said Robin Dua, Head of Product Management, Google Wallet. “By providing a simple way for cardholders to securely add their credit card to Google Wallet directly from the Discover website, we’re extending the opportunity to pay with Discover through Google Wallet at hundreds of thousands of merchants."

Google says that Discover is the first issuer to launch an implementation of its new Save to Wallet API for Payment Cards.

Diners Club, a business unit of Discover, and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the largest credit card issuer in China, have announced plans to bring the first full Diners Club International franchise to China.

“As the world’s largest card market with 3.1 billion cards in circulation, China is critically important to us as we continue to expand our global footprint,” said Diane Offereins, EVP and President of Payment Services at Discover Financial Services. “ICBC’s well-respected brand, successful banking operations and significant influence in China make them an attractive partner for us, and we believe their customers will benefit from the international network and services that Diners Club provides.”

ICBC will be responsible for both developing the Diners Club brand in China and running an issuing and acquiring business.

Discover has announced it has joined together with RewardsPay, Inc. a consumer payment service, to provide cardmembers the ability to use Cashback Bonus to make online purchases for Apple iTunes, Facebook codes and at Disney’s Club Penguin.

“Giving Discover cardmembers the ability to pay for purchases directly with their Cashback Bonus is a simple, straightforward way for us to enhance their redemption experience,” said Dana Traci, vice president of rewards at Discover. “As we have seen with our successful Amazon partnership, where Discover cardmembers can pay with Cashback Bonus at point-of-sale on Amazon.com, consumers appreciate the ability to spend their Cashback Bonus on items they want at any time, offering them even greater control of how they choose to use their rewards.”

On the web:

• PayPal Acquires card.io - PayPal Blog
• Visa May Be Helped by WTO Ruling on Chin - Businessweek
• How Cell Phones Are Bringing Rural Africans Into the Modern Economy - The Atlantic
• Merchants Consider Credit Card Surcharges or Cash Discounts - NYTimes.com

On the wires:

• Monitise Releases Unaudited Trading Update
• ROXO Adds Virtual Piggy as Payment Solution
• Ogone Acquires Tunz.com and Becomes Licensed e-Money Institution in EU
• Adyen Announces Availability of A/B Testing of Payment Pages
• Discover Card Now Accepted at Neiman Marcus Stores
• New Aite Group Report on How Remittance Details Arrive
• Commonwealth Bank (Australia) to Revolutionize the POS experience with Pi
• LevelUp Mobile Payments Launch in Colorado at Fast-Casual Chain Larkburger
• Western Union Enables Acceptance of Indian Rupee Tuition Payments
• Pacific Pride Launches New Universal Card Program for its Fuel Marketers
• Angry Birds Creator Selects Braintree’s Payments Platform

Discover Financial Services has reported financial results for the second quarter 2012. The company said Discover card sales volume grew 5% from the prior year to $26.1 billion. Credit card loans ended the quarter at $46.6 billion, up 4%, or $1.6 billion, from the prior year. Credit card loan delinquencies and net charge-offs reached historic lows with a delinquency rate for loans over 30 days past due of 1.91% and a net charge-off rate of 2.79%.

On the web:

• Groupon Acquires POS Start Breadcrumb to Connect with Local Restaurants - VentureBeat
• PayPal InStore App: Use your PayPal Account on the High Street (UK) - Shiny Shiny
• Banks Tacking Fees On To Campus Debit Cards (video) - MSNBC.com

On the wires:

• Discover and Ducks Unlimited Announce New Affinity Card
• i2c and KargoCard Announce Partnership to Power Prepaid, Mobile Payments and Loyalty Solutions in China
• Risk Office from Fiserv: Helping Clients Reduce Dollar Fraud Losses by an Average of 40%
• Acculynk and National Payments Corporation of India Announce Internet PIN Debit Partnership
• WorldPay Launches Advanced RFI and Chargeback Management Platform
• Planet Payment Acquires Branded Payment Solutions Ltd (Ireland)
• Cellum Introduces MasterCard Mobile Wallet (Hungary)

On the web:

• Starbucks apps account for 42M mobile payments - VentureBeat
• NCR Rivals PayPal As Square's Scariest Competitor - Fast Company
• PayPal’s VP of Product Sam Shrauger Resigns - All Things D
• What AmEx start-up initiative is seeking to fund - Vator News
• Fandango’s growth in mobile helps propel 127pc jump in ticket sales - Mobile Commerce Daily
• "The potential here is for mobile money to be “more” than a card on the phone." - Credit Slips
• UICCU Employs Updated Zip Code Strategy to Fight Fraud - The Members Group blog
• Peter Thiel's CS183: Startup - Class 1 Notes Essay - Blake Masters
• Peter Thiel's CS183: Startup - Class 1 Notes Essay - Blake Masters

On the wires:

• Discover Jumps into Spring with More Cashback Bonus® and Rewarding Experiences

BilltoMobile announced that it is entering into a marketing agreement with Discover which will enable the two companies to drive market-leading innovation and value in the rapidly-evolving digital goods, mCommerce, and mobile payments space.

The partnership with Discover is a significant milestone for BilltoMobile and validates its leadership position in the marketplace. Jim Greenwell, BilltoMobile's CEO commented, "This agreement with Discover enables BilltoMobile to better serve our consumers, merchants and carrier partners. Our product offering will expand as will the ability to serve marquee digital merchants."

Discover Financial Services has reported financial results for the first quarter 2012. The company said Discover card sales volume grew 7% from the prior year to $25.6 billion, primarily driven by an increase in the number of customers using their Discover card. Credit card loans increased, ending the quarter at $45.9 billion, up $1.6 billion from the prior year. The delinquency rate for credit card loans over 30 days past due declined to 2.22% and the credit card net charge-off rate declined to 3.07%, each of which were record lows.

Discover announced it is implementing a 2013 EMV mandate for acquirers and direct-connect merchants in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. "This industry alignment will streamline certification and deployment efforts and enable a manageable transition for all parties involved, including issuers, merchants and acquirers."

Discover Financial Services has announced it has expanded its franchise agreement with Diners Club Ecuador (DCE) to include issuance of Discover cards in Ecuador. This is the first time in company history that Discover cards will be issued beyond U.S. borders.

On the web:

• Making Plastic Credit Cards Smarter at SXSW - CardSpring
• Isis’ campaign to win over consumers starts at SXSW
• Can Banks Avoid Being Friends with Facebook?
• 63 Minutes With Jack Dorsey
• No wallet? No problem. PayPal Now Available Through the Tabbedout Mobile App
• Luxury Daily: Are retailers ready for mobile payments?
• How mobile payments might drive health behavior change
• Apple Wins Patent for iWallet: The one that will rule the World
• AMEX’s new Twitter integration is “brilliant” marketing
• On the mobile payments front at MWC: Much ado about nothing
• Clover Raises $5.8M From Andreessen Horowitz; Launches As A One-Click Mobile Payments Platform
• 15M Facebook users bought virtual goods with Credits in 2011
• Virtual Currency Is The Next Big Platform
• Best Buy snags Starbucks tech guru

On the wires:

• Green Dot to Acquire Loopt
• Discover Financial Services and National Payment Corporation of India Announce Strategic Alliance Enabling Increased Network Acceptance