On the web:

• Africa’s Mobile Money Boom - African Business Review
• ACH Transaction Volumes Might Be Headed for a ‘New Normal’ - Digital Transactions
• Bar Code-Based Mobile Payments: Mcommerce’s Newest Darling - Mobile Commerce Daily
• Paying to Play: Planned Isis Fees Rankle Some Issuers - NFC Times
• drchrono Introduces Square Payments for Doctors - BetaKit

On the wires:

• Payments with PayLane Now Available in the UK and Ireland
• Bill.com Introduces Certification Program for Accounting Firms
• Mattersight Announces Fraud Analytics Solution For Call Centers
• Upromise by Sallie Mae Launches New Credit Card Rewards with the Ability to Earn 10% or More Cash Back for College
• Western Union and IBInvestor to Expand Small Business Access to Global Payments Platform
• Brightwell Payments Adds EMV Euro Card to its OceanPay Program

On the web:

• London Oyster Card Chief: NFC Not Ready for Fast-Paced Fare Payment - NFC Times
• Could The BlackBerry Save Mobile Payments? Maybe It’s The Only Thing That Can - StorefrontBacktalk
• Gocardless Opens Up For Dead Simple, Low-Cost Payments In Europe - GigaOM
• Russian Bank To Release Angry Birds Co-Brand Card -The Moscow News

On the wires:

• epay Launches Ria Branded PINless Calling Product
• Gemalto Supports “la Caixa” in Spain’s First Large Scale Deployment of Contactless EMV Payment

On the web:

• Barclays Extends Its Mobile Payments Service Pingit To Corporate Clients

On the wires:

• AJB Guides Petroleum Merchants with EMV Payments
• Restaurants Unlimited Selects CashStar for Digital Gifting
• CSG International Launches New Version of Singleview Charging and Billing Solution
• New Mercator Report on Debit Divergence in Brazil and India

MasterCard has proposed the formation of a cross-industry group designed to foster collaboration and alignment between networks, issuers, merchants, acquirers, processors, terminal manufacturers, card manufacturers and other groups in the implementation of EMV technology in the United States.

“We recognize that this next step toward a world beyond cash has raised a number of questions among our customers from baseline standards to timelines and implications,” said Chris McWilton, president, U.S. Markets, MasterCard. “Industry collaboration has proven to be critical to the successful migration to EMV in other parts of the world. It’s our goal to bring the industry together in an objective forum. This will continue to move the U.S. forward and allow all to gain the maximum advantage from the upgrade to EMV.”

On the web:

• Google Wallet Now Available on Four NFC Handsets - Wired.com
• VeriFone’s SAIL Caught Copying Rival Square’s User Agreement - GigaOM

On the wires:

• VeriFone Media Brings Sky News into London’s Taxis
• ZipZap Launches Cascading Payments Solution for Online Merchants
• SafetyPay Introduces Cash Payment Option for eCommerce Merchants
• MyClear Appoints MOLPay as its Acquirer for Online Merchants (Malaysia)
• Smart Card Alliance Expands Industry Collaboration With Formation of Mobile and NFC Council
• POS Portal to Distribute Ingenico POS Devices for EMV and NFC Mobile Payments
• Wolfram Releases New Computational Software Platform for Finance

On the web:

• Visa Increases 'No-Signature Floor Limits" to $50 - Digital Transactions
• Cooperating Competitors? Yes, When It Comes To Payment Standards - Portals and Rails
• Digital Wallet Battle Heats Up As Visa And MasterCard Enter The Game - TechCrunch
• Wallet, Wallet Everywhere: Making Sense of the Mobile Payment Wars - TIME.com
• Public Apathetic Towards Contactless Payments In UK - Marketing Week
• PayPal’s Key To Winning Mobile Payments: Data - GigaOM
• 10 Ways to Take Credit Cards on your iPhone - MacApper
• 4 Risky Places To Swipe Your Debit Card - Bankrate.com

On the wires:

• New Mercator Report on Mobile Opportunities for Closed-Loop Issuers
• Latest EMVCo Figures Reveal Continued Market Adoption of EMV Technology
• Computer Services Enhances Card Sentry Risk Mitigation with ReD PRISM
• Acculynk Announces Alaska Option Issuers Enabled with PaySecure Internet PIN Debit
• Wright Express Acquires CorporatePay, a Leading Provider of Prepaid Virtual Cards to the U.K. Travel Industry

On the web:

• Best Buy Needs ‘Integrated’ Mobile Plan CIO Report - WSJ.com
• Intuit Acquires M-Payments Provider AisleBuyer - PaymentsSource
• Mobile Card-Processing Machines for Marketers on the Road - New York Times
• Book corner - “Money, Real Quick - The Story of M-PESA” - Tomorrow's Transactions
• Discover extends mobile strategy with new iPad app - Mobile Commerce Daily
• Is mobile the way we'll all be paying? - The Telegraph (UK)
• A Look Into Card Brand Network Enhancements - Litle Blog

On the wires:

• Smart Card Alliance Announces New Certification Training for Payments Industry
• First Data Releases March 2012 SpendTrend
• FIS Launches Prepaid Travel EMV Cards
• Vindicia Expands Usage Billing Support
• U.S. Bank Introduces Ace Rewards Visa Application for iPhone

On the web:

• Swiff Targets Banks With Its Mobile POS Solution (Singapore) - BetaKit
• ThreatMetrix Picks Up $18 Million To Expand Its Fight Against Cybercrime - TechCrunch

On the wires:

• Chase and United Launch United MileagePlus® Club Card
• U.S. Bank Global EMV Corporate Card Hits the Market
• Western Union and PODS Sign Agreement to Deliver National Walk-in Payments Network to U.S. Consumers on the Move

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."

FiTeq Technologies announced the launch of "the first payment card that incorporates an approved EMV payment applet in combination with the FiTeq Energizer Stripe enabling a unique cryptogram (FiTeq Transaction Specific Code) to be created within the magnetic stripe data packet for each transaction."

Gemalto has announced its in-branch Dexxis EMV instant issuance card solution for U.S. banks, designed to "streamline and accelerate EMV migration. Dexxis instant issuance allows banks to immediately issue and activate initial and replacement cards directly at the physical bank branch location, rather than sending personalized cards to end users via postal mail."

Visa announced that U.S. financial institutions have reported issuing an estimated one million Visa-branded, EMV chip-enabled cards as of December 31, 2011.

"Migrating the U.S. market to chip will help build an infrastructure for accepting NFC mobile payments, enhance international acceptance and reduce fraud," said Stephanie Ericksen, head of authentication product integration, Visa Inc. "Since announcing our roadmap last year, we have seen strong interest among U.S. issuers large and small to invest in chip technology, as today's milestone shows. The progress is all the more significant considering that just 18 months ago, there were no Visa-branded EMV contact chip cards issued in the U.S."

Visa also introduced "Visa Chip Services, a suite of new and existing solutions to help issuers implement programs using EMV chip technology, including NFC-based mobile payments."

MasterCard has introduced a "comprehensive" roadmap focused on advancing the U.S. electronic payments system to EMV and dynamic transaction data.

“Consumers deserve a great experience any time they use MasterCard products,” said Ed McLaughlin, Chief Emerging Payments Officer, MasterCard. “As the industry invests in the upgrade to EMV in the U.S., we now have the ability to enhance the consumer experience and the security of a payment, regardless of the device – contactless card, mobile, eCommerce and technologies still to come.”

I Love Velvet, a Mobile POS provider, has announced that "it reached the second level of EMV certification--EMV2--which authorizes PIN and integrated chip (IC) payments from debit, credit and smart cards around the world."

Based on its chip deployment experience in other parts of the world, Visa has released a set of recommended implementation practices customized for the U.S. market. Visa also clarified that its roadmap in the U.S. is about deploying the EMV chip, not mandating the use of PIN.

Visa will continue to support a range of cardholder verification methods (CVMs) with EMV chip, including signature, online PIN and no-signature for low-value, low-risk transactions. In the longer term, we expect the industry will reduce or even eliminate its use of static verification methods, such as signature and PIN in favor of new and dynamic forms of cardholder verification.

The blog post on the Visa guidance is here; the "Visa Recommended Practices for EMV Chip Implementation in the U.S." are here in PDF format.

On the web:

• The Demise of the Branch (for real) - NetBanker
• Mobile Wallet Still Years from Reality in Australia - Marketing Magazine
• Crowdsourced Bank Offers Peer-to-Peer Financial Services (UK) - SpringWise
• AmEx Looks to Broaden Appeal Beyond Credit Cards - MarketWatch

On the wires:

• VeriFone Deployments in Russia Reach 1 Million Milestone
• i2c Experiences Strong Growth as Banks Begin Adopting Prepaid
• New Mercator Report on EMV, NFC and Contactless Deployment in the US
• NetSuite and CyberSource Announce New SuitePayments Options for Australian Business
• Elan Financial Services Acquires $700 Million in Financial Institution Credit Card Portfolios
• Payfirma Exceeds $1 Million Per Day Processing Milestone
• txtNation see fast growth in Direct Operator Billing

Over on Payments Views, Glenbrook's Scott Loftesness takes a look back at payments in 2011.

At Glenbrook, we thrive on thinking about how payments are evolving and how these changes will affect us in the years ahead. In this look back at the important payments themes of 2011, we share a summary of some of our best thinking over the course of 2011 from our PaymentsViews.com web site.

EMVCo has announced publication of a white paper providing an update on its work to securely standardise contactless mobile payments (CMP).

Patricia Partelow, EMVCo Executive Committee Chair, comments: “EMVCo recognises the great potential of using a mobile handset to initiate a payment. At the same time, we acknowledge that this creates new challenges for the payments market that must be resolved to implement a secure, efficient and sustainable infrastructure. EMVCo has been working over the last few years to ensure that its specifications and testing processes meet the requirements of this emerging payment environment and the development of this white paper delivers a full update on the activity. The document also aims to enhance the understanding of EMV technology among CMP industry stakeholders.”

The white paper is free to download from EMVCo’s website.

On the web:

• PayPal Tests New NFC Mobile Payment App in Sweden - MobilePaymentsToday.com
• Isis looks for Mobile Payments Partnerships beyond the US - Rethink Wireless
• Western Union Targets Small Businesses with Payments Portal - American Banker
• InspirePay Launches Online Payment Tool - Boulder County Business Report
• Target To Sell Credit Card Business, Focusing On Core Biz - Forbes
• The Many Flavors of EMV - Portals and Rails

On the wires:

• Citi Expands Global Coverage of Its Commercial Cards Business in Israel
• BillingTree Enlists IP Commerce to Expedite Merchant Boarding Services

On the web:

• French Bank and Carrier Team Up to Bring Mobile Payments to Market - NFC World
• Telefonica Digital and RIM Announce NFC payments Market Trial in Spain - FierceMobileContent
• 3G Direct Pay Ltd (Kenya) to Integrate M-Pesa and Airtel Money - businessdailyafrica.com
• Starbucks Launches Mobile Payments App in UK and Ireland - Marketing Magazine
• Google Engineer Shares 2012 Plans for Google Wallet - American Banker
• Orange expands Money services in Africa - Rethink Wireless
• Visa and Retailers Discuss Chip Migration - NACS Online
• Australian Taxis Now Take China UnionPay - People's Daily Online
• EU Weighs Need For Mobile Payment Rules To Attract Industry Investment - Bloomberg

On the wires:

• Top Card Issuer Takes Online Resources’ Collections Global
• Ink from Chase Enhances Rewards Program for Small Business Cardholders
• Facebook Adds SafetyPay as New Global Payment Option for Facebook Credits
• Skrill (formerly Moneybookers) Offers Skrill World Post

Chase and British Airways have announced that EMV chip-with-signature technology is now available on the British Airways Visa Card.

“The addition of EMV chip-with-signature to the British Airways Visa Card offers cardmembers a higher level of convenience,” said Naney Pandit, general manager, Chase Card Services. “Since most of our cardmembers frequently travel abroad, we want to provide them with benefits that make them feel right at home, no matter where they are. Cardmembers can now use the British Airways Card at any chip-enabled, point-of-sale device, such as train ticket kiosk, restaurant or gas station.”

On the web:

• Updated PayPal Mobile App for Android Featuring P2P NFC Capabilities - PayPal Blog
• In Myeong-dong Shopping District, Mobile Phones Replace Credit Cards - The Korea Herald

On the wires:

• Secure Remote Payment Council White Paper on Secure eCommerce and Mobile Payments
• Bell ID (Netherlands) Launches TSM Software Solutions to Manage NFC Ecosystem Complexity
• GlobalCollect Study Reveals Key Differences in Social and Mobile Gaming in China and Korea
• InteliSpend Prepaid Solutions Expands Offerings in Canada with Universal Visa Prepaid Card
• Delego and YESpay Jointly Provide SAP Customers with a Multi-channel EMV Payment Solution
• Aconite Partners with MK Technology to Distribution Payment Solutions in Vietnam

On the web:

• Mobile Wallets, Contactless Payments Overhyped Say Analysts - American Banker
• Human Kiosks: Serving Customers Through Virtual Engagement - Point of Sale News
• Richard Branson Invests in Square Mobile Payments - Digital Trends
• State of EMV in US - Bank Systems & Technology

On the wires:

• Tabbedout Continues Expansion; Brings Mobile Payment to Seattle
• People’s United Bank Expands Its Relationship with FIS’ Mobile Financial Services
• MasterCard Reports Strong Third Quarter Growth in the Asia/Pacific, Middle East & Africa Region
• CenPOS Launches Mobile Payment App for Smartphones via Android Market

On the web:

• Wal-Mart Benefits From Anger Over Banking Fees - NYTimes.com
• Credit Karma Launches "Hands Free" Account Aggregation - NetBanker

On the wires:

• mopay Upgrades its Mobile Payments Platform with HTML5 Features
• U.S. Bank Implements Secure Vault Payments for FamilySearch International for Online Donations
• Bank of America Merrill Lynch Adds EMV to Commercial Cards for International Travelers
• TNS Launches One-Stop Global GPRS Access Solution for Mobile Terminals across Europe

On the web:

• Google’s NFC Wallet Predicament - NFC Times
• Mobile Payments Arrive on BlackBerry Phones - NFC World
• Understanding the Durbin Amendment: A Fun Timeline InfoGraphic - NerdWallet

On the wires:

• CashStar Secures $12 Million in Funding
• Chase Paymentech Launches Safetech in Canada
• SafetyPay Partners With Brazil’s 6th Largest Bank, HSBC Bank Brazil
• VeriFone Announces H5000 Hybrid Terminal with Swipe, EMV, and NFC Support
• AccountNow Customers Can Conveniently Access MoneyGram’s Global Network While Online
• iSend Passes Milestones on Way to Global Coverage in Cross-Border Electronic Payment Services
• Aconite Launches Mobile Application Management Solution For Secure Elements
• Tru.ly Launches First Ever Age Verification API Based on Government Issued Data
• Paytoo Expands Its Presence in Latin America

On the web:

• Ericsson adds in-app payments to IPX - Rethink Wireless
• Concept: ETRONIKA Kinect Gesture Banking Video - YouTube
• Online Banking Keeps Customers on Hook for Fees - NYTimes.com
• As Payments System Evolves, "funny" Money is Still No Laughing Matter - Portals and Rails
• Roundup of PayPal Announcements from BAI Retail & Delivery Conference - PayPal Blog
• Survey Reveals Small-Bank Jitters About Regulation, Fraud, Rapid Change - Digital Transactions

On the wires:

• Cubic Receives Contactless EMV Bank Card Type Approval for Next-Generation Tri-Reader 3

On the web:

• U.S. Gets to Catch Up On Credit Card Security - The Register Card
• Mobile Interactive Group Acquires Mobile Payments Startup Zaypay - TechCrunch
• FinCEN Delays Compliance With Some Prepaid-Access Regulations - WSJ
• Reviewed: The American Express Gift Card Store and its New eGift Card Option - NetBanker

On the wires:

• IP Commerce Closes $20.7 Million Investment from Intel Capital and Existing Investors
• HSBC Launches BUSINESS without BORDERS for U.S. Companies
• VeriFone Expands International Channels with Hypercom Distributors
• Western Union and TouchNet Team Up to Develop Payment Solutions for Universities & International Students
• Puerto Rico’s Conversion to All Electronic Toll Collection Debuts with Dramatic Results
• Nexon Rolls Out New Karma Koin Cards This Month to Retailers

Citi has announced the launch of the Citi Corporate Chip and PIN card, a compliant smart card designed for U.S. corporate cardholders traveling abroad

"Many of our clients are leading multinational organizations with cardholders that travel extensively,” said Julie Monaco, Head of North America Global Transaction Services, Citi. “They require a payment product that can meet their needs wherever their business takes them and Citi is at the forefront of bringing this product innovation to our commercial card clients."

Visa has announced plans to accelerate the migration to EMV contact and contactless chip technology in the United States. "The adoption of dual-interface chip technology will help prepare the U.S. payment infrastructure for the arrival of NFC-based mobile payments by building the necessary infrastructure to accept and process chip transactions that support either a signature or PIN at the point of sale."

"By encouraging investments in EMV contact and contactless chip technology, we will speed up the adoption of mobile payments as well as improve international interoperability and security," said Jim McCarthy, global head of product, Visa Inc. "As NFC mobile payments and other chip-based emerging technologies are poised to take off in the coming years, we are taking steps today to create a commercial framework that will support growth opportunities and create value for all participants in the payment chain."

On the web:

• Is The Final Durbin Amendment Rule an Impetus for EMV in the US? - Portals and Rails
• Hungarian Mobile Operators form NFC Alliance - NFC World
• Sony Faces Legal Battle as Insurer Denies Liability on Data Breach - The Tech Herald
• FinTech Startups Wield Data and Smarts (see Zipmark Mobile Payments) - Reuters
• Mobile Point of Sale for Restaurants, on iPodTouch and iPhone Devices - Point of Sale News
• SparkBase’s Paycloud Aims To Bring Loyalty Cards To Mobile Phones - TechCrunch

On the wires:

• ParTech Offers VeriFone VeriShield Total Protect for its EverServ QSR POS Software
• Netbiscuits and Admeris Create Mobile Commerce Payment Partnership