Visa has announced a new service, 'Visa Merchant Data Secure with Point-to-Point Encryption', that will be marketed through acquirers in early 2013 to merchants.

"Merchants large and small have expressed an interest in encryption as a way to protect cardholder data in their payment systems and simplify their security protocols," said Ellen Richey, Chief Enterprise Risk Officer, Visa Inc. "Since encrypted data can't be used to commit fraud, Visa's point-to-point encryption solution can significantly reduce the risk and impact of data compromises."

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

On the wires:

• Compass Plus Introduces TranzWare Online Universal Payment Gateway to Speed Interface Development
• NetSpend Selects Actiance's Socialite SaaS Platform to Ensure Compliance and Security of Social Media Channels
• Magellan Navigates to Merchant e-Solutions for Payment Processing Services
• GearHost Selects Host Merchant Services for Credit Card Processing
• FiftyOne Partners With DHL to Deliver Superior Global eCommerce Experience
• New Aite Group report on eCommerce Hosting Providers
• Fifth Third Processing Solutions Expands Suite of Security Solutions
• eBillme Delivers 50% Lift in Consumer Acquisition at Mwave

On the web:

• ReadWriteWeb: Google and Ingenico to Develop NFC-based Mobile Coupons
• Bank Technology News: Bulls Run Wild for Mobile Payments
• Rethink Wireless: Nokia Enlists Angry Birds to Drive NFC

Chase Paymentech has announced the launch of Safetech™ Fraud and Security Solutions, a new suite of services designed to protect online merchants from fraud and POS merchants from data breaches.

“Chase Paymentech is wise to bring together these much needed solutions to their merchants,” said Carol Coye Benson, managing partner at Glenbrook Partners. “We now live in a world where managing risks associated with payment fraud and data security is part of the daily routine for merchants everywhere. By closely integrating these tools with the payment processing work streams, the Safetech approach makes the process more efficient.”

Headline News is compiled by Glenbrook Partners:

• Fiserv Delivers Retail Online: New Name, New Features for eCom Internet Banking Clients
• Cartera Commerce and Vesdia Announce Merger
• McKeever’s Price Chopper is First To Market With WorldPay’s E2E Encryption Solution

• Wall Street Journal: The Hazards of Using Cards Abroad
• iStockAnalyst: China 2010 Cross-Bank Card Transactions Up 46% YoY According to China UnionPay
• VentureBeat: Kabbage Raises $6.65M to Kick-Start Online Sellers with a Cash Advance
• Los Angeles Times: Small Town Launches Its Own Stimulus Effort: a Local Currency

Headline News is compiled by Glenbrook Partners:

• Braintree Launches Card-Not-Present End-to-End Encryption Solution
• First Paid Healthcare Solutions Now Available in Puerto Rico
• MasterCard and Gemalto Partner on Global Card Replacement Services
• First Data Consolidates Operations and Management of its Business

• CUinsight: New Era Begins for NACHA Operating Rules and Guidelines
• NetBanker: Google Launches More Financial Product Comparison Pages: Savings Accounts, Checking, CDs, and Mortgages
• CNNMoney: U.S. Treasury Launches Tax Refund Prepaid Debit Card
• PayPal Blog: PayPal Opens New Customer Support Center in Malaysia
• BAI Banking Strategies: Leveraging ATMs for the ‘Bank of Mom and Dad’

Two payment-related themes are emerging from NRF conference being held this week in New York: POS encryption/tokenization and mobile payments acceptance. For retailers, end-to-end encryption and tokenization are all about reducing PCI scope:

• Heartland's End-to-End Encryption Solution Reduces PCI Scope by up to 69% for Merchants
• BevMo! Retail Chain Reduces PCI Scope with VeriFone’s VeriShield Protect
• Fifth Third Processing Solutions and MTXEPS Partner to Support ServerEPS Encryption Solutions
• Ingenico and Merchant Link Partner on Point-to-Point Encryption and Tokenization Solution

• VeriFone Announces PAYware Mobile Enterprise Solution and Services for Large Retailers
• GoPayment Gives Small Businesses Free Credit Card Reader and No Monthly Service Fees
• Xsilva Systems Demonstrates that Mobile Point of Sale is Accessible to Retailers of all Sizes

First Data has announced that "more than 100,000 U.S. merchants of all sizes are now securely processing transactions with the First Data TransArmor solution. The revolutionary payment security service became publicly available a mere three months ago after the successful completion of a merchant trial testing the solution."

RSA has announced the general availability of the RSA Data Protection Manager, which "combines tokenization and application encryption, two popular application-based controls, with advanced token and key management to deliver end-to-end data security." RSA tokenization technology is currently used with partners like First Data Corporation and VeriFone to secure payment card data.

VeriFone and RSA have announced a partnership to market an integrated offering combining their respective end-to-end encryption and tokenization solutions for secure card processing. The new offering, branded VeriShield Total Protect, will provide a consistent, consolidated approach to protecting payment card data from end-to-end, both pre- and post-authorization.

The PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) has announced the availability of separate guidance papers on the use of end-to-end (E2E) encryption and EMV technologies in a payment card data environment. The documents are intended to provide the market with greater clarity on how these two specific technologies relate to the PCI Security Standards and impact PCI DSS compliance.

Headline News is brought to you by Glenbrook Partners:

• Norkom Technologies Partners with MasterCard to Offer Enhanced Fraud Management Services for Issuers
• fring Chooses Gate2Shop Payment Solution to Power its VoIP Platform
• Wells Fargo Triples Its Remittance Payout Locations in the Philippines
• Voice Commerce and Alcatel-Lucent Mobile Wallet Service Team up on Mobile Money
• Western Union Receives Commercial Bank and Foreign Exchange Brokerage Firm License Approvals in Brazil
• 5,100 Merchants Deploy Heartland's End-to-End Encryption Security Solution
• TSYS Signs Agreement with Cynergy Data
• TellerMetrix Remote Capture Software Now Depositing 5 Million 'Checks' Annually
• New Javelin Study on Direct‐to‐Consumer U.S. Identity Protection Market
• EZCheck Adds Gift and Loyalty Card Programs to its Suite of Services
• Barclays Leads the Way by Providing Bank Accounts to Prisoners

• Business Computing World (UK): PCI-DSS: What It Means And Why Your Business Should Care
• Digital Money Blog: Dave Birch on Proliferating Mobile POS Standards
• Asheville Citizen-Times: Update on Asheville Currency Project

Headline News is brought to you by Glenbrook Partners:

• TrustCommerce Integrates With Leading Healthcare Billing Statement Provider
• WISePay: A New Mobile Payment System for Unbanked and Underbanked Populations
• WilliamPaid Launches Express Online Rent Payment Application for Landlords
• New Mercator Report on End-to-End Encryption

• Mass Transit Magazine: What's New in Transit Payments
• SFGate.com: Everything You Need To Know About Credit Card Rates
• Bank Info Security: POS System Breached?
• Portals and Rails: Could the Fight Against ATM fraud use the Help of Biometrics?

ID TECH and Voltage Security have announced that ID TECH will be implementing Voltage-powered end-to-end encryption capability with its POS financial transaction products including magnetic stripe, smart and contactless card readers, POS keyboards, signature capture devices, and secure PIN entry products. ID TECH products are used by NCR, Micros, HP, Red Box, Motorola and Ticketmaster to drive their payment solutions.

VeriFone recently announced that it is increasing its emphasis on end-to-end encryption solutions with the acquisition of encryption leader Semtek. VeriFone previously invested in Semtek’s equity funding. The acquisition, effective immediately, enables VeriFone to integrate the development, sales, implementation, and support of end-to-end encryption products into the existing VeriFone organization.

Additionally, VeriFone is offering royalty-free software licenses to device manufacturers and payment processors to further spur market adoption.

Elavon has announced that Semtek and Voltage Security have been selected to include end-to-end encryption capabilities in its acquiring and gateway solutions.

Elavon says its "implementation is unique in that it has chosen to deliver both hardware and software-based technologies and stands ready to support additional end-to-end encryption technologies as they mature—allowing merchants to choose the security solution that best fits their needs today and in the future." READ MORE »

The Secure POS Vendor Alliance (SPVA), a non-profit business organization founded by Hypercom, Ingenico and VeriFone has announced the release of its End-to-End Encryption Security Requirements related to payment card data in payment card reading devices. The paper is targeted to vendors of POS devices and is intended to help create "widespread understanding of payment security issues and the adoption of best practices." READ MORE »

Heartland Payment Systems has announced the commercial launch of its new payment card security technology. According to the company, "Heartland has spent more than two years developing and ten months beta testing and iteratively improving this end-to-end encryption technology — called E3™ — that is designed to protect cardholder credit and debit card data, rendering scrambled data useless to cybercriminals." READ MORE »

Javelin has announced a new report titled "End-to-End Encryption, Tokenization, and EMV in the US: Vendor Analysis of Emerging Technologies and Best Hybrid Solutions" that "assesses the capabilities of end-to-end encryption, tokenization, virtual terminals, magnetic-stripe security and the EMV standard as solutions to combat payment-related data breaches." READ MORE »

Thales and Voltage Security have announced a "technology integration and partnership centered around delivering end-to-end encryption and key management solutions for the payments industry and broader enterprise security applications. Through the partnership, the two companies have worked together to integrate Voltage SecureData technology with Thales hardware security modules (HSMs) for customers, Heartland Payment Systems being an example." READ MORE »

Ingenico has announced a "comprehensive strategy to provide secure end-to-end solutions to assist merchants in complying with the PCI Data Security Standards." Ingenico says its strategy addresses the entire payment transaction process including: data in flight, data at rest, and architecture. READ MORE »

Chase Paymentech has announced a joint initiative with VeriFone and Semtek to provide end-to-end encryption technologies for merchants to combat threats to security. The companies said they "will work together to market and distribute VeriFone’s VeriShield Protect solution to the Chase Paymentech base of retail merchants. The end-to-end encryption solution is designed to help merchants reduce the costs to comply with Payment Card Industry (PCI) requirements and associated security risk by protecting card information from the point of swipe to the Chase Paymentech authorization host." READ MORE »

Hypercom and Heartland Payment Systems have announced a strategic relationship to deliver integrated, high-security payment systems to retailers nationwide and implement Heartland’s end-to-end encryption E3™ solution. READ MORE »

Commidea, a card payment processing solution provider in the UK, has announce the launch of Ocius Sentinel - calling it "the UK's first solution to offer both true end-to-end dual encryption and tokenisation. Ocius Sentinel has been fully certified for use by the major UK acquiring banks." READ MORE »

Visa has announced new global industry best practices for data field encryption, also known as end-to-end encryption. According to Visa, "the best practices are designed to further the payment industry's efforts to develop a common, open standard while providing guidance to encryption vendors and early adopters. Data field encryption protects card information from the swipe to the acquirer processor with no need for the merchant to process or transmit card data in the "clear."" The best practices document is available for download. READ MORE »

Voltage Security, has announced it has extended Voltage SecureData™ by adding tokenization and data masking capabilities to the existing encryption functionality - enabling the end-to-end protection of data, such as credit card numbers, in applications and databases. Voltage SecureData says these additions provide "the most comprehensive end-to-end data protection solution available, giving customers the widest choice of protection options to simplify implementation, reduce PCI audit scope and lower costs." READ MORE »

First Data and RSA have announced they are teaming up to provide a new service called First Data Secure Transaction Management - "engineered to enable merchants to secure payment card data and remove it from their environment while allowing access when needed." The new service "is designed to dramatically reduce the cost and complexity of complying with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)." READ MORE »

VeriFone Holdings has announced that RBS WorldPay has agreed to work jointly towards marketing VeriFone's VeriShield Protect end-to-end solution for encrypting payment card data. According to VeriFone, "RBS WorldPay is the first merchant acquirer to endorse a commercial end-to-end encryption solution. By encrypting the card number on swipe, right at the point of sale, RBS WorldPay merchants who choose the VeriShield Protect solution will be able to dramatically reduce both their own risk and that of their customers as well." READ MORE »

Heartland Payment Systems has announced that yesterday it successfully completed the first phase of its end-to-end encryption pilot project. According to the company, "this first step involved the transmission of live AES (Advanced Encryption Standard)-encrypted card transactions from a merchant to Heartland’s processing platform. AES is the highest level of encryption and is currently on track to replace DES (Data Encryption Standard) and Triple DES as the desired standard for sensitive data."

Earlier this month Heartland announced it was working with Voltage Security to develop its end-to-end encryption approach. READ MORE »

Mercator Advisory Group has published a new report, End-to-End Encryption: The Acquiring Side Responds to Data Loss and PCI Compliance that "explores end-to-end encryption (E2EE) in the hands of merchants, payment service providers and processors. In the face of the three bogies of PCI DSS compliance and penalties, reputational risk and direct financial loss, the acquiring half of the payments process is evaluating options for eliminating cleartext cardholder data from their systems. Tokenization (the subject of a recent Mercator report) and end-to-end encryption are the leading candidates. This report examines the complexity of E2EE within payments and enterprise security." READ MORE »