Global Payments has announced that it has signed an agreement to sell its DolEx- and Europhil-branded money transfer businesses to an affiliate of Palladium Equity Partners, LLC. Under the terms of the agreement, Global Payments will receive proceeds in the range of $85 million to $110 million based on the operating performance of the business determined at the time of closing, which is subject to customary regulatory approvals including the consent to the transaction by the issuers of money transfer licenses in many of the states and countries where DolEx or Europhil currently operates.

Global Payments Asia-Pacific Limited, a joint venture between HSBC and Global Payments, has introduced Global BroadbandPay - calling it "an Internet Protocol (IP)-based point-of-sale solution that provides merchants with fast, secure and reliable card acceptance services across the Asia-Pacific region. Merchants and processing partners no longer need to rely on slow dial-up networks or invest in expensive dedicated communication links to their card acquiring banks. Instead, this new product enables use of their existing internet connection to enjoy a "plug-and-play" experience. Global BroadbandPay is now available to merchants in Brunei, Hong Kong, Macau, the Maldives, the Philippines, Singapore and Sri Lanka." READ MORE

Global Payments has announced that it has acquired the remaining 49% interest in its merchant services joint venture in the United Kingdom from HSBC Bank plc ("HSBC"). "In June 2008, Global Payments and HSBC formed a joint venture, HSBC Merchant Services, to provide payment processing services to merchants in the United Kingdom and Internet merchants globally. Under the terms of today's agreement, Global Payments will pay HSBC a total of USD$307.7 million in cash to acquire the remaining 49% ownership interest in this joint venture. In addition, HSBC will extend the current ten-year exclusive marketing alliance agreement whereby the bank provides merchant referrals and bank sponsorship to Global Payments to June 2019." READ MORE

Global Payments Asia-Pacific Limited, a joint venture between The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and U.S.-based Global Payments has introduced its Global HomeCurrencyPay service to merchants in India, following the earlier launch of this dynamic currency conversion service in China, Malaysia and Taiwan. READ MORE

Global Payments Asia-Pacific Limited, a joint venture between HSBC and Global Payments, has introduced "a secure GPRS-powered mobile payment service called Global MobilePay(TM) that provides mobile card acceptance capabilities for merchants in the Asia-Pacific region. Global Payments is one of the first payment processors to launch an extensive mobile payment solution for merchants across Asia. This service is now available in Brunei, China, India, Malaysia, the Maldives, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Taiwan." READ MORE

Global Payments has announced a joint venture with HSBC Bank to provide payment processing services to merchants in the United Kingdom and Internet merchants globally. The new company will operate under the name HSBC Merchant Services. READ MORE

Global Payments has announced that Pioneer Petroleums, one of Ontario's largest independent gasoline retailers, is now accepting MasterCard PayPass contactless card acceptance. The service, which allows consumers to pay for goods and services with the simple tap of their payment card, is available at more than 140 Pioneer locations across Ontario. READ MORE

Global Payments has announced the introduction of a what it is calling a "next generation payment processing platform, Global Transport," saying it "was designed with a uniform application programming interface supported by multiple communications options to simplify and speed integration to the merchant’s payment acceptance environment for debit, credit, and EBT transaction processing."

Global Payments has announced that "it has activated the first of its Independent Sales Organizations (ISOs) relationships - EVO, Mercury Payments, North American Bankcard and Total Merchant Services - to acquire Discover Network merchants in a manner consistent with Visa's and MasterCard's acquiring programs."

Global Payments has announced the introduction of a Mobile POS Solution using the WAY Systems Mobile Transaction MTT 1556 Credit/Debit terminal. The company says the product "combines the security and performance of a traditional POS terminal with the ease of using a mobile phone."

TowerGroup's Colin Kerr is out with a new report titled "Where's My Payment? Using Logistics Management to Drive an Enterprise View of Payments" - saying that "now is the time for banks to shift their view of payments processing - treating it as an enterprise-wide business rather than a service function."

Investors Business Daily reports on how payments transaction processors are moving into new niches for growth - including Heartland, Global Payments, and TSYS.

Earlier this month, Firethorn announced a partnership with CheckFree to deliver mobile banking and bill payment services to financial institutions. Subsequently, Firethorn announced it was teaming with Cingular Wireless for its service and announced Synovus as its initial financial institution customer. In this article, we take a quick look at Firethorn's new mobile banking service based on the information on the company's web site and from its press releases.

Global Payments has announced a referral agreement with Ruesch International. a provider of business-to-business payment solutions. Under the terms of the agreements, Ruesch International will refer clients who have payment card processing needs to Global Payments; and, in turn, Global Payments will refer agent banks and business clients to Ruesch International for their cross-border payment processing and foreign exchange transaction needs.

Global Payments has announced that as of September 26, 2006, Ruth Ann Marshall will join its Board of Directors. Most recently, Marshall served as President, Americas for MasterCard International responsible for all major banking and retail relationships, as well as governance, business development, global acceptance, product management, finance, planning, and human resources.

Global Payments and Discover Financial Services have signed a new merchant acquiring agreement enabling Global Payments to begin selling Discover Network card acceptance. Global Payments also will purchase that portion of Discover's merchant portfolio currently providing Visa and MasterCard processing.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has published its Best of Business 2006 list of Georgia companies - including profiles of several payments-related firms: CheckFree, CompuCredit, Global Payments, and Synovus.

Earlier this month, Global Payments posted an updated investor presentation (PDF) to their web site.

Global Payments has announced it is forming a joint venture with The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited to provide payment processing services to merchants in the Asia-Pacific region.

Global Payments is expanding its worldwide presence in the money transfer industry through the acquisition of Europhil.

Global Payments has announced @dvantage, an Internet connectivity product suite for merchants.

Chairman, President and CEO of Global Payments, Paul R. Garcia, said, "Global Payments is committed to the expansion of connectivity options that make it fast, secure and convenient for merchants of all sizes and types to process Internet transactions. Whether the focus is on security or transaction speed, Global Payments has a solution set that meets both simple and complex requirements."

Global Payments has introduced VIP Lightspeed, a new Internet and PC-based platform serving the gaming industry.