PayPal has announced the next 15 national retail partners that will be testing PayPal In-Store Checkout.

In every market we’ve entered PayPal has changed the game. We did it for online payments in 1998, creating a business from nothing and building it to one with more than $118 billion in total payment volume last year. We were the first major player to enter the mobile space in 2006 and we plan to exceed $7 billion in mobile payment volume this year. And we’re on track to change the game again in offline payments.

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

On the web:

• Subway Launches NFC payments in U.S. - NFCNews

On the wires:

• ROAM Data Takes Number One Market Position for Secure Mobile Phone Card Reader Solutions
• HSBC Sells Its Card and Retail Services Business in the US to Capital One
• NCR Launches Bill Pay / SIM Card Kiosk for Telecom Providers in Middle East and Africa
• Sutherland Global Services USA, Partners With ElectraCard Services (ECS)
• Launch of PlayStation Network Card Supported by InComm
• Hypercom UK and Spain Acquired by Spire Payments
• New Aite Group Report on the Role of VARs/ISVs in Merchant Acquiring Market

On the web:

• Winners of PayPal’s Third Developer Challenge Revealed - PayPal Blog
• QR Codes - Everything You Always Wanted to Know - Point of Sale News
• RewardLoop's Point-of-Sale Solution to Put QR Codes on Receipts - Techvibes.com
• Where Does Money Go When It Dies? - NPR

On the wires:

• VeriFone Completes Acquisition of Hypercom Corporation
• Citizens Financial Group Launches accessCARD Command for Commercial Card Customers
• Giftango Introduces “Products” to eGift Offering Marriott Individual Incentives First to Participate

On the web:

• BillGuard Warns You About Questionable Credit Card Charges - Lifehacker
• Confrontation between Visa and China UnionPay Intensified - Investors.com

On the wires:

• Heartland Payment Systems Takes Higher Education Institutions to the Cloud with WĒPA Wireless Printing
• Memento Helps Financial Institutions Meet New FFIEC Guidance
• Avant-Garde Introduces Anytime, Anywhere Payments with Hypercom Mobile Solutions
• Intrix Technology Provides Payment Gateway Solutions to Companies of All Sizes
• New Mercator Report on Prepaid Benefit Cards

On the web:

• Rich? Have We Got the Credit Card for You - Wall Street Journal
• Isracard in Pilot to use Cell Phone as Credit Card - Globes Online
• Mobile Payment Players Swallow Their Egos - eWEEK Europe UK
• How Starbucks Is Paving the Way for Mainstream Mobile Payments - Mashable
• Square Closes That $100 Million Round, Mary Meeker Joins Board - TechCrunch

On the wires:

• London Cabs Gear Up to Accept Cards for 2012 Olympics
• Regions Bank Signs Agreement with Western Union to Offer Global Money Transfer Services
• INSIDE Secure and ZTE Working to Bring NFC Phones to GSM and 3G Networks
• Singapore’s Largest Taxi Operator Selects VeriFone NFC Payment Solution
• Global Blue Selects Hypercom Payment Solutions for Merchant Customers Worldwide
• MoneyGram International Celebrates Milestone: 1,000 locations in France
• ProfitStars Introduces Remote Deposit Anywhere: Mobile and Flatbed RDC Solution
• Online Payment Processor PayLane Introduces Partner Affiliate Program

The Secure POS Vendor Alliance (Hypercom, Ingenico, and VeriFone) has announced the release of standards for the post manufacturing stage of a secure payment device. "The new guidelines require that a payment device be properly handled from the moment it is produced to the moment it is loaded with customer keys."

On the web:

• South Korea Announces Major Push on Open NFC Payment Services - Reuters
• Thieves Found Citigroup Site an Easy Entry - New York Times
• Mobile Payments and Mental Accounting - TIME.com
• The Tuesday Podcast: Inside The Credit Card Black Market - NPR Planet Money

On the wires:

• NFC Over-the-Air and Over-the-Wire Provisioning Patent Awarded to Tyfone
• Mexico Banking Leader BBVA Bancomer Orders 10,000+ Hypercom Optimum Payment Systems
• SafetyPay Selected By BorderJump as Preferred Payment Solution for Cross Border Transactions
• Retail Decisions (ReD) Launches Truly Multi-Lingual Fraud Prevention
• FICO Will Protect 1 in 3 German Credit Cards from Fraud
• AisleBuyer Raises $7.5 Million in Series E Round

On the wires:

• Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank and Mobibucks Launch Mobile Payment Service in UAE
• SecuTrans Selects Hypercom’s Optimum Systems for EMV Support in Canada
• Turkcell and Garanti Bank Team Up on Mobile-Based Cep-T ParaCard in Turkey
• Point Acquires Paybox Services in France (PDF)

On the web:

• Mobile Commerce Daily: Barclays Sets Eyes on U.S. Mobile Payments Market
• Fast Company: Another Thing NFC Could Change Forever: Product Warranties

On the wires:

• VeriFone and Hypercom Comment on U.S. Department of Justice Civil Complaint
• ViVOtech Ready, Willing, Able to Buy Hypercom U.S. Assets
• Maponics First to Offer Shopping Boundaries
• Walt Levengood Joins aurionPro as President, Payments

On the web:

• New York Times: Small Banks and Debit-Card Reform (by Simon Johnson)
• Bloomberg: Bernanke Says Debit ‘Swipe’ Rules May Cause (Small) Bank Failures
• Reuters: Dodd-Frank Hurt Mobile Payment System Plans, Says AT&T
• Forbes: Time For A Facebook Credit Card
• Wall Street Journal: Debit-Card Scam Targets Michaels Shoppers

On the wires:

• MIFARE4Mobile Industry Group Announces Roadmap
• Pitney Bowes Announces International Ecommerce SuiteApp for NetSuite’s SuiteCloud Computing Platform
• Zuora Launches Z-NetSuite, Combining Cloud-based Subscription Management and ERP/Financials
• Hypercom Introduces Next Generation Network Technology for ISOs
• RocketPay to offer Planet Payment’s Multi-Currency Pricing Service
• ViVOtech Introduces POS Add-On NFC Reader for Delivering Personalized Shopping and Quick Check Out

On the web:

• NFC World: Google Raises Concerns Over the Viability of NFC card Emulation Mode for Mobile Payments (with Video)
• MSNBC: Crowded Coupon Industry Competes for Users

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

On the wires:

• American Express Takes Aim at Identity Thieves with ID Protect Premium
• Hypercom Brings EMV Card Payment to Dubai’s Metro
• Visa Europe’s €100m Investment in Convergence

On the web:

• MSNBC: Study: Banks Hiding Fee Info, Skirting Law
• Digital Transactions: Secure Vault Payments Will Go Mobile Later This Year with Bar Codes
• Business Standard: IndusInd to Buy Deutsche Bank's Credit Card Biz in India
• BayPay Event: Mobile Payment Beyond NFC

VeriFone and Hypercom have announced a definitive agreement under which VeriFone will acquire Hypercom in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $485 million.

"Consistent with our vision as a global leader in secure electronic payment solutions, we have placed strategic focus on replicating our North American success in key markets in continental Europe," said VeriFone CEO Douglas G. Bergeron. "Hypercom has established itself in a number of important European markets, and this acquisition is an excellent and complementary way for us to accelerate our overseas growth, increase innovation and build value for our shareholders."

Hypercom and TransactionTree have announced that Hypercom’s Optimum L4150 payment terminals will support TransactionTree's application that provides the ability for merchants to replace ink and paper-based receipts with paperless email receipts. READ MORE »

Hypercom and The McDonnell Group have announced they have signed a Letter of Intent "to form a joint venture that will equip payment processors, banks and retailers worldwide with highly reliable and cost-effective data communications services for transaction-based applications. The joint venture will be called Phoenix Managed Networks LLC, and will acquire and operate Hypercom's HBNet secure transaction transport business. Industry veteran John (Jack) McDonnell, Jr. will serve as CEO of Phoenix Managed Networks." 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 »

Hypercom, Ingenico, and VeriFone have announced the formation of the Secure POS Vendor Alliance - SPVA, a non-profit business organization chartered with implementing common payment security standards among vendors of secure point-of-sale (POS) devices used by retailers, acquirers and cardholders alike. READ MORE »

Early Saturday morning Ingenico announced that it had sent a letter to the Board of Directors of Hypercom Corporation "offering to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Hypercom for $6.25 per share in cash."

Hypercom has announced that "It has entered into exclusive negotiations with Thales SA, a leading international electronics and systems group serving defense, aerospace and security markets worldwide, to acquire the e-Transactions business line of Thales." The company also announced that it has obtained a $60 million financing commitment from Francisco Partners and that Philippe Tartavull has been named Chief Executive Officer and President of Hypercom Corporation.