Skrill, formerly Moneybookers, has announced it is acquiring paysafecard.com Wertkarten AG, an Austrian of prepaid vouchers that enable consumers to shop online.

"We are very happy to have come to an agreement to acquire paysafecard. This acquisition will add significant scale to the Skrill Group in terms of payment volume, customers and merchants and will increase our overall market share." said Skrill CEO, Siegfried Heimgaertner. "The combined entity will offer a unique proposition in the payments market combining our leading digital wallet with the sophisticated POS and cash network of paysafecard. It enhances our product portfolio significantly, offering payment and money transfer options for both on and off-line channels.”

Skrill, formerly Moneybookers, has announced the "launch of Skrill 1-Tap – a new product connected to Skrill’s digital wallet that brings quick and easy mobile payments to merchants and customers. By implementing Skrill 1-Tap, merchants can offer customers the opportunity to pay for goods in ‘one tap’ on any device, rather than having to re-enter login details or credit card information."

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

On the web:

• Letter to Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin
• Citi Announces New Fees on Checking Accounts - CNNmoney.com
• Nine Ways To Avoid Debit Card Usage Fees - Fox Business
• Skrill, Born Moneybookers, Extends Rebranding Campaign - AuctionBytes
• Beggars Can be Choosers (Panhandlers Taking Plastic) - Dave Birsch Blog
• Coming Soon To A Store Near You: Tagtile, A Square-Like Mobile Loyalty Service - TechCrunch

On the wires:

• Heartland Payment Systems Releases First Actual Durbin Impact Statistics
• Weather Underground Inc. Chooses Recurly for Subscription Billing Management
• NEBA Introduces SMS Text Messaging System for Credit and Debit Card Issuers
• Pandora One Gift Cards Now Available for the First Time
• Dynamics Inc. Announces Multiple Volume Launch Agreements for Next-Generation Magnetic Stripe Payment Cards
• PenFed Eliminates Foreign Transaction Fee From Remaining Credit Card Programs in Card Portfolio
• BluePay, a Leading Chicago Credit Card Processor, Announces Acquisition of Primax Merchant Portfolio

On the web:

• The Ritz London Installs China UnionPay Terminals - AsiaTravelTips
• UK Mobile Payments JV Hits Rocks Before It’s Started: Three Appeals To EU - mocoNews

On the wires:

• Visa Europe France Announces Strasbourg’s Contactless Payments Pilot
• Facebook Commerce Evolves with New Version of Payvment
• US Airways Adopts NCR Mobile Boarding Pass Solution
• Western Union Expands Network: Money Transfer Services now also available at over 30,000 ATMs in Europe and Asia
• Skrill (ne Moneybookers) Announces Acquisition of Payolution

On the web:

• Wells Fargo to Begin Charging Debit Card Fees - MyBankTracker.com
• M-payments are Vodafone's Biggest Business in Kenya - Rethink Wireless
• How a Google-Motorola Combo Could Be ‘Good News’ for NFC in the U.S. - Digital Transactions
• NYC Testing Mobile Payments for Parking Meter - PCMag.com

On the wires:

• TransUnion "Pulse Poll" Reveals Untapped Opportunity in Hospital Point-of-Service Collections
• peerTransfer Raises $7.5 Million to Help Streamline Edu Payments for International Students
• Jwaala and eWise Partner to Offer Secure Vault Payments to Members of MACU
• Cielo Deploys Nationwide Secure Payments Network with NewNet in Brazil
• Vindicia Launches New Marketing Capabilities for CashBox Billing Solution
• Mojang Partners With Skrill to Extend International Payment Options

Headline News is compiled by Glenbrook Partners:

• New Aite Group Report on US Mobile Payments Market
• Moneybookers Group Rebrands to Become 'Skrill'
• Major Retailers Add PhoneFactor to Protect Credit Card Data
• Elavon to Market VeriFone’s PAYware Mobile Solution for iPhone
• UMB Bank to use ACH Alert To Protect Business Accounts from ACH Fraud (PDF)
• New VRL Financial Report on Prepaid in Sub-Saharan Africa
• AllTrust Networks' Check Database Now Available via Web Browser
• Voltage Security and PwC Form Joint Business Relationship for Information Risk Management
• PayPal to Use Axiomatics’ Intelligent Access Management Solution

• MIT Technology Review: When Mobile Phone Payments Go Social

Clickatell has introduced the new Clickatell SMS Receipts service that enables anytime, anywhere alerts between financial service providers and their customers to help fight fraud. READ MORE »

Moneybookers USA has announced its integration on eBay.com as an official payment provider starting in February.

The Moneybookers payment platform offers a wide range of local and international payment options worldwide, with both merchants and customers benefiting from its ultra-secure payments system and high conversion rates. The system protects auction buyers' personal data from identity theft and fraud, whilst enabling sellers to offer their customers one of the easiest ways to pay online.