NetSpend, a leading provider of general-purpose reloadable (GPR) prepaid debit cards, has announced the launch of the PayPal Prepaid MasterCard.

"PayPal has chosen us to be the exclusive program and distribution manager and processor for their GPR card," said Dan Henry, chief executive officer of NetSpend. "We are marketing the PayPal prepaid card online and through our direct mail channels. Through this relationship, we are able to offer the prepaid card to PayPal's 106 million active users."

On the web:

• Integrating Tablets and POS Software For Retail - Point of Sale News
• La Caixa Goes Top of Wallet with PayPal Instant Account Creation - PayPal Blog
• Google Wallet Reopens for Prepaid Cards, Adds Transfer Block - SlashGear

On the wires:

• Plano Bê Launches 2Pay: The Brazilian Answer to Square and iZettle
• Evolution1 Continues Leadership in Ever-Changing Healthcare Market
• 16% of Commercial Banks Now Processing Payments Through Aptys’ PayLOGICS Platform
• TransEngen Strengthens Position as Payments Leader for Healthcare
• InspirePay Adds Support for Dwolla and PayPal

appMobi has announced public beta availability of playMobi, a cross-platform HTML5-based game development, deployment, and monetization SDK.

playMobi enables cross-platform in-app purchasing with its 1Touch in-app payment system. When a player makes a purchase, playMobi automatically completes the transaction using the correct in-app-purchase backend system, based on the device in use. When running on iOS, playMobi uses iTunes; on Android, Google Payments; on Facebook, Facebook Credits; and on the Open Web, PayPal.

More information is available from the appMobie website, www.appmobi.com.

On the web:

• Time for Cash to Cash Out? - WSJ.com
• Proxama, ARM Partners for M-Payments - NFCNews
• PayPal Trials QR Code Payments in Singapore - The Next Web
• Google Wallet Suspends Prepaid Credit Card Function - PCWorld
• PayPal Exec Woos Big Retailers With Pricing and Data Sharing - Reuters
• Food, Dining Especially Vulnerable to Card-Data Breaches, Report Finds - Digital Transactions

On the wires:

• txtNation Launches Rebranded Mobile Billing Gateway
• YESpay Launches Mobile StoreManager with NFC Support

On the web:

• Girl Scouts Adds Mobile Payments to Drive Cookie Sales - Mobile Commerce Daily
• German P2P Lender Auxmoney Sees Growth - Peer to Peer Lending News
• Here’s How PayPal Is Pitching Mobile Payments to Major Retailers (Slideshow) - AllThingsD
• Facebook Teams up With Bango for Mobile Payments - PCWorld

On the wires:

• Plastic Jungle and InComm Announce Strategic Gift Card Partnership
• Ceridian Introduces Virtual Terminal Enabling Web-based Transactions
• New Aite Group Report on Big Four U.S. Payment Card Networks
• Heartland Handles Nearly 44,000 Transactions as Official Concessions Processor of Super Bowl
• Computop Paygate 5.0 To Expand Support for International Payments

On the web:

• To Sign Merchants, Square Heads to Campus To Recruit a Sales Force - Digital Transactions
• PayPal Says It's Business as Usual a Month After President Resigns - AllThingsD
• Self-Checkout Footprints Get Smaller For Retail - Point of Sale News
• Citigroup Gets Approval to Issue China Credit Cards - WSJ.com

On the wires:

• Datacard Group Announces an Equity Investment and Strategic Partnership with DeviceFidelity
• INSIDE Secure Chosen by Leading Smartphone Manufacturer
• Navigant Credit Union Selects Acumen from Fiserv

Fifteen leading companies have announced the formation of DMARC.org, a working group that has been developing standards to fight spam and phishing.

"Email phishing defrauds millions of people and companies every year, resulting in a loss of consumer confidence in email and the Internet as a whole," said Brett McDowell, Chair of DMARC.org and Senior Manager of Customer Security Initiatives at PayPal. "Industry cooperation - combined with technology and consumer education - is crucial to fight phishing."

Founding financial services providers include Bank of America, Fidelity, and PayPal.

On the web:

• Why Mobile Payments Still Haven’t Revolutionized Retail - VentureBeat
• Personal Finance Platform HelloWallet Raises $12M From Morningstar - TechCrunch
• PayPal Formally Open Home Depot "POS" Pilot Program - PayPal Blog

On the wires:

• American Express Launches Social Media Show + Tell
• Green Dot Will Launch AARP Foundation Prepaid MasterCard
• Payment Data Systems Announces "Debit Only" Payment Product Offering
• Euronet to Deploy ATMs in German Airports, Tourist Hubs and Military Base Locations
• SHAZAM Launches Adaptive Payment's Pentagon Mobile Payment Application
• RushCard Announces Plan to Reduce and Simplify Fees, Enhance Customer Benefits and Help Consumers Achieve Financial Freedom
• Green Dot Acquires Prepaid Processing Assets of eCommLink

Over on Payments View, our sister publication, Glenbrook's Russ Jones blogs about his hands-on experience using PayPal Empty Hands at the POS.

I went by the San Carlos Home Depot on the way to the Glenbrook office this morning and used PayPal’s “Empty Hands” to pay for my purchase. The whole thing worked and I left the store with a Home Depot receipt that listed my payment method as “PayPal” instead of “Visa XXXXXXXXXXXX9297″.

On the web:

• Office Depot Tests PayPal's New Point-of-Sale System - Reuters
• Square Looks to Have Secured the Square.com Domain - NetBanker
• Mercedes-Benz Financial Services Surpasses $50 Million in Mobile Payments - intomobile
• PayNearMe to Go Mobile to Expand Its Cash-Pay Service - American Banker
• PIN Authentication Versus Signature Authentication - Portals and Rails

On the wires:

• Payvment Delivers New Features For Facebook Timeline

PayPal's parent eBay announced financial results for 4Q2011.

PayPal ended the quarter with 106.3 million active registered accounts, a 13% increase year over year. On average, PayPal added a million new accounts every month in 2011. PayPal revenue for the quarter increased 28% year over year driven primarily by continued merchant and consumer adoption as well as increased penetration on eBay. In the fourth quarter, revenue from PayPal's international markets exceeded revenue from the U.S. for the first time, reflecting the company's strong global footprint and growth in emerging markets. PayPal's net total payment volume (TPV) grew 24% to $33.4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011.

eBay reported that the PayPal 'take rate' fell slightly to 3.71% in 4Q2011.

Ingenico announced its relationship with PayPal, "which will enable merchants with Ingenico POS devices to accept PayPal payment options."

"PayPal's vision for the future of shopping includes people making purchases anytime, anywhere and over any device. Ingenico is helping PayPal realize this vision by putting PayPal in stores and at the point of sale," said Don Kingsborough, vice president of retail and pre-paid products. "Millions of PayPal users will soon have several innovative ways to make purchases at many of their favorite retailers, including using Ingenico terminals to swipe their PayPal payment cards or to enter the mobile phone number and pin associated with their PayPal accounts."

On the web:

• Tablet Computers Take Wait Out of Waiting Tables - San Francisco Chronicle
• KDDI Launches NFC in Japan - NFC World

On the wires:

• New Mercator Report on POS Terminal Market
• NCR Unveils Cloud-Based Point of Sale for Independent Retailers at NRF 2012
• AisleBuyer Accelerates the Mobile Retail Revolution with Version 2.0
• AJB to Offer PayPal for Retail Payment Processing

Various media outlets are reporting, and now PayPal has confirmed, that Home Depot is the first brick-and-mortar retailer to roll out a limited pilot of the some of the products that PayPal plans to introduce for the physical Point of Sale.

AllthingsD and Internet Retailer are both reporting that the pilot will involved the PayPal Card and PayPal Empty Hands. See our post from several months ago for a run-down off what's going on behind the PayPal vision.

On the web:

• PayPal: Mobile payments and Location-based Offers Go Hand-in-Hand - GigaOM

On the wires:

• New Mercator Report on U.S. Commercial Card Market
• HSBC Card & Retail Services Renews Private Label Credit Card Agreements With Saks Incorporated and Three Other Top Companies

On the web:

• On the road with Google Wallet - Drop Labs
• NFC Service for Stores Offers ‘tap and go’ Digital Receipts - Springwise
• PayPal Increases Fees for International Mass Payments - AuctionBytes
• Tango Card Aims To Make Gift Card Giving A More Personal Experience - TechCrunch
• Gift Card Exchange: Websites Where You Can Trade Cards for Cash - International Business Times
• Pay-by-Name Purchasing: Changing the Future of Spending (Square Card Case) - KMOV.com St. Louis
• Going Mobile - Getting Ready for the Mobile Wallet - Market News Canada
• Google to Bring Mobile Wallet Application to the UK in 2012 - Mobile Commerce News
• ING Direct Opens 1st Branch in San Francisco, a Cafe - SFgate
• Forget mobile payments. The future is the mobile wallet - InfoWorld
• Looking Forward to 2012: The Continued Demise of Cash - TIME.com

On the wires:

• King’s Town Bank Launches Western Union® Money Transfer Online

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.

On the web:

• Credit Cards In Numbers (InfoGraphic) - PayLane Across the Board Blog
• PayPal Holding Your Funds? State Regulators Want to Know - AuctionBytes

On the wires:

• Fiserv to Offer Sageworks’ Products via its Account Processing Platforms
• InspirePay Consolidates Online Transactions With First Universal Payments Hub
• Bon-Ton Stores Announces New Private Label Credit Card Agreement with Alliance Data
• Brighton Collectibles Engages Shoppers in the Aisle with VeriFone’s GlobalBay Mobile POS on iPod Touch
• RushCard Continues On Its Mission to Serve Those Left Behind by Big Banks
• Seamless and SBAB Bank in Mobile Payment Pilots in Sweden
• Visa Europe Launches Exclusive UK Offers Portal

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

Over on Payments Views, Glenbrook's Russ Jones blogs about the parallels between Square and PayPal.

We’re in the midst of another disruption cycle on the acquiring side of the card payments business in the US. You can almost feel it happening. And, if you’re paying close attention to the data, you can see it happening. If you’re not – if you’re into incumbent thinking – you’re not seeing what’s happening.

PayPal has announced that eBay's Red Laser Mobile App now includes support for PayPal and Milo.

The new Red Laser app has integrated Milo for local inventory and PayPal’s Mobile Express checkout for payment. One of the first merchants to integrate this truly multi-channel experience is Toys R Us.

The focus on multi-channel retailing is a key part of PayPal's "Future of Shopping" vision.

On the web:

• Banks Quietly Ramp Up Consumer Fees - NYTimes.com
• Samsung Adds First Paypal-Capable App To Smart TV Apps Store - HDTVtest
• Square Mobile Payments Surge to $11M a Day - FierceMobileContent
• How Visa Protects Your Data - Fast Company
• Evidence for PCI’s Effectiveness in the Fight Against Fraud - Portals and Rails
• Isis Says It Continues to Make Progress - MobilePaymentsToday.com

On the wires:

• InteliSpend Prepaid Solutions Enhances Capabilities with New Discover Prepaid Cards
• FirsTech Launches Mobile Payments to Complete their Capabilities Suite
• Adyen to Power Pathé Payment Platform
• New Aite Group Report on Global Non-Cash Payments Market
• CardinalCommerce and STAR Network Announce Universal PIN Debit Service Initiative
• New Service Provides Small and Medium Businesses with Secure and Efficient Online Banking and Payment Services via the Cloud

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:

• Debit-Fee Retreat Complete - WSJ.com
• PayPal's Coolest Mobile Wallet Feature: The Oops Button - Forbes
• Square to Allow Card-free Payments - San Jose Mercury News
• Russian ATM Can Detect When Users are Lying - Springwise
• Womply’s New Deals Startup Loads Local Offers Onto Your Credit Cards - TechCrunch
• Google Wallet Roadshow Schedule - Google Commerce Blog
• PayPal Opens Shopping Showcase in New York - PayPal Blog

On the wires:

• SafetyPay and PlaySpan Partner to Offer International e-Shoppers Secure Payment Option
• Vindicia Adds New Campaign Management Features to CashBox
• Cardlytics Brings the Power of Transaction-Marketing to Leading Local Retailers
• CashStar Unveils Mobile Web Gift Card Purchasing
• Gemalto Launches Ezio Plug & Sign for Unmatched Online Transaction Security
• Fiserv Integrates ACCEL/Exchange and Prepaid Solutions to Deliver Next-Generation Prepaid Services

On the web:

• PayPal's Thompson on Cloud-Based Mobile Payments (Video Interview) - Bloomberg
• Mokipay Enables Mobile Payments in Lithuania (via NFC sticker) - ArcticStartup
• Mexico Remittances Rise the Most in 5 Years on Cheaper Peso - Businessweek
• PayPal to Open Global Operations Center in Malaysia - WSJ.com

On the wires:

• Braintree Now Processing $4 Billion Per Year
• Using MoneyGram to Send Money Now Supported Online at Walmart.com
• U.S. Bank Launches the New Visa Convenient Cash Card
• iovation and AliasLab Launch Fraud Protection and Device Identification Services to Southern Europe
• Travelex Introduces Chip & PIN-Enabled Prepaid Foreign Currency Card in Canada

Over on our sister blog, Payments Views, Glenbrook's Russ Jones wraps up his commentary on the recent X.Commerce Innovators Conference with a post entitled, "Do You Want a Commerce Identity? I Do!"

Logging in to a website with my social identity tells the seller that I have an account. That’s all. But using my commerce identity via PayPal Access tells the seller that I’m a buyer. It tells them, minimally, that I’ve set up a PayPal account, attached a payment method to that account, and the account is in good standing.

The post explores the implications of PayPal Access and the little known X.Commerce Segmentation Service and Prospect Score.

PayPal's parent eBay announced financial results for 3Q2011.

PayPal ended the quarter with 103.0 million active registered accounts, a 14% increase year over year. PayPal revenue increased 32% year over year driven primarily by increased penetration on eBay as well as continued merchant and consumer adoption. PayPal's net total payment volume (TPV) grew 31% to $29.3 billion in the third quarter of 2011 compared to the same period of last year. PayPal continues to invest in innovation, focusing on the core platform, as well as mobile and point of sale initiatives. PayPal expects to generate more than $3.5 billion in mobile TPV in 2011, up from $750 million in 2010.

eBay reported that the PayPal 'take rate' increased to 3.78%. TechCrunch has a nice summary of John Donahoe's comments on their point of sale initiative.

Over on our sister blog, Payments Views, Glenbrook's Russ Jones shares his thoughts on PayPal's vision for taking its momentum in online payments to the point of sale in the offline world –– PayPal Thinks Big Offline: Exploring PayPal’s Seamless Shopping Vision.

It is interesting that PayPal is focused on optimizing the shopping experience, and not just the payment experience. As many people have pointed out, it’s not only how long it takes to swipe your payment card at BestBuy –– it’s how long you have to wait in line for that privilege.

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:

• House Lawmakers to Propose Repeal of Durbin Swipe-Fee Rule - BusinessWeek
• Lemon.com Lets You Store, Organize Your Receipts In The Cloud - TechCrunch
• Mobile Payments Looking at Turbulent Times - CNET Reviews
• $4.7 Billion in Digital Goods Will Pass Through PayPal This Year - Mashable

On the wires:

• PULSE and NETS Sign Long-Term Network Agreement to Increase POS and ATM Acceptance
• Digital River Extends Global E-Commerce Agreement with Nuance Communications
• Upromise by Sallie Mae Spreads Holiday Cheer with Increased Cash Back for College
• Western Union Business Solutions Online FX Service Now Available in France, Germany, Ireland and Italy