VeriFone has announced a bevy of new products and services at the NRF 101st Annual Conference & Expo in New York, including the VeriFone MX 900 series of terminals (NFC enabled), VeriFone HQ (cloud-based terminal management and diagnostics), and VeriFone PAYware Mobile Enterprise for Tablet. VeriFone also indicated it would be doing more in digital payments and mobile wallets over the months and years to come, including support "PayPal PIN and PayPal NFC".

On the web:

• Invasion of the Star-Studded Debit Cards - WSJ
• Bank of America, Citigroup Face Billions In Losses in (Interchange) Antitrust Case - TheStreet
• Spanish Banks Prepare Barcelona and Madrid for Mobile Payments - NFC World

On the wires:

• Valve Rewards Outstanding GlobalCollect Service with Contract Renewal
• Twenty Colleges Choose Heartland Payment Systems for Financial Aid Disbursement Services
• Eastern Mountain Sports Blazes New Trails with VeriFone iPad Retailing Solution
• Ingenico and Voltage Security Partner on End-to-End Encyrption
• NCR Launches its Highest Performing POS Terminal to Date

VeriFone announced that GUESS has implemented the VeriFone GlobalBay solution inside a dozen stores in the U.S., taken the technology on the road to Asia, and plans to expand the deployment widely in 2012. "GUESS is using the VeriFone solution to enable consumer interaction with iPads mounted on rolling stands that serve as self-service kiosks to its online and in-store products to enhance the overall shopping experience and generate additional sales."

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

VeriFone and NBC Owned Television Stations have announced a significant long-term strategic and advertising sales agreement.

This new partnership, effective January 1, 2012, will deliver audiences across the country access to NBCUniversal’s award-winning news, information and entertainment programming in more than 12,000 taxi cabs as well as at thousands of gas stations and other digital out-of-home platforms in the future. The agreement will also provide advertisers unmatched capabilities to engage consumers interactively through e-commerce, couponing and microsites.

On the web:

• Private-Label Credit Card Spending Drops - Marketing Daily
• The Cardboard Beginnings of the Credit Card - NYTimes.com
• UnionPay and HSBC Launch Dual Currency Card - AsiaOne Business
• History Channel and FiOS Try Selling Items Instantly via TV - NYTimes.com
• VeriFone's CEO Explains Why It Spent $1 Billion on Acquisitions - AllThingsD
• T-Mobile backs out of delayed Dutch mobile payments JV - FierceWireless
• Watch Out PayPal, FlexiGroup Purchases Paymate - Wall Street Journal
• The Future of Mobile Payments - Portals and Rails

On the wires:

• Paychex Launches Online Mobile Application For iPad
• Prepaid Solutions Changes Name to Brightwell Payments
• Bottomline Technologies Expands Capabilities in Healthcare and Acquires European Reseller
• Aria Systems First To Deliver Breakthrough Technology That Eliminates Software Maintenance Downtime for Cloud Billing

VeriFone has announced it has signed a definitive agreement with Nordic Capital to acquire Point, Northern Europe’s largest provider of payment and gateway services and solutions for retailers. "VeriFone intends to extend the Point platform throughout the region and beyond, with the aim of creating the world’s largest infrastructure for rapid deployment of alternative payments."

VeriFone has announced it has acquired Global Bay Mobile Technologies, a provider of mobile retail solutions. Terms of the transaction, which closed effective today, were not disclosed.

“Global Bay’s mobile retail applications complement our vision to deliver rich commerce solutions that open up new opportunities for merchants to engage their customers in deeper, more meaningful ways that will generate increased profitability and shopper loyalty,” said Jennifer Miles, VeriFone executive vice president, North America. “Retailers and consumers can continue to look to VeriFone to provide the most sophisticated and secure commerce experiences.”

More about Global Bay: http://verifone.globalbay.com

On the web:

• Visa Europe Takes 8.8% Stake In Monitise - WSJ.com
• Cash, Check, or Charge: Paying for Illegal Activities - Portals and Rails
• Kenya's mobile money service M-Pesa now processes more transactions that Western Union all around the world - IntoMobile

On the wires:

• Fifth Third Bank Selects FIS for Online Bill Payment
• First Data Selects VeriFone for Caribbean POS Product Offering
• Western Union Business Solutions to Introduce Electronic Wallet for Small Businesses; Bringing Simplicity to Global B2B Payments
• Leading Payday Lender QC Holdings, Inc. Makes the Switch to MoneyGram

On the web:

• Google’s NFC Wallet Predicament - NFC Times
• Mobile Payments Arrive on BlackBerry Phones - NFC World
• Understanding the Durbin Amendment: A Fun Timeline InfoGraphic - NerdWallet

On the wires:

• CashStar Secures $12 Million in Funding
• Chase Paymentech Launches Safetech in Canada
• SafetyPay Partners With Brazil’s 6th Largest Bank, HSBC Bank Brazil
• VeriFone Announces H5000 Hybrid Terminal with Swipe, EMV, and NFC Support
• AccountNow Customers Can Conveniently Access MoneyGram’s Global Network While Online
• iSend Passes Milestones on Way to Global Coverage in Cross-Border Electronic Payment Services
• Aconite Launches Mobile Application Management Solution For Secure Elements
• Tru.ly Launches First Ever Age Verification API Based on Government Issued Data
• Paytoo Expands Its Presence in Latin America

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

VeriFone has announced a "new direct distribution relationship for retailers, acquirers and processors in Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Austria and Switzerland. These organizations will now be able to obtain products, services, support and value-added solutions directly from VeriFone."

On the web:

• Save On Gas With Text Payments at POS and Smartphone App - Point of Sale News
• Seeing What Dimly Lies in the Distance: Parting Thoughts on Addressing Payments System Risk - Portals and Rails

On the wires:

• Paytoo Announces a Multi-currency Mobile Payment Platform
• BlueVia Launches a Global Payment API with Partner BOKU
• Jumio Payment Goes WordPress - A Credit Card Reader for Every Blog
• GETI and Alliance Payment Systems Announce Partnership for Point of Sale Check Processing
• ROAM Data Secure Swipers Distributed with Intuit GoPayment in Verizon Retail Stores
• Fulton Financial Corporation Selects Fiserv
• VeriFone Ships 500,000th System to Swedish Partner Point Transaction Systems

On the web:

• Digital Money Facing a Challenging Road - Rethink Wireless
• The Disintermediation of the Point of Sale Industry - Point of Sale News
• A New Payment Instrument for Britain: The Deposit Cheque - Consult Hyperion Blog
• Square No Longer Requires Signatures For Transactions Under $25 - TechCrunch
• VeriFone CEO Bergeron May Deploy $1 Billion Annually for Acquisitions - Bloomberg
• Is Recent EMV Announcement the Catalyst the U.S. Needs to Catch Up? - Portals and Rails
• Google Adds Carrier Billing (via Vodafone) to Android Market in UK - thinq_
• Debit Overdraft Fees, While Voluntary, Are Still Steep - New York Times
• Debit Card Fees Could Signal Trend - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

On the wires:

• Western Union Now Available in Namibia in Collaboration with Magnet Bureau De Change
• Cloud Billing Software Provider MetraTech Collaborates with Scribe for Online Billing Integration
• Failsafe Payments Adds TrustPay To CertoConnect

On the web:

• How Visa Plans To Dominate Mobile Payments, Create The Digital Wallet And More - TechCrunch
• Subway Ready for Mobile Payments Test - QSRweb.com
• Digital Receipts at Stores Gain in Popularity - New York Times
• Fighting the Rising Tide of Elder Financial Abuse - Portals and Rails

On the wires:

• Great Hill Partners Acquires Plimus for $115M USD
• Online Money Transfer S.A.L. to Offer Western Union Business Solutions in Lebanon
• New Austrian Rail Provider Selects VeriFone PAYware Mobile Enterprise

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:

• Bank of America's "Irregular Credit Card Activity" Alert - NetBanker
• Square Now Processing $4 Million In Mobile Payments Per Day - TechCrunch
• Reg E Expected to Add New Consumer Protections for Remittance Transfers - Portals and Rails
• Taulia Raises $8.5 Million To Help Companies Pay Their Invoices Early - TechCrunch
• Survey: Bank Customers Quick to Sign Up for Debit Rewards - But Slow to Redeem - COLLOQUY
• txtNation Release Direct Operator Billing for Easier Mobile Payments - Mobile Europe
• Properly Handling PayPal in Bangladesh - The Financial Express (Op Ed)

On the wires:

• MRC Board Election Results
• IFX Forum Ready to Lead Collaboration on Remittance Standards
• New York MTA Selects VeriFone TransitPAY for Bus Tracking Solution
• Alibaba Group, Yahoo!, and SoftBank Reach Agreement on Alipay

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 web:

• Fed Caps Debit Card Fees for Merchants - New York Times
• MobilePayUSA Getting Ready to Bring POS Payments Without NFC in Q4 2011 - intomobile
• Checking Out VeriFone's New Square Copycat - AllThingsD

On the wires:

• China UnionPay and MasterCard Sign Payment Gateway Service Agreement
• Avangate Rounds Out BRIC Payment Methods Support with Boleto Bancario
• New Mercator Report on the GPR Prepaid Card as Alternative to a Bank Account

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 wires:

• Axioma Launches Enhanced Global and Regional Risk Models
• Electronic Payment Exchange and Sprint Extend Relationship through Co-Marketing Deal
• Beanstream Introduces New Global Transaction Product Suite Allowing Merchants to Accept Payments From Around the World
• Global Payments Canada Teams with Precidia for Semi-Integrated EMV Solution for ECRs
• SEGA Chooses PlaySpan for Monetization of MLB Manager Online
• Contis Group Acquires GTP Financial Services for European Prepaid Push

On the web:

• New York Times: How to Avoid Credit Card Problems Abroad - Practical Traveler
• Dow Jones: Verifone Looks To Advances In Mobile Payment
• China Daily: PayPal to End Partnership with Alibaba
• New York Times: New Russian ATM’s Are Built to Detect Lies
• ComputerWorld: MasterCard Warns Skimming Hole Will Be Open For Years

Google, Citi, MasterCard, First Data and Sprint have announced and demonstrated Google Wallet, "an app that will make your phone your wallet so you can tap, pay and save money and time while you shop. For businesses, Google Wallet is an opportunity to strengthen customer relationships by offering a faster, easier shopping experience with relevant deals, promotions and loyalty rewards."

“Today, we’ve joined with leaders in the industry to build the next generation of mobile commerce,” said Stephanie Tilenius, vice president, commerce and payments, Google. “With Citi, MasterCard, First Data and Sprint we’re building an open commerce ecosystem that for the first time will make it possible for you to pay with an NFC wallet and redeem consumer promotions all in one tap, while shopping offline.”

Google Wallet is currently in a field test and will be available to consumers this summer. The official site is www.google.com/wallet. The Google Wallet merchant acceptance site is www.firstdata.com/googlewallet.

If you missed the announcement — and all the Q&A — EnGadget was live blogging everything with photos. Nice job.

Sprint, VeriFone, and NXP all issued related announcements.

On the wires:

• VeriFone to Acquire South Africa Payments Solutions Provider
• Parkmobile and Liberty PlugIns Debut Pay by Phone Electric Vehicle Charging
• Telemundo Branded Gift Cards to Launch at Retail This Month via InComm
• New Aite Group Report on the Future of Merchant Acquiring

On the web:

• TechCrunch: WePay Adds Event Ticketing To Hassle-Free Group Payments Platform
• AllThingsD: Alipay Gets Its License to Operate in China
• PayPal Blog: PayPal Is Now a Payout Option for Developers Redeeming Facebrook Credits
• MIT Technology Review: What Bitcoin Is, and Why It Matters

VeriFone and MICROS have announced a solution that "integrates restaurant management systems with smart mobile devices, allowing consumers to pay at the table with electronic wallets on mobile phones utilizing Near Field Communications (NFC)."

On the wires:

• Avangate Teams Up with PayNearMe to Help Software Vendors Reach Millions of US Shoppers
• InComm Helps K-VA-T Food Stores Expand Prepaid Offerings with New Line of Products
• VeriFone Enables Turkey’s First Pay-at-Pump Systems
• Woolworths Selects FIS for Prepaid Card Processing
• Bottomline Announces New E-Invoicing Service over SWIFT Network
• SK C&C USA Rebrands as CorFire

On the web:

• Wall Street Journal: Check Out the Future of Shopping
• RIS News: Nordstrom Deploys 6,000 Mobile POS Devices
• NetBanker: Zong - A Payments Company Name to Remember
• ETA: Sen. Durbin May Take On eCommerce Sites on Sales Tax
• FierceMobileContent: Isis calls on Apple, Google and Sprint to join mobile payments network

VeriFone has announced availability of PAYMEDIA for Secure PumpPAY. "PAYMEDIA is designed to deliver an entertaining and engaging mix of content and advertising to enhance the customer’s experience at the gas pump while generating profits for convenience operators... PAYMEDIA for Secure PumpPAY is driven by the VeriFone Digital Network (VNET), currently playing in more than 10,000 taxi cabs throughout the United States and the United Kingdom."

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

VeriFone Systems has announced PAYMEDIA Solutions, "a comprehensive, subscription-based offering that provides small to medium-sized merchants with payment solutions and access to payment-enabled media at the checkout counter, including the integration of online services such as digital couponing, loyalty, location-based social media and value-added services."

On the wires:

• Text2Pay Launches Mobile Payments Platform with Direct Billing
• Merchant360 Releases NFC Stack for Payment Terminals and VeriFone Acquires First License
• ACI Worldwide Joins U.K.'s Payments Council
• Sage Helps Alleviate the PCI Compliance Burden for Larger Nonprofits
• Three in Four Consumers Say Using Their Information For Fraud Detection Purposes is ‘Okay’

On the web:

• Computerworld: Isis says carrier-backed mobile payments 'accelerated,' not 'dialing back'
• Internet Retailer: DigiMo Pioneers First True Mobile Payment Solution