Mobile Payment Magazine

Mobile Stocks to Watch: NVIDIA

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NVIDIA might seem like an odd choice for investors looking to profit from the mobile boom. After all, of all things, its bread-and-butter product is graphics processors found in PCs. How can a company reliant on PCs be anything but a sitting duck for the coming mobile revolution? In the case of NVIDIA, it’s not a sitting duck because the company saw a changing market and started adapting years before the competition.

Neither of NVIDIA’s direct peers foresaw a shift in technology the way NVIDIA did, yet NVIDIA gets lumped into the same basket as them, beaten down whenever negative PC news hits the presses. That’s a mistake that you can profit off. [Read more…]

Glenbrook Payments Boot Camp 2012

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Glenbrook’s Payments Boot Camp is now open for registration, with classes available in New York in October, and in California in October and December.

This intense, two-day “deep dive” into the world of payments covers both the “basics” (value chains, flows, economics, players, trends – for all the major payments systems) as well as emerging payments.  Day Two of the Payments Boot Camp provides an up-to-date, comprehensive tour of emerging payments, and creates frameworks within which to understand the actions of incumbents and challengers.  What is the story with Google Wallet, V.me, Isis, PayPal, Square, LevelUp and Braintree?

This is a small-group session, providing ample time to network with other attendees and with the instructors.

In New York only there is a “Day Two Only” registration option – for alumni and other payments professionals who want only the recent developments. In California, there is a special one-day session on December 6th on “Payments 2013” – a look at what Glenbrook thinks will happen in the year ahead.

The Agenda

Day One: The Payments Systems

  • Overview – payments systems designs, functions and uses; payments systems volumes and the dramatic shifts in actual and projected payments usage; key trends and issues in payments systems in the United States; how payments systems compare by economic model, regulatory environment, processing support and risk management
  • Perspectives – how each of the key constituents of the industry view payments; economic and other motivations; how behavior is changing and why. Constituents include consumers, banks, merchants, billers, enterprises, networks, processors, service providers, regulators, and investors
  • International Payments – how other country payments systems compare to the U.S.; major trends in payments systems worldwide; cross-border payments

Day One asks the questions:

  • What are the core payments systems in the U.S.?
  • Who owns them?
  • Who controls them?
  • Who profits from their use?
Day Two – Emerging Payments
  • Framework – what are emerging payments; success factors for payments start-ups
  • Building Blocks– technologies and business concepts used for emerging payments products and solutions
    • The Decoupled Business Model
    • The Prepaid Account
    • Payments Cards and CHIPs – EMV and Contactless
    • NFC
    • Payments Platforms
  • Thinking Mobile – ways to think about payments in a mobile world; key questions across the domains of payments
  • Emerging Payments Topics
    • Online and Mobile Wallets – Major Players
    • Online and Mobile Wallets – Emerging Players
    • Mobile Wallets – Single Merchant
    • P2P (Person to Person) Mobile and Online Payments
    • Mobile Payments Acceptance
    • Mobile Marketing and Payments
    • Virtual Currencies
    • “Faster Money”

Day Two asks the questions:

  • What’s significant in emerging payments?
  • What’s the balance between incumbents and newcomers?
  • Which business models look the most promising?
  • What does it take to start a successful payments company?

More information: Glebrook

Special Investor Report: NVIDIA

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NVIDIA might seem like an odd choice for investors looking to profit from the mobile boom. After all, of all things, its bread-and-butter product is graphics processors found in PCs.

Neither of NVIDIA’s direct peers foresaw a shift in technology the way NVIDIA did, yet NVIDIA gets lumped into the same basket as them, beaten down whenever negative PC news hits the presses. That’s a mistake that you can profit off. NVIDIA’s not only is a dominant player in mobile, but it’s also prospering from emerging market growth and has established itself as a central figure in high-end computers ranging from workstations to supercomputers, a lucrative offshoot of the PC era that should provide high profits for decades to come. [Read more…]

Mobile Payment Potential is Really About … Coupons

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There’s been a lot of talk lately about mobile payments and how new apps or NFC technology will let you pay for things with your smartphone. But the truth is that this market is less about finding a new way for you to pay for things and more about offering you an easier way to carry and redeem coupons and special offers.

What’s the most successful mobile payment system to date? It’s an application that can be downloaded onto your phone to pay for coffee. Yes, the Starbucks app, launched in January 2011, has processed 55 million transactions, the company has said, adding that it processes more than a million mobile phone transactions per week.
[Read more…]

Kuapay Expands to New York City

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Kuapay, an intuitive mobile payment solution that incorporates coupons, reward cards and loyalty cards, announced today the availability of its mobile payments application to New York City merchants. The service is currently enjoying considerable success with southern California merchants across multiple different verticals.

The company’s flagship client is The Bean, a chain of local coffee and food shops. The Bean lost its lease to a corporate coffee chain last fall and responded by continuing plans for expansion into three East Village locations. Kuapay is also working with the Little Pie Company, a bakery located on 424 West 43rd Street.

“We are excited to enter the New York City market, which has a diverse mix of customers that demand an optimal experience from every merchant,” said Kuapay founder and CEO Joaquin Ayuso de Paul. “We’re an independent company that is able to move fast to meet the needs of our broad base of clients. We chose The Bean because they are also a dynamic company that is moving to aggressively capture customers and we admire their success.”

“Given all the options on the market, I had to go with a solution that offered exceptional value to my customers, and Kuapay does,” said Ike Escava, co-owner of The Bean.

Starting today and continuing for 10 days, The Bean and Kuapay will offer a special promotion during midday to encourage users to download their free mobile wallet app. Kuapay allows users to store various coupon offers, reward programs, and credit and debit cards in a digital wallet that features a patented encryption process. The company offers the lowest per-transaction rate in the industry to merchants, enabling merchants of all sizes to present attractive offers and integrated loyalty rewards. Kuapay gives complete control of the digital wallet to the consumer, allowing them to store their preferred credit card, loyalty program, and custom coupons for free.

“We designed Kuapay to be universally intuitive for both consumers and merchants,” continued Mr. Ayuso de Paul. “Once a customer downloads the app, the steps needed to pay with their phone are immediately evident. There’s simply no learning curve.”

Source: PR Newswire

Report: Delineating the Mobile Value Chain – A Holistic View of Mobile Payment

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As excitement surrounding mobile payments develops, most of the focus has been placed on the wallet apps such as Google Wallet and Isis jockeying for position. However, the success of a mobile payments system will depend on far more than which piece of software will be used on the most devices. A fully functional system will require the integration of a number of different factors, including POS terminals, processing, the devices themselves, and more. [Read more…]

WIMA NFC USA: Nov. 27-29, 2012 – San Francisco, CA

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In 2012 WIMA NFC USA will highlight success stories and use cases that are growing rapidly now phones are beginning to deploy in volume. At the other end of the spectrum as new platforms and tools for developers are emerging this will lead to a new wave of innovative applications being created by the developer community.

Each day will begin with Plenary Keynotes from leading NFC industry and end user experts discussing the state of the market in the NFC ecosystem in both payment and non-payment scenarios.

Sessions will highlight current case studies from both the US and around the world offering a clear view on where NFC is today and that it’s not just about Payment! Social media, location based marketing, gaming, healthcare, access control all offer a simple user experience, which can very quickly multiply to mass deployment. These and other use cases will be addressed through a number of on going success stories, presented by end users or co-presented by solution providers and their customers.

Interactive panels will tackle the issues that are surrounding NFC today: How to monetize, the role of the carrier, the importance of where and what the SE is, arming the retailer to educate the consumer, marks that will be used for driving consumer attention, interoperability.

The conference is for developers, product manufacturers, carriers, merchants, and other service providers.

More information: WIMA NFC USA 2012

Walmart Tests iPhone App for Scanning Purchases for Checkout

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Wal-Mart Stores Inc is testing a system that would allow shoppers to scan items using their iPhones and then pay at a self-checkout counter, a move that could trim checkout times and slash costs for retailers.

If the "Scan & Go" test by the world’s largest retailer is successful, it has the potential to change the way people shop and pay, making the process more personal and potentially faster.
[Read more…]

moneto Enhances Mobile Payment Program with Product Upgrades and New Features

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Richardson, TX (PRWEB) August 28, 2012

Moneto, a multi-platform Near Field Communication (NFC) based mobile payment service for iPhone and Android, announced today various enhancements that add to the unique program. The upgraded program comes equipped with new products, additional features, more handset support, lowered pricing and a brand new website.

“We’re excited to release the enhanced moneto mobile service,” said Youri Bebic, DeviceFidelity’s General Manager for moneto programs. “We’ve made the program smarter and more feature rich to ensure we give our customer base what they want. Our multi-platform mobile payment solution is proud to be fundamentally customer focused, and we are responding to the marketplace with an irresistible value proposition.”

Now moneto becomes the first payment app to combine NFC in-store payment with free person-to-person money movement capability within the program.

This new “Money Move” feature is available to both iPhone and Android consumers through the moneto app and allows electronic instantaneous movement of money from one moneto cardholder to another, at no charge. With this new feature, moneto users will be able to send their friends and relatives money quickly, making group dining and outings easy to manage by eliminating inconvenient trips to the ATM.

NEW PRODUCTS:

More storage for Android users
In direct response to customer feedback, the moneto mobile wallet for Android now comes with 4GB of additional storage for photos, videos. The additional storage will allow an Android user to have NFC for mobile payment transactions on their Android device along with four times the storage.

In addition to expanded storage, the moneto mobile wallet for Android now includes mobile device support for the Samsung Galaxy SII (AT&T and T-Mobile), Samsung Infuse 4G (AT&T), and HTC Sensation 4G (T-Mobile) devices. These four devices join the Samsung Galaxy S i9000, Samsung Vibrant, Samsung Fascinate, Samsung Mesmerize, Samsung Showcase, Samsung Galaxy S 4G and the Samsung Epic 4G devices. The addition of the popular Android devices provides millions the access to NFC on their phone for mobile payments, allowing consumers to make in-store purchases where MasterCard® PayPass is accepted.

More battery juice for iPhone users
An exciting new addition to the lineup of popular NFC cases for iPhone is moneto X. Designed to work with the moneto microSD, moneto X includes the iCaisse4X, a powerful and multi-functional case that allows iPhone users to fully utilize the moneto features together with an extended battery providing additional talk and surf time

The new design is an amazingly protective and stylish hard shell two-piece case that allows iPhone owners to simply slide in their phone and instantly make mobile payments. The case itself doubles as an additional source of power complete with an extended battery that is controlled and monitored directly from the case. For the traveler constantly on the go with limited access to recharge, moneto X is one of the only extended battery cases on the market with a removable battery allowing users to carry yet another charged battery. The ingenious moneto X case is the only iPhone solution to harness the power of NFC for the iPhone while being fully equipped with an external battery pack.

WEBSITE
moneto’s new online website offers a more comprehensive look at the program as well as a fresh new design. The new website will allows visitors to get a better sense of the revamped program, easily obtain information, as well as access their online account to utilize such features as online bill pay, direct deposit and online card to card transfers.

NO MORE MONTHLY FEES
You can now use the moneto prepaid debit MasterCard® for FREE with NO monthly fees for the first three months. Plus, each additional month where at least $300 is spent is absolutely free*. For non-qualifying months, a market low monthly fee of only $2.95 will be charged.

PRICING & AVAILABILITY
The moneto mobile wallet is available for order online at moneto.com. moneto now offers three main products: moneto X with extended battery for iPhone retails for $79.96, the original moneto mobile wallet for iPhone with the new lower retail price of $59.95 and moneto 4GB for Android for $29.95.

Every moneto kit comes with a moneto microSD, a patented NFC case or NFC antenna sticker applicator, a prepaid debit MasterCard allowing users to access ATM’s nationwide, and $10 preloaded onto the account. The FREE moneto app can be downloaded from the Android Market or Apple App Store and comes complete with a reload feature to add funds to moneto, a locator that lists merchants that accept NFC payments by zip code or current location, and the new Money Move card-to-card transfers.

Source: Moneto

Starbucks Launches Mobile App for Android in UK and Canada

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Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) today announced the continued global expansion of the Starbucks mobile platform with the roll-out of Starbucks® app for Android™ to the United Kingdom and Canada. In addition, U.S. customers who download or update to the official Starbucks® app for Android™ will be able to experience new enhancements including a widget, PayPal™ support, PIN code protection, and viewing the My Starbucks Rewards™ history dashboard.

“The expansion of our mobile payment footprint to two of our most important markets is a strong milestone for us, but more importantly, it extends the number of customers who now have a faster and easier way to pay at Starbucks,” said Adam Brotman, chief digital officer at Starbucks Coffee Company. “We are thrilled to extend mobile payment capabilities to Android smartphones in the UK and Canada and enhance the experience in the U.S.”

Customers who download the official Starbucks® app for Android™ in Canada and the UK will now be able to access a range of features including Starbucks Card mobile payment, store locator, My Starbucks Rewards™ stars, check balance and reload, PIN code protection, widget and balance transfer capabilities. Through the Starbucks® app for Android™ expansion to the UK and Canada, Starbucks mobile payment will now be accepted at nearly 14,000 Starbucks locations worldwide.

Starbucks® App for Android™ Features:

Starbucks® app for Android™, available on Google Play, is available for phones running Android™ 2.2 or above and is designed to offer a rich user experience. Starbucks® app for Android™ allows customers in the U.S., UK and Canada to:

  • Pay with your phone: Enjoy the faster, more convenient way to pay at participating Starbucks stores. Just download the app, enter your Starbucks Card number, scan and go.
  • Pay and reload with PayPal™ (NEW): Pay and reload your Starbucks Card via PayPal on your Android device through the Starbucks® app for Android™ (US and Canada only). Additionally, you can use your smartphone to reload your Starbucks Card using any major credit card.
  • Manage your card account: Access your Starbucks Card balance directly from your phone.
  • Manage and check your My Starbucks Rewards status (ENHANCED): Find out how close you are to earning your next free drink through an easy-to-view My Starbucks Rewards™ history dashboard.
  • Find nearby Starbucks stores: Save time by finding a Starbucks store near you. The locator helps you view the stores through a map view or list view and helps you search for stores based on your needs.
  • Activate a widget (NEW): Core to the Android™ experience, a widget is now available so you can quickly and easily view your balance, My Starbucks Rewards™ star count, store locator and Touch to Pay icon.
  • Leverage safeguards (NEW): Add another safeguard by including a PIN code protection.

Source: Starbucks