Mobile Payment Magazine

MoneyGram, Iris Wireless and Globe Telecom to Provide Mobile Phone Load Service in Philippines

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MoneyGram, Iris Wireless and Globe Telecom Partner to Provide Mobile Top-Up to Philippines

U.S. consumers can purchase airtime credits for loved ones in the Philippines at any MoneyGram ExpressPayment agent location

MoneyGram International and Iris Wireless announced an agreement to provide global prepaid mobile top-up services that will make it easier for Filipinos living in the United States to stay connected with friends and family in the Philippines.

Per the agreement, MoneyGram will provide load service for U.S. consumers who want to re-load the cell phone minutes of individuals in the Philippines who use Iris Wireless’ partner Globe Telecom as their service provider. MoneyGram is a leader in the payment services industry, and Iris Wireless is a leading provider of messaging services that is connected to more than 850 network operators in 200 countries.

“It also helps Globe extend our reloading channels beyond the traditional sales network.”

International mobile top-up, a complementary service to MoneyGram’s global money transfer business, gives U.S. consumers another way to support those living or traveling abroad by purchasing airtime credits on their behalf. MoneyGram will offer this service through its network of ExpressPayment® retail agents – 35,000 in the United States – including Albertsons LLC, CVS/pharmacy and Walmart.

“MoneyGram’s alliance with Iris Wireless allows our customers to not only pay bills and send money to loved ones; but now they can also help out their friends and family in the Philippines by providing instant credit on Globe Telecom mobile phones,” said Greg Waltz, vice president and general manager of Global Payments at MoneyGram International.

“As demand continues to grow for international prepaid top-up services, Iris Wireless is excited about partnering with MoneyGram and Globe Telecom to provide international airtime minutes home to friends and family members in the Philippines,” said Peter Rinfret, CEO of Iris Wireless.

Unlike in the U.S., where most consumers have contracts for monthly service with wireless carriers, prepaid billing is the standard for most wireless consumers around the world who replenish minutes as they use them.

“As a mobile phone service provider Globe Telecom keeps people connected. This collaboration for international top-up provides us an opportunity to give millions of Filipinos in the U.S. a different way to stay connected to friends and family back home,” said Ferdinand De la Cruz, head of Consumer Sales at Globe Telecom. “It also helps Globe extend our reloading channels beyond the traditional sales network.”

U.S. customers can visit any MoneyGram agent location to purchase airtime credits for family and friends in the Philippines and load credits in various denominations in USD. The cell phone user will receive a text message that their phone has been topped up for a specific amount.

Source: Business Wire

FICO to Offer Telrock SMS and Mobile Payment App to Customers

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FICO, a provider of analytics and decision management technology, and London-based Telrock Communications Ltd., developer of mobile applications for banking, payments and debt management, today announced an agreement under which FICO will resell Telrock’s interactive text and smartphone applications around the world.

Telrock applications give FICO clients a new, fully secure mobile channel for communicating with customers, improving customer service and collecting payments.

“By offering Telrock mobile apps, we believe we can deliver help our clients in banking and other industries strengthen both their credit portfolios and their customer relationships.”

With Telrock’s unique mobile payment applications such as textDebit, customers can make payments by replying to SMS alerts or through smartphone apps. Telrock clients have reported that 40% of customers make payments within 30 minutes of receiving a mobile alert, and 74% make payments within 48 hours.

According to Telrock, payment arrangements managed by interactive text messaging have a completion rate of 63%, which is 20% above the average for non-SMS payment plans. Users of Telrock mobile applications include leading banks and utility companies, such as RBS, NatWest, British Gas, and Scottish and Southern Energy.

“Smartphone penetration is predicted to be 50% in 2012 and 80% by 2015, opening up a vast new communication channel for business,” said Telrock CEO Russell Robinson. “Younger generations in particular have shown a marked preference for receiving communications via SMS and apps over voice. Our agreement with FICO will enable credit grantors worldwide to leverage this channel to speed payments, cut collection costs and improve customer satisfaction.”

Telrock’s mobile-based services include sophisticated customer account management and protection functionality, as well as customer payment handling and alerting. Clients using these services can significantly reduce operating costs, achieve improved customer satisfaction and increase payment and contact rates, using a channel that costs less than traditional phone-based communications.

“Mobile payments have the potential to revolutionize banking by giving customers a quick, simple and secure channel for making sensitive payment arrangements,” said Mike Gordon, FICO’s general manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. “By offering Telrock mobile apps, we believe we can deliver help our clients in banking and other industries strengthen both their credit portfolios and their customer relationships.”

Source: Business Wire

Sprint Selects BilltoMobile to Provide Direct to Mobile Billing for Sprint Customers

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BilltoMobile has announced a  Direct Mobile Billing Gateway Servce Provider agreement with Sprint, which will allow Sprint customers to charge online purchases directly to their Sprint bill. Once implementation is complete in the coming months, merchants and payment resellers using BilltoMobile’s mobile payment service will be able to offer this payment option to Sprint customers.

“On the heels of our Sprint Mobile Wallet launch, we are pleased to work with BilltoMobile to present an additional payment option that will allow Sprint subscribers to conveniently and safely complete purchases on the Web,” said Kevin McGinnis, vice president of Sprint Product Platforms. “Our agreement with BilltoMobile represents another step forward in our efforts to provide our customers with the most innovative services and applications on the market.”

“Partnering with Sprint represents a major milestone for BilltoMobile, as it expands our reach to a vast majority of wireless subscribers in the U.S.,” said Denise Archer, vice president of carrier partnerships, BilltoMobile. “BilltoMobile is the only mobile payments gateway that can offer online digital goods and services merchants the technology infrastructure and broad consumer reach necessary to provide customers with a viable mobile payment option.”

The agreement with Sprint extends BilltoMobile’s overall reach to more than 240 million wireless subscribers in the U.S. across multiple carriers. These customers will now have instant access to BilltoMobile’s exclusive Direct Mobile Billing platform, which offers a simple, secure payment option that requires no registration, no set up, no application or downloads and no association with other financial instruments such as credit or bank cards. Purchases are completed in seconds using a two-step authentication process, and customers don’t have to expose any sensitive account information while using the service.

Through BilltoMobile, merchants and authorized resellers receive significantly lower carrier-inclusive processing fees, and a more robust approach to mobile payment processing. BilltoMobile’s Direct Mobile Billing platform involves real-time direct connections with the carrier’s billing system, advanced carrier-direct authentication systems and a direct real-time connection between the BilltoMobile service and the carrier’s customer care systems.

Source: MarketWire

BilltoMobile Adds Sprint, Extends Reach to 240 Million U.S. Customers

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A year ago, few people in the U.S. had ever heard of BilltoMobile, a direct carrier billing company with roots in Korea. But the San Jose, Calif. company is fast emerging as a leader in the mobile payments space with direct billing arrangements with Verizon and AT&T and Friday, it’s adding Sprint to the list.

The latest announcement extends BilltoMobile’s reach to about 240 million customers in the U.S., who will be able to make purchases and charge them directly to their cell phone bill. BilltoMobile is actively looking at locking up more carriers in North America and is expanding the number of merchants it deals with directly.

via GigaOm.

Western Union Partners with Etisalat to Provide International Mobile Money Transfers

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Western Union and Etisalat Group, a mobile phone company in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, will introduce Western Union Mobile Money Transfer service in the 18 countries where Etisalat operates.

Once agreements are signed between Western Union and Etisalat’s mobile network operators and the service is introduced, it will enable Etisalat’s subscribers to send and receive Western Union money transfer transactions using their mobile “wallets,” or accounts tied to their mobile phones. Subscribers who initiate transactions from their mobile phones would be able to send funds to a receiver for cash payout at more than 400,000 Western Union Agent locations in 200 countries and territories. In addition, Etisalat subscribers would be able to send funds to other selected mobile subscribers who have mobile wallets.

“Our research shows that many of our customers want to send and receive money via electronic channels like the mobile phone,” said Khalid Fellahi, Senior Vice President of Electronic Channels, Western Union. “This alliance with Etisalat will offer the company’s extensive subscriber base a convenient service they can use anywhere, anytime.”

Etisalat subscribers who receive a Western Union money transfer in their mobile wallets would be able to use the funds to pay bills, top up airtime, send money domestically or internationally, or withdraw cash at a cash-out agent or any participating ATM.

Commenting on the alliance, Essa Al-Haddad, Etisalat’s Group Chief Marketing Officer, said: “Etisalat’s association with Western Union is a substantiation of our relentless commitment to increase the reach of our customers by offering innovative services. This strategic alliance will help us leverage each other’s experience and strengths – including our strong base of subscribers and award-winning customer service and Western Union’s expertise in moving money around the globe and their well-known brand – to enable customers to send and receive money using their mobile phones.”

Rashed Alabbar, Etisalat’s Director of Mobile Commerce, said, “This agreement with Western Union is part of Etisalat’s broader mobile commerce strategy to offer innovative and cost-effective mobile payment applications to our 135 million mobile customers across our operations in 18 countries, including the UAE. Etisalat has been a leader in providing innovative mCommerce services in the UAE, and this association will enable us to extend the reach of our services across the globe.”

In 2010, Etisalat Group closed the year by reaching 135 million customers, and 2% revenue growth over 2009.

Western Union offers the Mobile Money Transfer Service in the Philippines with Smart Communications and Globe Telecom; in Kenya with Safaricom; in Malaysia with Maxis; and in Canada with EnStream. In addition, consumers can now visit one of more than 80,000 Western Union Agent locations in 48 countries to send money directly to a mobile wallet in select countries. Western Union also has agreements with other mobile operators and banks to introduce the service in the future.

Source: Business Wire

MXit Signs Agreement with wiWallet to Offer Mobile Payments

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MXit has signed an exclusive agreement with wiWallet, that will soon make it possible for MXit’s 10-million active users to make use mobile payment services.

wiWallet is a subsidiary of UCS Group Limited (“UCS”), a provider of retail software within South Africa, where the Group services 95% of SA’s retailers.

This agreement will enable MXit to bring mobile payment services to its active user base of approximately 10-million strong in South Africa within the 2nd quarter of this year.

via Memeburn.

Belgium’s Financial and Mobile Telephone Sectors to Develop New NFC Mobile Payment System

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The Belgian financial sector and the Belgian mobile telephone companies—Belgacom, BASE (KPN Group Belgium) and Mobistar—have partnered to launch a new mobile payment system in Belgium. Currently, they are planning to develop a product that will be accessible to the public at large with a launch date in 2011.

The continuous technological improvements, the growing range of mobile telephone functions (telephone calls, SMS messages, pictures/images, internet access, etc.) and the ever increasing user-friendliness have turned the mobile telephone into an indispensable tool for all Belgian citizens. Consequently, the financial sector, which wants to give a new boost to electronic payments in Belgium, and the telecom sector have begun planning new steps forward in the payment systems space.

The aim of the partnership is for these complementary industries to put their experience, know-how and expertise together so as to offer a new standard product for mobile payments in the Belgian market. The plans focus on payments security and user-friendliness of the new product for consumers and merchants alike. The purpose is to make it possible for consumers to swiftly use their mobile as an electronic wallet for the standard payment of small amounts (maximum 25 EUR). The system will be based on the use of SMS and contactless Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.

In practice, this new and fully mobile system will allow consumers to use their mobile for paying their car park ticket, bus fare, drinks and even their online purchases. This technological innovation also creates new opportunities for merchants in the field of payments.

The new system is the result of a close cooperation between the financial sector and the telecom sector. Both sectors are convinced that the development of a standard product is one of the key factors for a fast and effective growth of mobile payments in Belgium. The new payment system is scheduled for launch in 2011.

Source: WebWire

Partnership Between NTT DOCOMO and KT Corp Will Bring Cross-border NFC Services to Japan and South Korea

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NTT DOCOMO has partnered with South Korea’s leading telecom operator, KT Corporation, to use near field communication (NFC) technologies to develop cross-border services for mobile payments, mass-transit ticketing, promotional coupons and other NFC applications. The services will launch in their respective markets of Japan and South Korea from around the end of 2012.

Through their joint Business & Technology Cooperation Committee, the two companies are developing NFC common specifications that will be incorporated in devices, networks and billing platforms for seamlessly connected mobile NFC services. Customers travelling between South Korea and Japan will access the services using compatible Android handsets embedded with contactless IC chips.

DOCOMO also plans to submit an outline of the common specifications to global industry associations and standardization bodies, such as the GSM Association.

With the ultimate goal of building an international environment for compatible NFC services, DOCOMO has formed strategic tie-ups with payment technology company brand Visa Inc., NFC chip and mobile handset manufacturer Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and SIM card vendor Gemalto N.V. In addition, DOCOMO will collaborate with Sumitomo Mitsui Card Co., Ltd. and bitWallet, Inc. for enhanced cross-border services.

To prepare for the services, DOCOMO and KT will accelerate development of their existing infrastructures, as well as solicit the participation of NFC-based service providers in various industries. DOCOMO has been providing NFC-based Osaifu-Keitai™ mobile-wallet services in Japan since 2004. KT has been operating a post-paid mass transit service in South Korea since 2002.

DOCOMO will demonstrate the envisioned international NFC services at its exhibition booth during Mobile World Congress 2011 in Barcelona, Spain from February 14-17.

Hyunmi Yang, Executive Vice President of KT, said, “Based on our long commercial experience in various financial-convergence services, the NFC collaboration between KT & DOCOMO will contribute to building a sustainable global ecosystem.”

Bill Gajda, Head of Visa Mobile, Visa Inc., said, “Visa has been instrumental in developing the global standard for mobile payments based on NFC technology. We welcome this project and see great value in extending the security, convenience and global interoperability of NFC-based mobile payments to consumers in Japan and Korea.”

“We are delighted to work with NTT DOCOMO by providing competitive NFC IC technology to develop an NFC ecosystem that offers retail and commercial customers a very high degree of convenience, services, interactivity and security on their mobile devices. Thus, we believe this business collaboration will lead to a market-leading solution, new innovation and broad commercial acceptance around the globe,” said Dr. Dojun Rhee, Vice President of the Marketing Team, System LSI Division, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

“Gemalto is delighted to contribute its world-leading NFC expertise for DOCOMO’s deployment of cross-border mobile contactless services,” commented Tan Teck-Lee, President, Gemalto Asia.

Hideo Otsuka, General Manager of the IT Business Dept. of Sumitomo Mitsui Card Co., Ltd., said, “We’ll aggressively collaborate more with DOCOMO so that we could develop new, fascinating cross-border payment services based on NFC technologies.”

Kazumasa Miyazawa, Chief Strategy Officer, Head of the International Business Dept. of bitWallet, Inc., said, “The specifications announced today are an ideal solution for the development of NFC services worldwide. Through their adoption, we aim to introduce seamless Edy services worldwide.”

via NTT DOCOMO Press Releases | ComSoc Communities.

PaymentOne Partners With BilltoMobile to Offer Direct Mobile Billing

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Two of the leading mobile payment and carrier billing companies in the world have agreed to provide merchants and consumers with a seamless and secure mobile payment experience.

San Jose-based PaymentOne has partnered with BilltoMobile to offer PaymentOne merchants and customers more competitive payouts and advanced security compared to premium SMS through the BilltoMobile Direct Mobile Billing DMB payment service which is directly connected into the carrier billing system.

PaymentOne Corp., founded in 2000 and profitable since 2005, continues to experience exponential growth as the only provider to offer billing to mobile, broadband and fixed landline carriers through the PaymentOne AnyPhone solution.

PaymentOne has processed more than $4 Billion in retail charges for virtual goods and subscription services on carrier bills. PaymentOne’s AnyPhone Network reaches 3 billion consumer bills in more than 70 countries through contracts with over 1,100 operators.

BilltoMobile, and its strategic investor, Danal, Co., Ltd Seoul, Korea are also one of the global leaders in processing eCommerce mobile payments and have processed over $4 Billion in mobile billing transactions. Their service is leading the way globally for financial grade mobile payment standards that are revolutionizing the mobile billing space.

Joe Lynam, PaymentOne CEO, and Jim Greenwell, BilltoMobile CEO, issued a joint statement: “PaymentOne and BilltoMobile agreed to collaborate to enhance both the merchant and consumer value proposition. Consumers will benefit from a secure and convenient payment solution. Merchants and publishers will enjoy improved payouts and dramatically improved ‘friendly fraud’ mitigation from PaymentOne’s Propensity-to-Pay fraud management system. This collaboration will significantly enhance the world’s largest merchants’ and online publishers’ ability to monetize the rapidly growing consumer demand for virtual goods and services.”

Source: MarketWire

BilltoMobile Expands Verizon Carrier Billing Options to Include Boku

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BilltoMobile is expanding its direct carrier billing relationship with Verizon Wireless to process transactions from other payment platforms starting with mobile payment start-up Boku. The agreement allows Boku to tap into BilltoMobile’s direct billing gateway and will greatly expand the number of merchants and consumers who can use direct billing on Verizon. BilltoMobile’s deal with Boku is non-exclusive so BilltoMobile could also process transactions from Zong and other payments providers as well.

BilltoMobile last year secured the first U.S. carrier billing deal when it agreed with Verizon Wireless to process payments directly through the carrier’s billing system.

via GigaOm.