TIO Networks + Softgate
TIO Networks has inked an arm’s length agreement acquire NJ-based Softgate Systems, a provider of consumer retail bill payment solutions. The acquisition is expected to close later this year.
Robert McKinley, Senior Analyst/Editor
Robert McKinley is an analyst of the payments industry on a daily basis for 32 years covering payment cards and payment systems from both the business side and the consumer side. McKinley is the retired founder and chief executive of RAM Research, CardWeb and CardTrak. In his prior position, McKinley has participated in more than 10,000 documented news media interviews, testified as an expert witness in two separate $billion+ U.S. anti-trust trials, testified before the U.S. Congress, assisted the GAO with paymentsIMG_2006 (1).jpeg reports, chaired numerous business conferences and provided C-Suite opinion to a multitude of Fortune 500 companies. In retirement, he has continued developing and funding digital media assets as well as contributing payments related analysis/content to a broad list of online publishers, including CardFlash, CardTrak and CardData. McKinley is also a national certified mentor with the non-profit SCORE organization with a focus on assisting Fintech startups. www.robert-mckinley.com
NTT SIM Vending
NTT Communications will begin operating prepaid SIM card vending machines for foreign visitors to Japan at Narita International Airport from July 24.
Oberthur eSE
Oberthur Technologies says brand new Lenovo smartphones will be equipped with its state-of-the-art NFC embedded Secure Element (eSE). Thanks to this very first partnership between OT and Lenovo, OT’s advanced eSE PEARL by OT will allow Lenovo to offer secure and convenient mobile payment and transport services.
Gemalto & ZTE
Gemalto has buddied up with China’s ZTE to showcase Gemalto’s LinqUs On-Demand Connectivity (ODC) subscription management solution on ZTE smartphones, at Mobile World Congress Shanghai.
Green Dot China
U.S prepaid king Green Dot announced the official opening of Green Dot Shanghai Software Technology. “Green Dot Shanghai” is a new wholly-owned subsidiary of Green Dot Corporation that is located in the Zhangjiang Hi Technology Park in the Pudong district of Shanghai.
PaymentVision Webinar
PaymentVision, a leading provider of PCI-compliant electronic payment gateway services, will host a free webinar that introduces attendees to EMV. The webinar will take place on Wednesday, August 12, 2015, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EDT.
Michael Carter/Silicon Prairie
CardWeb.com’s CardExecs database of payments industry movers and shakers today features Michael Carter, Co-Founder and CMO of Silicon Prairie.
Citi Cards Q2/15
Citibank North America branded credit card profits declined 10% and Citi retail cards declined 12% year-on-year (YOY) in the second quarter (Q2/15). End-of-Period (EOP) outstandings also slipped 4.1% and the Citi North America branded card base shrank 4% YOY in Q2/15.
PayPal Q2/15
eBay’s PayPal racked up an 11.1% gain in year-on-year (YOY) accounts to 169 million. PayPal, a force to be reckoned with as it jettisons from eBay this year, is going to be a wrecking ball to the payments industry.
Vodat & Authentic
Vodat International is using Authentic, an intelligent payments platform from Alaric, an NCR business. Vodat is using the platform to underpin its Unified Payment Service, which is providing retailers with a managed, PCI-compliant card processing solution.
HomeSend & Dialog Axiata
HomeSend and Dialog Axiata inked a deal to make international remittance services available to millions of consumers across Sri Lanka. HomeSend is a joint venture between MasterCard, eServGlobal and BICS.
TSheets & Square
TSheets and Square have teamed to offer up more time tracking possibilities at the register and beyond. By designing flexible software that syncs between platforms, Square and TSheets offer integrated technology that works better together.