Mint & HSMs
Australia’s Mint Payments is now using Thales payShield hardware security modules (HSMs) for encryption and key management to secure Mint Payments’ mobile payments solutions.
Ueshima Coffee & Boku
Ueshima Coffee, part of the UCC Group has inked Boku, the global leader in mobile payments using carrier billing. This is a first of its kind partnership that allows customers to top up their Ueshima Coffee cards using their mobile phone in order to purchase coffee, food, and other products in any Ueshima coffee shop.
Monitise Q2/15
Monitise reports FY 2015 revenue declined 6% to £89.7m. The loss was £41.8m, was at the lower end of the Company’s guidance range of a £40-50m loss. Elizabeth Buse has stepped down as CEO and from the Board. Deputy CEO and Chief Commercial Officer Lee Cameron has been appointed CEO.
Zain & Boku
San Francisco-based Boku has buddied with MT2 to bring direct carrier billing to Google Play for Zain subscribers in Saudi Arabia. This benefit is particularly important in Saudi Arabia, where only 17% of consumers have a credit card and only 46% have any kind of bank account.
Boku Taiwan
San Francisco-base Boku has launched direct carrier billing with the top five carriers in Taiwan: Chunghwa Telecom, Far EasTone, Taiwan Mobile, Asia Pacific Telecom, and Taiwan Star.
Boku Hong Kong
San Francisco-based Boku has inked a deal with 3 Hong Kong, the mobile division of Hutchison Telecommunications. Last year smartphone penetration in Hong Kong stood at over 87%, with more than 31% of the population owning more than one phone.
Intuit Partners Stripe
Intuit is releasing a new integration for marketplaces using Stripe for payment processing. This lets independent for-hire workers automate tax reporting via the new QuickBooks Online Self-Employed product. Intuit and Stripe make keeping track of and paying taxes simple through automation. With this new integration, on-demand marketplaces can give their users the free benefit of having their income data flow securely into QuickBooks Online Self-Employed, so that they always have a clear picture of their tax obligations and can easily track deductions, such as business expenses and mileage. This prevents tax penalties and avoiding having to pay any unneeded interest.
Boku Execs
San Francisco-based Boku has officially named mopay co-founders Ingo Lippert and Christian Hinrichs as the company’s new Chief Business Officer and Chief Financial Officer, respectively. Boku recently acquired German-based mopay.
CardBlanc
Los Angeles-based CardBlanc is here. The new mobile shopping platform utilizes a virtual card and has an impressive list of merchants.
Gem Bitcoin Platform
Gem Bitcoin startup, launched a Bitcoin platform for developers at TechCrunch Disrupt SF’s Startup Battlefield. Selected as one of 30 companies competing for a chance to win $50,000 and the coveted Disrupt Cup, Gem’s full-stack API now provides developers with a complete solution that eliminates the pain of building Bitcoin security infrastructure into their apps. Founded by Bitcoin, Gem offers a platform for securing Bitcoin and other digital currencies. The importance of protecting Bitcoin balances and transactions is now mandatory in the wake of several recent industry security challenges resulting in the loss or theft of over half a billion dollars’ worth of Bitcoin. Gem’s solution, which can be deployed by developers in minutes, utilizes a three-key multi-signature system and several other integrated bank-grade security features to ensure Bitcoin wallets and funds are always secure and accessible. The combination of multi-signature technology with best-in-class authentication and monitoring systems in one comprehensive platform makes the Gem solution a first for the digital currency world.
Montise Makes Board Appointments
Monitise made a series of updates to its executive leadership team and Board of Directors.Former Visa Inc. payments executive Elizabeth Buse has been appointed co-Chief Executive of Monitise Group, effective immediately. Elizabeth also joins the Company’s Board of Directors.Elizabeth, an American national who was a member of the Monitise Board from July 2010 to October 2012, will head Monitise’s day-to-day operations, overseeing technology, product, sales and marketing while Alastair focuses on key relationships with partners and industry stakeholders, corporate development and major shareholders. Strategy will continue to be set by the executive leadership team in conjunction with the Board. Monitise’s growing ecosystem of partners and clients includes more than 350 banks, payment services companies such as Visa Inc., Visa Europe and MasterCard as well as Vocalink, FIS and IBM. In the mobile space, Monitise’s customers include Telefónica, Samsung, PCCW Mobile, Turkcell and BlackBerry. In the retail ecosystem they include brands such as Blackhawk Network Holdings with its network of more than 500 content providers operating in the US and 18 other countries, eBay, Turkey’s Bilyoner and Biletix, Venda, B&Q, Carphone Warehouse and Premier Inn. Elizabeth’s appointment comes after she stepped down from her role running international operations at Visa Inc. in March 2014 as Executive Vice President of Solutions. She joined Visa Inc. in 1998 and during her time there held roles including Group President of Asia Pacific, Central Europe, Middle East and Africa, Global Head of Product, Executive Vice President of Product Development and Management and Executive Vice President of Emerging Markets & Technologies.
Boku Signs Global Mobile Payments Partnership with Deutsche Telekom Group
Boku carrier billing-based mobile payments signed an agreement with Deutsche Telekom Group mobile network operators. This expands on a previous agreement between the two in Germany, Deutsche Telekom’s primary market, to cover the MNO’s entire user base in Europe of over 140 million subscribers across 14 different markets. The agreement establishes Boku as a strategic partner powering Deutsche Telekom’s payments offerings, provides the company with an advanced mobile payments API, and gives customers the ability to pay for digital goods and services simply using their existing mobile phone account. Merchants offering carrier billing-based mobile payments will generate incremental revenue from consumers who find mobile the easiest way to pay, and attract new consumers who previously were unable or unlikely to pay via other payment options, such as credit and debit cards.