MYPINPAD Asia teams up with with Mswipe on next-gen POS systems

Indian merchants will get a smarter kind of POS device, thanks to a partnership between merchant acquirer Mswipe and authentication expert MYPINPAD Asia.

The devices will use touchscreen technology (secured by MYPINPAD pin entry tech), which removes the need for a separate PIN pad device. It also meets the mandate of the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) to increase the deployment of secure PIN enabled acceptance devices into the Indian market.

Mswipe offers processing and financial services to SMEs in more than Indian 500 cities.

Philip King, MYPINPAD Asia’s CEO, said: “India is a major market with a rapidly evolving payments landscape. To ensure that the evolution and growth of mobile payments is sustainable, security is paramount. MYPINPAD and Mswipe will provide a solution that addresses the growing demand for secure mobile payment methods in a scalable, cost effective and secure environment.”

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Mitto launches A2P messaging white paper

A new paper by Mitto “Driving Business Through A2P Messaging” outlines the case for A2P messaging with use cases and data.

The Juniper-authored project says A2P messaging generated traffic worth nearly $36.3 billion in 2016, but that 31 percent of that traffic was grey route and not monetised.

The paper concludes with a series of recommendations on the steps needed to increase revenues and stem grey route traffic and increase reach to deliver a robust and reliable global SMS connectivity offering.

“While companies know that the A2P opportunity is there, we find that more often than not, they don’t know how to take advantage of it for their own business benefits,” said Andrea Giacomini, Managing Director, Mitto.

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Deutsche Telekom unveils zero-rated ‘StreamOn’ music and video bundle

Subscribers to Deutsche Telekom will be able to access Apple Music, Amazon Music and video, Napster, Netflix, Sky Go and YouTube with no data charges.

The telco says it is “revolutionising the German mobile communications market” with StreamOn, which will be available from 19 April.

“This new offering is another step along the road to giving our mobile customers unrestricted use of audio and video content while on the go via the best mobile network,” said Niek Jan van Damme, MD of Telekom Deutschland.

Deutsche Telekom’s US sister T-Mobile offers a similar service called Binge On.

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Wirecard helps Rossmann pharmacies integrate Alipay in Europe

Chinese tourists can now pay with Alipay at the Rossmann drugstore chain in Germany.

The retailer has worked with Alipay’s European partner, Wirecard, to fit out its POS systems with Alipay Barcode Payment.

There are over 2,000 Rossmann branches in Germany, and two million Chinese tourists travel to the country every year. On average, they spend 3,000 euros on shopping alone during their holidays.

Christian Reindl, EVP of Consumer Goods Sales at Wirecard, said: “Our platform enables us to easily implement acceptance for Alipay payments in Rossmann’s central till system and also make it available for online customers. This is a prime example of the omnichannel approach.”

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HSBC signs up for Zapp’s Pay by Bank project

UK customers of HSBC bank will soon be able to check out from mobile apps and sites direct from their bank app.

The bank has just signed up to the Pay by Bank service run by Vocalink and Zapp. This is the platform that lets merchants re-route shoppers to their own app, enter the amount and then ‘push’ it to the retailer.

It’s an alternative to handing over card details, which gives users more control. They can choose which account to pay from and see how much credit they have.

“We’re delighted to formally welcome HSBC and first direct on board as they begin integration of Pay by Bank app into their mobile banking apps,” said Pay by Bank managing director, Rajiv Garodia.

Other banks in the system include Barclays, Halifax, Bank of Scotland and Lloyds.

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Twilio adds a new API – for faxes

Developers can now send a fax from their apps as simply as they can call and text.

Fax tech may be decades old, but many businesses – from hospitals to government – still use it. Now, Twilio has made it possible to send and receive faxes from any software application.

“Fax has always been part of our stack, going back seven years,” said Sam Kennedy, VP of Engineering at pizza firm Slice. “With Twilio Programmable Fax, we can send thousands of orders immediately, scale to our users’ demand, and do so confidently.”

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BICS integrates Coriant Groove to speed up connectivity

BICS has teamed up with Coriant to provide high-capacity, low latency connectivity in European metropolitan markets,

The telco wholesale carrier has begun deployment of the Coriant Groove in its pan-European network – including London, Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, and Marseille.

Xavier Gondry, Head of International Network Planning & Deployment, BICS, said: “The Groove transport solution gives us the ability to respond quickly to capacity needs and demands from our customers all while significantly minimizing both footprint and power usage.”

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Mahindra Comviva appoints LatAm CEO

Rafael Olivares is the new head of operations for Mahindra Comviva in Latin America.

Mahindra Comviva has been steadily building its base in LataAm in recent years and acquired control of local company Advanced Technology Solutions (ATS) in January last year.

Olivares will be tasked with achieving 250 per cent revenue growth for the firm over the next three years. He will focus on mobile financial solutions, big data/analytics, content and messaging.

Mahindra Comviva currently provides services in 15 Latin American countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Curaçao, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico , Paraguay, Peru and the Dominican Republic.

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F-Secure targets Mac market with Little Flocker purchase

Cyber security company F-Secure has acquired Little Flocker, which uses advanced behavioural based analysis to protect Macs from security threats.

F-Secure will now build Little Flocker’s security engine into its new XFENCE technology.

It says the idea of Macs not requiring protection against hacking is receding, especially with Apple’s popularity among senior-level execs.

“Macs have become an appealing entry point for attackers seeking to penetrate organisations. With Little Flocker’s technology, we will enhance the behavioural blocking capabilities in our Mac endpoint protection to stop modern adversaries cold,” said Mika Ståhlberg, chief technology officer at F-Secure.

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