OnlinePaymentNews » Brian Daly

Zynga Share Prices Fall As Usage Declines

Brian Daly — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 11:32:45 +0000

Share prices of Zynga Inc., the largest producer of social games on Facebook, fell to a record low recently.

Customers are thought to be actively switching to mobile phones because it is so convenient to play the games anywhere and any place. Also the quality of the games is as good, if not better, when played on mobile phones.

It is thought that this increased usage of mobile devices such as smart-phones is the main reason for the drop in revenue. Less revenue is generated from these than from customers who use a standard computer to play the games.

An excerpt from a recent article:

Shares of San Francisco-based Zynga decreased 10 percent to $4.98 at the close in New York, the lowest price since the company sold shares at $10 apiece in an initial public offering in December. Through yesterday, the stock had dropped 41 percent this year.

Daily active use for Zynga’s social gaming dropped 8.2 percent in May, said Doug Creutz, an analyst at Cowen in San Francisco, in a report today. Facebook accounts for most of sales and takes a cut of virtual goods sold in Zynga games, such as crops and tractor equipment in “Farmville.” While Zynga is the dominant provider of games on Facebook, it faces significantly more competition on smartphones and tablets.

You can see the full article here: Zynga use declines, causing stock to fall to record low

PayPal To Be Available For Use On TV

Brian Daly — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 11:11:01 +0000

In a recent announcement from EBay Inc., it will soon be possible to purchase goods and make transactions using your PayPal account and television remote control.

PayPal will be joining with cable company Comcast Corp. and TV manufacturers TiVo Inc.

Customers of these companies and services, who also have a PayPal acount, will then be able to buy goods, make donations, and other standard transactions from any of the interactive adverts that appear on the TV.

This continues PayPal’s move to expand the range of options and choices available to theit customers.

Here is an excerpt from the release:

Starting as early as this fall, viewers with PayPal accounts will be able to click on TV commercials to buy advertised goods, make donations to political campaigns and nonprofits, and ask advertisers to text information to their phones, PayPal Vice President Scott Dunlap said in an interview. Consumers also will be able to electronically collect coupons for shopping with PayPal in stores such as Home Depot Inc. (HD)

The deals are part of PayPal’s effort to boost revenue by providing its payment service on more devices. It already powers 20 percent of global e-commerce sales and a third of purchases made on mobile phones and tablets, Dunlap said. TV-based commerce could be as big an opportunity as mobile, he said.

See the full article here: PayPal to Offer E-Commerce on TV Sets With Comcast, TiVo

Mare PayPal reading:

PayPal Gives Banks a Run for Their Money
Nearly half of the respondents were interested in mobile wallets in general, and of those, 80% would rather use eBay’s (NAS: EBAY) PayPal than their own bank — if PayPal offered other banking services as well. So far, banks don’t have to worry about …
www.dailyfinance.com

Tivo spots to offer purchase option: PayPal pact tees up interactive ads
Tivo and PayPal are joining forces to enable viewers to purchase products promoted on screen via their remote controls. The companies hope to line up marketers to experiment with the interactive ads in time for the fall TV season.
www.chicagotribune.com

Bitcoin Payment Network Expands Worldwide

Brian Daly — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 10:29:00 +0000

BitInstant LLC recently announced that Bitcoins can now be purchased at ‘hundreds of thousands’ of retail stores across the United States, South America, and Russia.

Using these new services, people can purchase Bitcoins and expect to have the digital currency available within the hour, which is a big improvement on the typical wait of up to two days prior to this.

The main aspect of this is that it makes Bitcoins much easier to purchase now using cash. Credit and debit cards are not accepted, because of the dangers of chargebacks. which are not permitted in the standard user-to-user Bitcoin transactions.

Here is n excerpt from the recent article:

Using these new locations, anyone can obtain Bitcoins within minutes of payment, a process that previously took several days. By simplifying this exchange, customers now just visit BitInstant’s website, print out a receipt, and deposit physical cash for the virtual currency at their nearest retail or convenience location. Bitcoins are credited to their account within 30 minutes.

This solves one of the convenience problems associated with Bitcoin purchases – they are now far easier to acquire. Credit cards and Paypal have typically not been accepted, because those payments are reversible, whereas Bitcoins are not (enabling the seller of Bitcoins to be defrauded with a chargeback). This dynamic has made obtaining Bitcoins a lengthy and confusing process. BitInstant hopes to change that.

You can read the full article here: Bitcoin Payment Network Adds Hundreds of Thousands of Locations Worldwide

Western Union Join With Roshan To Enable Mobile Transfers In Afghanistan

Brian Daly — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 01:13:47 +0000

Western Union, one of the leading international payments companies, have recently teamed up with Roshan in Afghanistan.

Roshan is the largest communications provider in Afghanistan’s with almost 6 million subscribers.

The result is that international money transfers can now be made directly to mobile phones wallets of Roshan customers across their network covering over 230 cities and towns in all of the country’s 34 provinces.

This is of particular use in countries which have large numbers of Afghans living abroad, countries such as Canada and UAE. Money can be easily sent to families back at home using this method.

Here is an excerpt from the recent article:

Now, M-Paisa customers in Afghanistan can receive Western Union Mobile Money Transfer transactions from around the world directly into their mobile wallet accounts from families, in particular from countries with the largest population of Afghans living abroad, like UAE, Germany and Canada.

“To partner with such a recognized global brand such as Western Union is another example of innovation that Roshan brings to Afghanistan,” said Karim Khoja, chief executive officer, Roshan. “Together, Roshan and Western Union are enabling distant families to be connected, and also offering peace of mind for those with relatives in Afghanistan, who have previously struggled to send money back home. The launch of this service is another step to making financial inclusion a reality for the almost 97 percent of Afghans who do not have access to traditional financial services, and is a continued demonstration of our mission to support economic development and empowerment throughout Afghanistan.”

Roshan launched M-Paisa using technology from Vodafone, one of the world’s leading international mobile communications groups. Today, since the launch of the mobile money service in November 2008, M-Paisa has over 1 million customers enabled to receive their salaries, pay bills, receive and repay microfinance loans, send and receive money and purchase airtime directly from their Roshan phone.

See the full article here: Roshan and Western Union Launch International Mobile Money Transfer Service in …

New Deal For Green Dot Brings Share Price Increase

Brian Daly — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 01:13:45 +0000

Gren Dot, the dicount banking comany, have recently announced a new deal with retailer Dollar Tree Inc.

This new deal will allow for Green Dot prepaid debit cards to be available throughout the 4,300 Dollar Tree retail stores. This brings the total number of stores where Green Dot products are available to about 65,000.

Green Dot have also announced two contract renewals, one with Wal-Mart, and one with PayPal.

Shares prices of Green Dot,which have been on the decline over the last year, have risen 6% shortly after this announcement.

An excerpt from a recent article:

Shares of discount banking chain Green Dot Corp. rose Monday after the company said it signed a new deal with the retailer Dollar Tree Inc. that will expand the availability of Green Dot’s prepaid banking cards.

The company also announced two contract renewals, one with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and the other with the online payment company PayPal, a division of eBay Inc.

The company will start placing its products in Dollar Tree discount retail stores in the second half of the year. The deal adds more than 4,300 stores to Green Dot’s national retail distribution footprint, bringing its total number of retail outlets to about 65,000.

Read the full article here: Green Dot rises on Dollar Tree distribution deal

MoneyGram Warns About Mystery Shopper Fraud

Brian Daly — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 01:13:45 +0000

With the approach of summer, leading many students to search for summer jobs, the ‘Mystery Shopper’ idea has always been a novel way of earning some extra cash. The idea is fairly simple, get hired to go to certain stores, observe, make purchases, and then report back on the overall customer experience. And get paid as a result!

Kim Garner, senior vice president of global security and investigations for MoneyGram, warns us to be careful about some Mystery Shopper opportunities that might arrive.

A particular scam to be aware of is where you are hired to act as a mystery shopper, and receive a cheque which must be cashed first to get funds. After performing the mystery shopper duties, you must return the remainder of this cheque by some money transfer service, and this may be in the range of hundreds of dollars.

The way the scam comes into play, is that you then discover that the initial cheque was bogus, meaning you have lost whatever funds you wired.

Garner explained that a fraudulent mystery shopper scheme typically begins when a consumer responds to an ad or email, and is asked to cash a check for hundreds of dollars, using a minor portion to purchase goods at a retailer and evaluate the experience in exchange for payment from a portion of the remaining funds. The individual is then asked to return the remainder of the funds — typically many hundreds of dollars — to the “employer” through a money transfer service. “After they’ve sent the money, they discover the original check was fraudulent, and they’ve lost the money they wired to a scammer,” said Garner.

Garner also offers the following general advice for all those on the hunt for summer jobs:

– Read the Fine Print: Before applying for any new job, read the entire job description, and look for any hints — such as lack of a physical address or phone number — that the job may not be with a reputable employer.

– Verify Before You Apply: Search the internet for references and feedback about the company. The Better Business Bureau also keeps public records of any complaints that have been filed about a company.

– Money Isn’t Earned Overnight: Work-at-home jobs are like any other business, and generating income takes time. If a work-at-home job opportunity promises a hefty paycheck quickly, proceed with caution.

– Don’t Give to Receive: A work-at-home job that requires applicants to pay for training materials or certification is a common sign of a potential scam. Ignore any job offers that require an applicant to send money to an employer up-front.

– Never Wire as a Hire: A legitimate mystery shopper job never requires an employee to cash a check and return a portion of the funds through a money transfer service. “Never wire money to anyone you don’t know,” advises MoneyGram’s Garner.

See the full article here: Searching for a Summer Job? MoneyGram Shows How ‘Mystery Shopper’ Opportunity …

Zynga Announces Zombie Swipeout For Smartphones

Brian Daly — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 01:13:45 +0000

Zynga, the social gaming platform, recently announced news about its upcoming new game called “Zombie Swipeout” for smartphone users.

As part of the launch, paid actors, posing as zombies, have been ‘ghouling’ the streets, offering “blood drops” (popsicles promising the “fleshiest” ingredients) as incentives for the new game.

The game is expected to officially launch during the next few weeks.

The objectives of the game: have guilt-free fun slaughtering the undead, just don’t kill Joey, the good guy.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

“We love zombies,” said Zynga Mobile Germany studio director Matthias Hoechsmann, whose small startup gave the world the hit game “ZombieSmash” before being bought in October by the San Francisco-based social games star.

“What we love most is there are so many things you can do to zombies — anvils, machetes, baseball bats, landmines…” he continued as he gave AFP a preview of the new smartphone game.

“It’s guilt-free killing because they are already dead.”

“Zombie Swipeout” will launch globally in coming weeks.

The free, arcade style game has one rule: don’t kill the good guy.

Cartoon zombies bounce into view on screen and points are scored by slaughtering them by slashing with fingers. Occasionally a human character arcs into the mix, and killing him ends the game.

“The object of the game is to slash, slice, bludgeon, explode, and freeze as many zombies as possible without harming Joey, the lone human survivor from ZombieSmash,” according to Hoechsmann.

This author is unable to comment on the actual game until it is released, but does have this to say in anticipation - “Yaay!”

See the full article here: Zynga unleashes zombies on smartphones

PayPal To Be Utilised in ShopKeep POS

Brian Daly — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 01:13:36 +0000

ShopKeep POS recently announced that they will include PayPAl as an alternative method of payment in their system.

Point Of Sale (POS) is the term used to describe the system that takes place when consumers approach the checkout to pay for goods. POS systems usually incorporate both hardware and software. Software is installed in the till, and various hardware items such as bar code scanners, credit card card readers, etc., are connected nearby.

The whole system is designed to make it easy for consumers to pay for goods, and offer choices about the method of payment.

PayPal can now be included as one of these choices, at any store where merchants utilise ShopKeep POS. There are no upgrade requirements for the merchants, meaning that the new system does not need equipment to be replaced, and can be included quite easily.

Customers can then use their smartphone and PayPal account to make payment.

Here is an excerpt from a recent article:

Using the system is simple: for shoppers, simply check-in to the local business using the PayPal iPhone app. At the checkout the shopper’s name and picture will come up on the merchants ShopKeep POS iPad register. The shopper then finalizes the payment. A receipt is sent via email.

For the merchant, the system checks out shoppers but also helps to manage inventory, build loyalty programs and can access real-time sales.

See the full article here: PayPal, coming to a store near you

Bitcoin Feared By FBI As Haven For Illicit Activity

Brian Daly — Thu, 31 May 2012 23:53:07 +0000

An FBI internal report was recently leaked to the internet, raising concerns about the use of Bitcoin currency.

Bitcoin is an online currency that allows individuals to buy goods, sell goods, and exchange money anonymously.

This report, marked for Official Use Only but not marked classified, raises concerns about the fact that Bitcoin uses mainly a peer-to-peer network, with no central authority.

Financial transaction history records are not easy to obtain in those circumstances, which makes it difficult to track certain types of activity, criminal activity in particular.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

The FBI sees the anonymous Bitcoin payment network as an alarming haven for money laundering and other criminal activity — including as a tool for hackers to rip off fellow Bitcoin users.

That’s according to a new FBI internal report that leaked to the internet this week, which expresses concern about the difficulty of tracking the identify of anonymous Bitcoin users, while also unintentionally providing tips for Bitcoin users to remain more anonymous.

The report titled “Bitcoin Virtual Currency: Unique Features Present Distinct Challenges for Deterring Illicit Activity,” (.pdf) was published April 24 and is marked For Official Use Only (not actually classified), but was leaked to the internet on Wednesday.

In the document, the FBI notes that because Bitcoin combines cryptography and a peer-to-peer architecture to avoid a central authority, contrary to how digital currencies such as eGold and WebMoney operated, law enforcement agencies have more difficulty identifying suspicious users and obtaining transaction records.

You can read the full article here: FBI Fears Bitcoin’s Popularity with Criminals

European Court Rules Against Mastercard On MIF Fees

Brian Daly — Thu, 31 May 2012 23:51:16 +0000

The European Union General Court in Luxembourg recently ruled to uphold a 2007 ruling that fees for cross-border card payments by MasterCard were anti-competitive (this ruling had been appealed by MasterCard).

This new ruling is forcing MasterCard to stop charging merchants to process credit card transactions, fees known as multilateral interchange fees (MIFs).

The EU General Court pointed out that such fees were not in use in other credit card companies, and were not required to ensure the viability of the MasterCard company.

Hefty fines for MasterCard may be in line if they fail to comply.

An excerpt from the recent article:

The EU General Court has slammed MasterCard for charging merchants to process credit card transactions.

Under the MasterCard system, a card-issuing bank retains part of all charges that a consumer applies to his payment cards. Since the merchant must swallow that loss, known as multilateral interchange fees (MIFs), the European Commission found that it constituted a price-competition restriction.

In 2007, the agency ordered MasterCard to repeal the MIFs within six months or face fines of 3.5 percent of its daily consolidated global turnover.

MasterCard and two subsidiaries appealed the commission’s decision to the EU General Court, claiming that banks would have to offer competing payment cards or reduce cardholder benefits if they lost the MIFs.

Read the full article here: MasterCard Must Stop Hurting EU Merchants

More news on MasterCard:

MasterCard faces High Court challenge from retailers
By Helen Loveless And Neil Craven MasterCard faces a multi-billion pound High Court challenge from retailers including Asda, Morrisons, Next and Debenhams over the hefty fees it levies on card transactions. The European Union General Court in …
www.thisismoney.co.uk

5 trends impacting MasterCard’s value
By Trefis 5 hours ago MasterCard (MA) is one of the leading payment solutions companies in the world, and along with its main competitor Visa (V), it has a major share of the credit and debit card market across the globe. With steady performances in …
money.msn.com