Tag: visa

Tokenization could save mobile payments

New solution to the mobile commerce security problem could be here

As mobile commerce becomes more popular, questions regarding its security are beginning to be raised. Some consumers have expressed a lack of confidence in mobile payment systems, claiming that they do not do enough to protect their financial information. The Mobile Payments Industry Workgroup believes that a new way to keep consumers information sector is becoming more viable. The organization believes that tokenization could help instill more confidence in mobile commerce among consumers.

Tokenization may be able to make mobile commerce more secure and protect consumer information

Tokenization involves the digitization of financial information. Instead of using these information directly, mobile payment platforms use “tokens” as a way to authenticate a payment from a mobile device. The tokenization process involves the random generation of a substitute value that is meant to replace financial information. Because tokens do not contain actual financial information, they are often considered as a viable way to keep consumers safe when they are participating in mobile commerce.

Security has held back the growth of the mobile commerce field for some time now

Mobile payments securitySecurity issues have been a barrier that the mobile commerce space has had trouble overcoming. Over the past few years, high-profile cyber attacks have called into question the overall security of mobile platforms and have reduced consumer confidence in the mobile payments field. Without adequate security, the growth of mobile commerce may be stymied. The use of tokens as a replacement for financial information may help solve this problem in the future.

Tokenization lacks standards and coordination, making it difficult to implement in the mobile commerce field

While tokenization is gaining momentum, there are still many challenges facing its widespread adoption. The most significant of these challenges is the lack of standards and coordination within the mobile payments space. Organizations have yet to agree and work together on how tokenization can be implemented so that tokens can see widespread use. Currently, Visa and MasterCard are the two largest companies that are implementing a tokenization service in order to make mobile payments more secure than they have been in the past.

Visa is evaluating its stake in British mobile payments firm Monitise

Monitise could soon be free from Visa as company evaluates its stake in mobile commerce

Monitise, a British mobile payments firm, received bad news from Visa, one of its primary shareholders, this week. Visa is evaluating its stake in Monitise and may sell off its shares in the coming months. This has sent Monitise’s stock plummeting, but the firm has partnerships with other prominent companies that could mitigate the loss of Visa as a stakeholder. Monitise has managed to garner support from consumers in the United Kingdom that are interested in mobile commerce.

Visa hires JPMorgan Chase to evaluate its options concerning Monitise

Visa is currently “considering its options” regarding its stake in Monitise. In 2009, Visa took a 14.4% stake in the firm. Together, the two companies have managed to promote mobile commerce in the United Kingdom, introducing a variety of services developed by Monitise to Visa customers. As Monitise matured, Visa reduced its stake in the firm to 5.5%. Now, Visa has hired JPMorgan Chase to evaluate its options for the future.

Visa is beginning to focus more heavily on its own mobile commerce initiatives

British Mobile Payments - VisaVisa has been putting more focus on its in-house capabilities, especially where mobile commerce is concerned. The substantial growth of Monitise has lead Visa to believe that the firm is much more capable than it had been in the past, now that it has established a commanding foothold in the UK’s mobile commerce space. As mobile commerce continues to grow more prominent throughout the country, Monitise is expected to garner more support from consumers and retailers.

Apple finds support fro Visa for its ambitious Apple Pay service

Though Visa has been focusing more heavily on its own initiatives recently, the company has shown strong support for Apple Pay. The service is the first mobile payments platform from Apple, and Visa has teamed with the company to make sure its customers can use Apple Pay to purchase products from their mobile devices. Apple is new to the mobile commerce space, so the success of its new service is still uncertain.