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Microsoft Windows Phone 8 Will include a Mobile Wallet Service

Microsoft’s new operating system for mobile phones Windows Phone 8 will feature a mobile wallet for credit, debit and loyalty cards that supports NFC payments. The service looks similar to Apple’s Passbook App, but also features NFC-based Tap to Pay payments. The mobile wallet will come preloaded on all Windows 8 smartphones. It’s still unclear when the service will be commercial available. Read more…

AppCharge: Yet Another Square Clone?

Square. The reader works with iOS and Android devices and the App is available for free at the respective marketplace. So far the company has not disclosed details on transaction fees and availability.

BancBox Starts Customizable Payment Service Platform

here.

Facebook to Phase out its Virtual Currency Facebook Credits

Surprisingly, Facebook has announced to move away from its virtual currency Facebook Credits. In a post on their developer blog the social network company says that it is updating its pricing to local currency instead of Credits. It has only been one year since Facebook made Credits the mandatory virtual currency for games and applications on the Facebook platform. Most developers on Facebook still use their own virtual currency inside their games instead of adopting Credits for in-game purchases. As a result users have to convert their real-world money twice (real-world currency -> Credits -> In-game currency) to make in-game purchases. By discontinuing Facebook is not stepping out of payments but streamlining the payment flow, eliminating unnecessary currency conversions.