Acquisition

The sale suggests that Apple's interest in acquiring Authentec lies with the company's innovative combined fingerprint and NFC solution, which is not part of the division being acquired by Inside Secure, and will lead to renewed speculation that Apple will include NFC in future iPhones and other devices. More

Transportation and smart card technology specialist Ecebs has been acquired by Bell ID. Ecebs' portfolio includes a number of front-end technologies that Bell ID expects to be able to use to "significantly enhance its offering... More

TSM software and services provider Sequent is the new owner of troubled NFC pioneer Vivotech's software division. "The acquisition enables Sequent to integrate banks and other service provider's credentials more efficiently into the secure element... More

Gemalto has acquired Ericsson's Internet Payment Exchange business outside the US, including its NFC TSM service, for an undisclosed sum. IPX will join Gemalto's Software & Services business line, within the company's mobile communications division.... More

Examination of a proxy statement filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission by Authentec, linked to Apple's recent bid to acquire the firm for US$356m, has led to renewed speculation that the next iPhone... More

ID technology provider Morpho, part of the Safran group, has acquired trusted service management (TSM) specialist Cassis International. Cassis was one of the earliest entrants into the NFC TSM market and is headquartered in Singapore... More

Oberthur Technologies has acquired Boston-based mobile payments specialist MoreMagic. Oberthur plans to combine the company's technology with its existing NFC and TSM offerings to create a comprehensive suite of mobile commerce and financial services solutions,... More

Google CEO Larry Page has taken to the search giant's blog to announce the completion of its acquisition of Motorola Mobility — and obliquely mentioned NFC's key role in Google's plans for the future. "It's... More

Facebook has acquired Tagtile, a startup founded by two US-based graduates of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), as it begins to roll out its Facebook Offers service. In an interview with the Times of... More

Google has acquired platform-as-a-service (PaaS) electronic payments technology provider TxVia. Osama Bedier, Google's VP of Wallet and Payments, announced the deal on the Google Commerce blog. More

NFC and secure transaction testing and advisory firm Collis has been acquired by UL, a safety science company with 9,000 employees in more than 100 countries. "The addition positions UL as the world's first global... More

VeriFone has completed its €600m acquisition of Point International, northern Europe's largest provider of payment and gateway services and solutions for retailers and a supplier to PayPal's NFC trial in Stockholm. Point provides point-of-sale technology... More

The telecoms giant, which runs the Movistar network in Spain and Latin America as well as O2 in Europe and Vivo in Brazil, has announced it will use a central trusted service management solution provided by Giesecke & Devrient to roll out NFC services in Europe next year. More

The credit card giant has acquired mobile payments firm Fundamo and extended its deal with Monitise with the aim of making transactions on any device "safe, easy and reliable," says Visa's head of mobile. More

Chipmaker Broadcom says it expects to see NFC built into between 10% and 15% of all phones within the next year, with the rate higher for smartphones, PCWorld reports. At a press briefing in San... More

News in brief from the NFC world and beyond: US files lawsuit against Verifone/Hypercom deal • iPhone 5 unlikely to support NFC payments, says analyst • 'Paper' phone unveiled • Vivotech adds NFC to mag stripe terminals • Hashable adds NFC to contacts app • Sequent raises funds • Connecthings invests in Lifera • and more... More

News in brief from the NFC world and beyond: New online NFC store • eBay buys hyperlocal ads firm • Connecthings launches reader/writer app • Google's Groupon rival hits Portland • Chase offers chip and pin in US • Visa and Gap working on real-time mobile discounts • Nokia to transfer Symbian jobs • and a brace of research reports... More

'The acquisition... is a major step in our strategic development notably aimed at accelerating the adoption of contactless NFC technology,' says the French firm's CEO. More