Spain's CaixaBank has jumped on the mPOS bandwagon, teaming up with Global Payments on an app and chip and PIN-based system for accepting card transactions.
The reader is being sold through the Web site of the pair's Comercia Global Payments venture as well as in 200 CaixaBank branches in Barcelona. An accompanying Android app is free and an iOS option is in the works.
In addition to accepting payments, the system also lets small business owners keep all the references in their commercial catalogues on their mobiles. After receiving a payment, the app shows not only the total amount, but also the details of the products and services sold.
CaixaBank says that its mPOS system is the first developed by a bank to launch in Spain. However, rival Banco Santander made a EUR5 million investment in iZettle ealrier this year and Banco Sabadell has partnered with Ingenico to launch its own offering.
Separately, Mashreq Bank in Dubai has partnered with Singapore-based Swiff and MasterCard to launch Payport, the region's first fully EMV Chip & PIN compliant mobile POS reader.
Nimish Dwivedi, head of payments, Mashreq says: "The launch of Mashreq Payport is set to transform the payments industry and it truly underlines our leading position in this domain. Businesses will now get extremely easy and secure solutions for their home delivery mobile sales force or many such business verticals which are cash dependent. We are proud to have Al Maya Supermarket, Pizza Express, Cold Stone Creamery, Popeyes and Champion Cleaners as launch partners for this market defining innovation."