The award means that Lloyds TSB will recommend DataCash to its new and existing clients in the Gaming, Airline, Multi-Currency and specialist sectors for all online payment processing. These sectors have some of the biggest online trading volumes.

DataCash already works in partnership with Lloyds TSB by providing processing for a number of its clients. However, to win preferred PSP status, DataCash had to prove to Lloyds TSB the resilience of its past performance, its market knowledge and its expertise. DataCash's processing has the advantage of being one of a small number of PSP's to be linked into OmniPay, a full multi-currency platform which allows merchants to trade and settle in any one of 58 currencies.

Kevin Coles, Head of Business Enterprise at Lloyds TSB Cardnet said: "We were looking for a payment service provider that could demonstrate to us that it was reliable, knowledgeable and could provide Lloyds TSB clients in key sectors with a service that was highly competent, competitive and professional. DataCash proved that they were the organisation to do this and so we are very happy to have formed this partnership and will work with them to build it into a long term relationship."

Andrew Dark, Chief Operating Officer at DataCash, commented: "We are delighted that Lloyds TSB has chosen to award us with the status of Preferred PSP; it is recognition of our continued commitment to providing the best possible payment processing service to our clients and endorses our commitment to growing the sectors in which we operate."