Durban, South Africa-based Emerge Mobile is ready to provide mPOS systems for SMEs across Africa and other emerging markets after achieving PCI PTS (Payments Card Industry PIN Transaction Security) and EMV Level 1 and 2 certifications for its mPOS card acceptance solution.

The company said its system is the first fully South African designed, engineered and manufactured end-to-end mPOS system to achieve this level of international security certification.

Emerge Mobile's mPOS solution consists of a card acceptance platform, web portal, native smartphone merchant applications and a hardware adapter that is attached to a smartphone. The technology transforms smartphones into a secure mobile payment terminal capable of processing chip-and-PIN and mag-stripe card payments, the company said; the solution is compatible with iOS and Android mobile platforms, with additional modules in development. As well as accepting card payments, the system can also accept and process payments from third-party mobile wallets and enable the redemption of mobile vouchers and coupons.

Emerge Mobile said it will register its solution with the MasterCard Mobile mPOS Program and the Visa Ready Program, showcasing it to international acquiring banks and creating the potential for it to be embraced by strategic partners worldwide.

"We are positioning ourselves in the international market in two ways," Matt Putman, Emerge Mobile's managing director, said in a news release. "Firstly we can white-label our solution to look and feel like our acquiring client's brand, after which we provide services to maintain and upgrade the platform on an ongoing basis. Secondly we can enable clients, through joint ventures or consultancy services, to launch their own new consumer-focused mPOS brand into the market."

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