AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France, November 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Following the certification of its call centre and its Payline and Pavavenue payment solutions, Monext has received yet another quality guarantee. Its international acquiring platform, which enables merchants based in Europe to manage VISA and MasterCard payments, has just been PCI DSS certified (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard). The audit was carried out by XMCO, a consulting firm for information system security. Monext thus becomes the first and only French company to have its international acquiring platform PCI DSS certified.

Merchants reaching beyond borders

Monext, a key player in electronic payment in France and within Europe, offers a global solution for the acquiring of international bank flows. Aimed at buyers (i.e. banks, financial institutions, payment institutions) and their commercial clients (in shops or online), this platform allows them to manage cross-border payment transactions made using VISA or MasterCard cards. The platform covers the full value chain: authorisation, remote data collection, monitoring, calculating merchants' fees, accounting interface, and remittance of funds through the banking partner. It also offers multi-currency reporting services, multilingual call centres, European-wide dispute management, etc.

Monext provides banks with the means to manage the issues involved with the growth of their merchants' international business, who will only need a single acquiring bank across all of Europe. In particular BNP PARIBAS and UNICRE (Portugal), Monext platform clients, are using the system in several European countries, including France, Austria, Spain, Ireland, Portugal, and Slovenia.  

PCI DSS certification

This certification guarantees maximum-security processing for banking institutions which outsource their international acquiring services. The certification meets the international standards established by the PCI Council organisation, made up of card networks (MasterCard, VISA, American Express, etc.). It aims to set standards for the secure storage and manipulation of supplied data.

Frédéric Charpentier, of XMCO, explains: "Monext's international acquiring platform meets the 220 security needs. The certification audit has therefore been declared successful."

Gilles Férec, Monext's director of operations, notes: "This certification, which recognises the quality and reliability of our services, is another sign of our commitment to banks and their customers. Our international platform meets the dual requirements of facilitating banking transactions while continually increasing their security."

About Monext

Monext is a key player in the French electronic payment industry. It is a pure-play electronic banking company covering the entire value chain. The business generates an annual turnover of more than € 60M and employs 480 associates to manage more than:

1. 6.5 million debit and credit cards
2. 900 million transactions in 2010
3. 100,000 POS terminals

Monext provides innovative transaction solutions, with or without cards, including electronic payments made at a point of sale, online or via mobile device, in a manner that is secure, reliable, and immediate. With customers in the banking, distribution, trade and commerce industries, Monext aims to become a European leader in a sector that is experiencing strong growth.

http://www.monext.eu

About XMCO

Founded in 2002, XMCO is an independent consultancy firm, specialising in information systems security and counter-cybercrime. Its core business is security auditing. The team, made up of 15 technical experts, carries out more than 10 intrusion tests each month on the computerised environments of telecoms, banks, insurance companies, and industrial firms. XMCO is also officially certified by CERT, whose mission consists of monitoring the emergence of new threats and notifying its clients and providing support when clients suffer information system intrusions.

http://www.xmco.fr

Press contact
Kablé Communication Finance
Nolwenn Salaün +33-01-44-50-54-74
Nolwenn.salaun@kable-cf.com

SOURCE Monext