PULSE and EUFISERV Payments Announce Strategic Alliance
HOUSTON & BRUSSELS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 13, 2012--
EUFISERV Payments and PULSE, the debit and ATM network subsidiary of
Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS), announced today they have
entered into a strategic ATM participation agreement allowing more than
68 million cards, issued by 600 EUFISERV member banks, to participate in
the PULSE Global ATM Network.
“EUFISERV Payments is proud to announce this major milestone for the
European card market. As the only scheme providing ATM and POS Pan
European access today, the partnership with PULSE opens new
opportunities for our member banks inside and outside of Europe,” said
Wolfgang Adamiok, Board Chairman of EUFISERV Payments and Head of
Payments & Card Strategies at the German Savings Banks Association.
Under the terms of the strategic alliance, ATM transactions conducted by
EUFISERV member cardholders will be enabled at more than 850,000 ATMs in
the PULSE Global ATM Network. In addition to expanding acceptance for
EUFISERV members in key destination markets, the agreement also will
increase PULSE’s global ATM volume.
“PULSE is pleased to assist EUFISERV with their goal of creating a more
robust Pan European Payments network,” said Dave Schneider, President of
PULSE. “We have built an extensive global ATM network and look forward
to working with EUFISERV participants to enable their cards in the
European region and other key target markets.”
The arrangement will be implemented in two phases. PULSE and EUFISERV
will focus first on European markets, followed by acceptance
opportunities in other PULSE ATM markets where EUFISERV cardholders
frequently travel. The companies also plan to look at future
opportunities for EUFISERV participants’ card members, both in Europe
and around the world.
Gerd Förster, General Manager of EUFISERV Payments, explained that the
partnership is in line with EUFISERV’s goals and they hope to partner
with additional banks and financial institutions in the future. “The new
agreement with PULSE provides our issuing members with new options for
ATM access. EUFISERV Scheme – as a SEPA-compliant scheme – is open to
banks and other financial institutions. We continue to look for new
opportunities to expand our scheme. Our partnership with PULSE is an
example of that,” said Förster.
"This alliance is a significant part of Discover’s 'Network to Network'
strategy to create an alternative global payments network and give both
financial institutions and consumers more choice,” said Joe Hurley, Vice
President of Global Business Development at Discover. "By partnering
with regional payments networks such as EUFISERV, Discover is able to
leverage its unique set of assets to grow volume, while providing our
partners with the global reach and localized preferences and needs they
require. It's a win-win for everyone."
About EUFISERV Payments
EUFISERV Payments scrl is a Brussels-based cooperative company with
limited liability owned by retail banks from ten European countries and
by the European Savings Banks Group. The EUFISERV ATM Scheme is
operational in eight European countries and provides access to cash to
over 68 million cardholders. EUFISERV branded cards are issued by over
600 participating European banks and are accepted at over 75,000 branded
EUFISERV ATMs across Europe. It is the only European scheme in operation
today.
Since it began in 1990, the scheme has been owned and managed by
European banks. In 2008 the scheme was fully separated from its former
processing business (now trading as Trionis), in line with the SEPA
requirements of the European Central Bank and the European Commission.
The shareholders of EUFISERV Payments are major European banks and bank
owned organizations. For more information, visit www.eufiserv.com.
About PULSE
PULSE, a Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) company, is a leading
debit/ATM network, serving more than 6,300 financial institutions across
the United States. This includes 4,300 issuers with which PULSE has
direct relationships and more than 2,000 additional issuers through
agreements PULSE has with other debit networks. PULSE links cardholders
with ATMs and POS terminals at retail locations nationwide. Through its
global ATM network, PULSE provides worldwide cash access for Diners Club
and Discover cardholders through more than 850,000 ATM locations. The
company also is a source of electronic payments research and is
committed to providing its participants with education on emerging
products, services and trends in the payments industry. For more
information, visit www.pulsenetwork.com.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20121213005714/en/
Source: PULSE
EUFISERV Payments
Dirk Smet, Tel: +32-211-11-90
dirk.smet@savings-banks.com
or
PULSE
Patty
Sendelbach, APR, 832-214-0395
patty.sendelbach@pulsenetwork.com