"We see this as an excellent opportunity to expand our current relationship with First Data and its partners. The Class A certification will go a long way in enabling Ingenico to actively promote and sell its products to the channels First Data supports throughout the United States. We believe those channels will find the value and functionality of our wireless countertop devices to be exactly what their merchants need." said Geoff Bowen, president, Ingenico North America.

"The certification of Ingenico supports our goal of building out a spectrum of products and services that are tailored to meet the needs of merchants of all sizes. We value partnerships and believe that Ingenico will provide specific value for the merchants served by our channels," said Brian Mooney, president, Merchant Services, First Data Corp.

Certification for the devices will take place in 2008. Class B+ certification is currently available for certain channels.

Separately, Ingenico, a global leader in secure transaction and payment solutions, announced today that it has received Class A certification from Global Payments Inc. (NYSE: GPN), a worldwide leader in payment processing services, on the i6550 touch screen, signature capture payment solution running on Global's new Global Transport.

By enabling faster and easier integration at the merchant level, the Class A certification of the i6550 gives both Ingenico and Global greater access to significant additional sales channels. By leveraging Global Payments' Global Transport technology, small to mid-sized merchants can now take advantage of point-of-sale products and features usually found only in larger merchant locations.

In addition, by creating an easier way to interface applications, Global Transport allows the small merchant to utilize products like Ingenico's i6550 to facilitate signature capture and retrieval, credit, debit and EBT transactions. Retailers can develop applications that will even allow advertising or branding messages to be delivered. "Small merchants will now have the same ability as large merchants to offer their customers state-of-the-art transaction solutions while improving their delivery of value-added services and speedy checkouts," says Geoff Bowen, President, Ingenico North America.

The i6550 is a value-leading, secure transaction terminal that accepts all card types including magnetic stripe, smart card and contactless cards when the contactless module is attached. With its superior signature capture technology and monochrome screen, the i6550 provides a reliable and familiar platform for consumers to activate payments. Retailers can utilize the advanced features of the i6550 to extend their brand, promote a sale or provide a value-added service in the checkout lane. Ingenico solutions provide outstanding durability and security, enabling merchants of all types to achieve lower cost of ownership and faster, more efficient service.

Global Payments' Global Transport, API and client software support most of the commonly used programming languages today. They enable retailers with more unique software needs an easier way to integrate with the processor. "Merchants in hospitality, consignment shops or education, to name a few, traditionally use software solutions at their point of service that are specific to their niche. Global Payments' new Global Transport makes it simple for merchants to provide a processing solution customized to their niche," said Dean Giancola, Vice President - Product, Global Payments Inc.