Dan Wagner, CEO and founder of mPowa, said: "We are very happy to be announcing the extension of mPowa's service to mobile phones using Google's Android operating system. Sales of phones using the Android operating system are currently on the increase across the globe and we are now able to serve this growing group of customers.

"mPowa is the first to bring such an innovative and exciting mobile payment solution to market when we introduced our solution for iPhone and iPad devices a couple of weeks ago and now we are thrilled to ensure that Android customers can enjoy its service from today."

Kantar Worldpanel ComTech reported in July that for the first time Android has taken at least half of smartphone sales in Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, US and Australia.[i]

Dan comments: "With mPowa we set out to offer a truly universal way of making and accepting mobile payments, unlimited by operating system, device, geography, currency or verification method. We are achieving that goal. It will enable all businesses everywhere, from the smallest to the largest, to take payments immediately and effortlessly, wherever business is transacted."

mPowa's service includes a mobile app and reader. The app is free to download and available anywhere in the world and, together with the reader, turns any mobile phone into a mobile point of sale device enabling credit and debit card payments to be accepted on the go. The reader connects to a smartphone or mobile device either by plugging into its headphone socket or via Bluetooth.

When connected to a mobile phone, mPowa's reader can either swipe a card's magnetic strip or use Chip and PIN technology, prompting the customer to enter their PIN code when the card is inserted. As increasing numbers of credit card companies worldwide are beginning to introduce cards bearing a chip, this feature from mPowa is very important both locally and internationally where in many markets it is a requirement for merchants.