"It's proof positive that Apollo is on the right track from the start. Like us, Vantiv wants to offer their customers greater value and allow them to be prepared for the upcoming changes in the payment industry. Apollo allows customers to do that in a straightforward, cost-effective manner."

Apollo is Equinox's first major platform initiative since the company divested from Hypercom and will be offered to businesses through the company's extensive network of processors and ISO partners like Vantiv. The platform is an excellent fit for these market segments because of its flexible hardware design and agnostic software platform that gives customers the freedom to access the third-party services of their choice.

Vantiv, an integrated provider of payment processing strategies and advanced technology solutions for businesses and financial institutions, will begin the certification process in the third quarter of 2013. "We are very excited about adding the Apollo family to our product lines," said Patty Walters, Senior Vice President for Merchant and Security Products at Vantiv. "We like the fact that this new consumer-facing platform will give consumers more choice at the point of sale while giving our customers access to EMV, NFC and Bluetooth capabilities by simply connecting their existing hardware to an Apollo device."

"Vantiv's commitment to certifying our new product line is extremely gratifying for us," said Chris Dismukes, Vice President, North American Client Group for Equinox Payments. "It's proof positive that Apollo is on the right track from the start. Like us, Vantiv wants to offer their customers greater value and allow them to be prepared for the upcoming changes in the payment industry. Apollo allows customers to do that in a straightforward, cost-effective manner."

Equinox announced the launch of the Apollo platform at the Electronic Transactions Association Annual Meeting and Expo on May 1, 2013.