TransFirst, a leading provider of transaction processing services, announced that EMV payment acceptance through Ingenico Group EMV capable terminals is now possible with the availability of TransFirst’s EMV capable applications.

“Getting the terminal ready to process chip cards is only a small part of the process,” says Steve Cadden, president and COO. “TransFirst continues to make significant advancements, leading the way through the increasing demand for enhancements and innovation in the payments landscape, helping our merchants to reap the benefits.” He adds, “Collaborating with Ingenico Group provides TransFirst merchants secure, fast methods of payments, supporting multiple ways of conducting payments seamlessly. Together we can provide industry-leading expertise in EMV and Near Field Communication (NFC), enabling TransFirst to be among the first processors to be certified for Apple Pay”.

“We’re pleased that TransFirst chose Ingenico Group to bring their first EMV enabled application to their customers,” says Bernie Frey, senior vice president, acquired sales, Ingenico Group, North America. “With increased security concerns and the EMV liability shift deadline approaching, Ingenico Group has a long history of implementing EMV-certified solutions that merchants feel confident using to enhance their security strategy.”

EMV is the global standard for credit and debit payment cards based on chip card technology. Globally issuers are including chips in bank cards and merchants are moving to EMV-compliant terminals to increase security and reduce fraud resulting from counterfeit, lost, and stolen cards.

A driving force for change is the Payment Card Industry (PCI) liability shift, which takes place on October 1, 2015, that directly affects acquirers, issuers and merchants. By this date, the party — either the issuer or merchant — that does not support EMV, assumes liability for counterfeit card transactions.