Australia Peeks Into Apple Pay and other Digital Transactions News briefs from 726/21

An Australian Parliament committee held a hearing investigating Apple Inc.’s policies regarding access to the secure element for payment services on its smart phones, according to a ZDNet.com report. Apple argued its hardware-based interface is more secure than a software-focused one. Google, which uses host card emulation software for Google Pay, said its service is on par with Apple Pay.
Processor Jack Henry & Associates Inc. said it will work with Merchant’s PACT, also known as MPACT, a platform connecting financial institutions with payment-processing providers.
Datacap Systems Inc. released new integration options for its point-of-sale partners, including a direct connection and advanced smart phone connections.
JetBlue renewed its cobranded credit card with Barclays as the issuer and Mastercard Inc.
Epson launched a new model in its OmniLink receipt printer line that it said is faster than the previous model.
Sound Payments named Mike White vice president of sales for its petroleum channel. White’s experience includes stints at Verifone Inc. and DRB, a specialist in car-wash management technology.
Payments provider Paysafe Ltd. named Mark Brooker an independent, non-executive board director. Brooker is a former executive with Trainline and Betfair Group PLC and earlier in his career was an investment banker.

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