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Embracing payments as a platform for the future of mobile money

Most recently, Apple Pay service was launched in Europe for the first time. Only eminent bank MasterCard holders have this option so far, but soon the option became available to most users. A similar service was available for some users of the Android system. At the same time, the security of such services, and indeed the principle of electronic payments, still raises concerns – we have studied the history and current state of things in this area.

The basis of the work of payment applications from mobile manufacturers was started with NFC (Near Field Communication) system. It is it that is used in cards with a contactless payment method – when you simply bring your card to the payment terminal without using a chip or magnetic strip – and that is what it is in the latest versions of smartphones. In MasterCard cards, this technology is called PayPass, in Visa cards – payWave.

The principle of operation of the Apple Pay service and its analogues: “copying” a user’s card to the phone’s memory, after which it is possible to make payments using NFC, but without using a card, as his phone now acts as a physical identifier for the client.

The main harbinger of the era of digital payments can be considered PayPal as a mobile money solution. Using this service, the user could create a virtual wallet and send money to other wallets or pay with it in online stores. Now it was not necessary to go to a bank branch to send money for many kilometers, and a wide variety of purchases could be made without leaving home in a couple of clicks.

Now that the functions of instant payment or money transfer are built into almost every second application on a mobile device, it doesn’t seem like an accomplishment, but PayPal made a real revolution in the early 2000s that helped in mobile financial solutions. However, PayPal has regularly become a source of vulnerability news throughout its history. As a result of using one of the last For example, you can bypass two-factor authorization and access your account in minutes.

Now the most common type of electronic payments is payments using bank payment cards. Due to the convenience, payment cards crowd out cash, but remain very vulnerable to cybercriminals. Despite the existence of the Swift interbank settlement system, there are still many places where user data (and, accordingly, their money) can be compromised.

The security issue concerns not only the cardholder who pays for goods in the online store, but also the online store, the acquirer, and the issuer, and most of all – payment systems that invest huge amounts of money to ensure secure payments and protect against fraud.
Numerous attempts by international payment systems to make payments in the field of electronic commerce as safe as possible led to the emergence of the 3-D Secure protocol developed by Visa International.

3-D Secure technology is a cardholder authentication digital payment solution when making purchases on the Internet, designed to ensure the security of Internet payments: identity verification is carried out online.

3-D Secure technology is implemented on the basis of three domains (which is inherent in its name), in which the transaction life cycle begins and ends. This is the issuer’s domain in which the holder is authenticated, the acquirer’s domain, which includes the acquirer bank and the online store, and, finally, the interaction domain, which contains the services and services of the payment system.

The 3-D Secure security chain consists of links such as:

verification of the identity of the cardholder in real time, which begins after entering the card number on the payment page of the electronic store, from where the buyer is redirected to the server of his issuing bank. For verification, a password is used that is known only to the cardholder and the bank
- formation by the issuing bank based on the results of the verification of the response message that the issuing bank protects against unauthorized changes using a digital signature;
- protection of user’s confidential information, for example, card number, which uses secure pages of the payment server on which the entered information is stored. The payee – an electronic store – does not have access to this information, which protects against its theft.
Note that if a fraudulent transaction has passed through an online store that uses 3-D Secure digital money transfer software, the issuer will be liable for it, according to the rules of payment systems, and it does not matter if the issuer uses 3-D Secure or not.

Thus, digital payment trend not only ensures the safe conduct of the payment, but also delimits the risks of the participants of the transaction due to a clear separation of functions when processing the payment transaction: the issuing bank verifies the identity of the card holder, since it is he who has information about the client, and the acquirer automatically organizes communication with the issuer’s authentication system using the services of payment systems.

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A Complete Guide To Understanding Home Loan Interest Rates

Home loan rates can be a complicated plateau to manoeuvre through. There are, however, a few major factors that do stand out. This guide should help you to screen through the major sections that need to be kept in mind about this subject:

Types of interests

This section may seem basic; however, it’s not. There are three types, obviously. Yet, you need to know some of the important aspects that may affect your EMIs and the repayment structure in the long run.

• Fixed rates: These rates are higher and so are the hikes after the first few years. So, you should know when your interest rates will elevate again. If you opt for fixed interest rates, you should aim to increase your earnings accordingly.

• Floating rates: These are vulnerable to economic fluctuations. They can work in your favour if they lower over a certain period of time, though you must know that the tenure for home loan repayments stretches from 20 to 30 years. Unless you earn a significant income over the course of the years to pre-pay the loan, you will be paying EMIs for that duration and may also face unexpected recession and interest rates hike twice or thrice in that period.

• Hybrid rates: These rates combine the best of fixed and floating. You make two home loan agreements that divide your home loan into two types of interest rates and repayment plans. Though it seems like the best of both worlds, you need to understand that it can backfire too. You need to read the home loan agreement papers and the fine print carefully and protect yourself against any backfires.

The factors that influence your home loan interest rates:

All applicants may not be able to get the advertised rates. Very few people, in truth, are in a position to avail the best home loan rates in India. Although you can influence home loan proposals to get the best possible interest rates for your housing loan. So, what are these factors?

• CIBIL credit score
• Repayment ability
• Company appraisals
• Employer
• Annual earnings – income, assets and liabilities
• Any other loans
• Your interest rates negotiations

There are always more factors that can come into play, depending on how you choose your house loan package. So, it makes sense to make an effort to mould all these factors in your favour. It is not always possible to transform them all; yet, if you take an expert’s advice and use it to your advantage, you can potentially get much lower housing loan interest rates in India .

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A Red Male Organ Could Signal Plasma Cell Balanitis

Men who are well-versed in proper male organ care may already know that a red male organ can be a sign of skin irritation or inflammation. Balanitis is one of the more common causes, especially among men whose prepuces are intact, but there is a variation on this condition – called plasma cell balanitis (and sometimes referred to as Zoon balanitis) – that is less well-known.

Regular balanitis

Balanitis is defined by Medical News Today as “an inflammation of the glans (the rounded head) of the member.” In uncircumcised men, the rate of occurrence is estimated at 1 in 30 males; it is less common among men whose foreskin has been removed. There can be a number of causes, including dermatological reaction, bacteria, infection, unprotected sensual activity and tight prepuce.

Plasma cell balanitis

Plasma cell balanitis also refers to an inflammation of the glans (and sometimes the foreskin), resulting in a red male organ. But in the case of the plasma cell variation, the redness tends to be quite localized, presenting as one single red lesion, usually well-defined. (By contrast, regular balanitis may present as a red “area” or as multiple lesions.)

If a biopsy is performed on the lesion, the microscope will reveal numerous plasma cells making up the red spot. Plasma cells are a kind of white blood cell that originates in the bone marrow. Their purpose is to create antibodies that fight infectious agents in the body. They have a distinctive look that makes them easy for scientists to identify (under the microscope of course; they are too small to be seen with the naked eye).

Plasma cell balanitis was first described in 1952 by a Dutch scientist named Zoon. A similar condition can exist in women, although its name is slightly different.

Symptoms

Although the red lesion is a typical sign, there are other symptoms associated with the condition. Some men complain of tenderness in the area, and for some the presence of the lesion also results in itchiness. Irritation may be experienced by the friction associated with sensual activity, especially if no male organ protection is employed. (The protection typically lessens the degree of friction.)

Causes

Doctors believe that plasma cell balanitis may occur as a result of an underlying issue. However, it is also more likely to happen when dried urine, soap or skin particles get trapped on the glans beneath the foreskin.

This form of balanitis is one which can go away and return with some frequency. Although it is not dangerous and doesn’t usually cause significant discomfort, it tends to mar the appearance of a man’s member. Of greater concern, it may cause a partner to worry if the affected man has a sensually transmitted infection, which may hamper their willingness to engage in coupling.

Treatment

A doctor can prescribe an appropriate course of treatment. Typical options include using topical antibiotics or antifungal medications, as well as steroid creams. In some cases, a doctor may recommend laser surgery; however, this last option is not often prescribed.

The red male organ that results from a case of plasma cell balanitis may indicate other related factors which a man may need to tend to. Daily use of a top notch member health crème (health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil, which is clinically proven mild and safe for skin) can help maintain the overall health of the organ and alleviate some of these effects. For example, dry skin often accompanies this condition, so keeping the member moisturized is advised. A crème is better able to accomplish this if it combines both a natural hydrating agent (such as vitamin E) with a high end emollient (such as Shea butter, derived from the fruit of the Shea tree). It’s also wise to select a crème with vitamin A, as the antibacterial properties can help eliminate agents that irritate the red male organ and worsen its appearance and any discomfort.

Visit http://www.menshealthfirst.com for additional information on most common male organ health issues, tips on improving male member sensitivity and what to do to maintain a healthy manhood. John Dugan is a professional writer who specializes in men’s health issues and is an ongoing contributing writer to numerous websites.

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