Hi-media Payments Brings Industry Leading Micropayment Platform to North America

SAN FRANCISCO and PARIS, Feb. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Hi-media Payments, the micropayments business unit of Paris-based Hi-media Group (ISIN Code FR0000075988 - HIM, HIM.FR), today announced it has opened a San Francisco office to bring its Allopass micropayments platform to the North American market. Under the direction of Pooj Preena, CEO of Hi-media USA, Hi-media Payments will service U.S. customers and their clients in the U.S. and globally, and continue to provide solutions that address the phenomenal growth of micropayments driven by virtual goods economies and the increasing need for publishers to directly monetize online content.

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Allopass currently processes more than eight million transactions per month, making it the largest and most popular micropayment platform in Europe and Latin America.  The company has established key partnerships across the virtual goods ecosystem and is set to unveil several new integrations over the next year.

Some of the initial US customers implementing the Allopass platform include Artix Entertainment, Boomerang Networks, Gambit, gWallet, Merscom Games, OLX, Peanut Labs, Quepasa, Sometrics, Sonico, TheBroth, Viwawa, Viximo, and Wadja. These companies join a growing list of worldwide customers in the online games and social networking space serviced by Hi-media's other global offices, such as Bigpoint Games, Dofus, and Urban Rivals.

Hi-Media Payments is well positioned to disrupt the crowded yet nascent payments market, and maximize revenue opportunities by aggregating the perfect mix of payment offerings into one interface.  The Allopass payment platform currently supports nine different payment methods most commonly used across the globe – including mobile payments, home phone billing and third-party pre-paid card offerings – with more localized payment methods being added regularly.  Each customer can select locally relevant payment options that offer the highest conversion rate for their end users.

This comprehensive offering has been proven to reduce or avoid friction in the checkout process, thereby leading to higher completion rates, and generate more paying customers than credit cards alone. Additionally, Allopass is the only micropayment platform that offers merchant settlement in less than ten days, a significant advantage for smaller companies that cannot afford to wait upward of 60 days to be paid.

"We know micropayments, and after almost a decade working with thousands of online merchants around the world, we have a firm understanding of what it takes to make payments friction-free while offering merchants more options along with fast and efficient payback," said Preena.

Alternative payment options are popular amongst consumers who do not have a credit card or bank account, or those who want a more secure and convenient way to pay. Preena added, "We give merchants the tools to cater to this wider audience of consumers and open up new revenue streams."

Hi-media Payments works with companies selling virtual goods and other digital content, including developers of social games, MMOs and virtual worlds (for in-game items), social networks (for virtual gifts and premium services), media companies (for both archival/content and classified ads), streaming media (VOD, music downloads), document downloads (education, research, legal, etc), dating sites, and more.

About Hi-media Payments

Hi-media Payments, through its product offering Allopass, is a leading provider of micropayment solutions worldwide with more than eight million transactions processed every month from thousands of merchant customers worldwide. The Allopass payment service offers multiple micropayment options at online checkouts, including billing through mobile phone or premium SMS; credit and debit cards, home phone billing, ISP billing, prepaid cards, and its own electronic wallet. The company's all-inclusive payment offering enables merchants to monetize in more than 60 countries.

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About Hi-media Group

Hi-media, the online media group, is one of the top Internet publishers in the world with more than 50 million unique visitors per month on its proprietary websites. Hi-media is also the leading European player in online advertising and electronic payment. Its business model relies thus on two different sources of revenues: online advertising via its dedicated ad network Hi-media Network and online content monetization via its micropayment platform Allopass.

The group which operates in 9 European countries, USA and Brazil employs more than 500 people and posted in 2009 172 million euros in sales (consolidating AdLINK Media as of 1st of September 2009). Independent since its creation in 1996, the company is listed since 2000 on the Euronext Eurolist Paris (Eurolist B) and is included in the SBF 250, CAC IT and CAC Small 90. ISIN code: FR0000075988. Hi-media qualifies for FCPI as it received the OSEO label of "innovating company". For more information visit www.hi-media.com.

Allopass, Hi-media, Hi-media Payments and Hi-media stylized logos are registered trademarks of Hi-media Group, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All rights reserved. All other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

SOURCE Hi-media Payments