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France-based smart card and security vendor Gemalto will operate the mobile-payment platform for U.S. merchant group MCX, earning a fee for every transaction, in addition to what appears to be a hosting fee it says is worth tens of millions.

France-based Gemalto today announced it has been hired by U.S. merchant group MCX to build the group's mobile wallet, which will support payment and other mobile-commerce applications.

France-based Gemalto is forecasting double-digit growth in revenue this year, following a strong 2012, in which it reported gains in both sales and profit and the first significant returns for its trusted service management business.

A MasterCard NFC payment pilot in Brazil, launched last week with Itaú bank, mobile operator TIM Brasil, point-of-sale terminal supplier Redecard, and France-based Gemalto, is expected to lead to a full rollout of mobile PayPass services in Brazil.

Norway’s largest mobile operator and its biggest bank plan to announce plans next week to commercially launch NFC payments, NFC Times has learned.

Research In Motion continues to promote its own trusted service management service–the only handset maker to offer one–announcing Wednesday approval by Visa of the service to manage secure elements on NFC phones.

Smart card and security company Gemalto this week joined the CAC 40 index in Paris, which counts as members such blue-chip French companies as Total, BNP Paribas, Carrefour and Airbus jet maker EADS.

ARM, Gemalto and Giesecke & Devrient today launched their joint venture, Trustonic, seeking to encourage broad deployment of technology that puts smart card-like security right on the main application processor of smartphones and other devices.

France-based Gemalto has announced its trusted service management contract with Telecom Italia, as Italy's largest telecom gears up for the launch of its NFC mobile wallet.

It's been nearly a month since the launch of the large Isis Mobile Wallet trial in Austin, Texas, and Salt Lake City, Utah, and so far merchants are reporting limited use of Isis by consumers, interviews by NFC Times have found.