Optimal Payments, a global online payments provider, has partnered with Handpoint to provide a mobile point of sale product to merchants in the U.K. and Ireland, according to a press release.

The new mPOS product enables merchants to accept face-to-face chip-and-PIN card payments from consumers. The product can be used with the NETBANX mobile application or is available as a white label version using the Handpoint SDK, allowing it to be integrated into existing applications. All sensitive data is encrypted within the card reader and sent securely to the PCI-DSS compliant payment gateway, meaning no card details are stored on the card reader or mobile device, according to the announcement. Leveraging Handpoint technology, Optimal Payments' mPOS solution can be used to accept and process transactions on Android and iOS smartphones as well as tablets, using an EMV card reader linked by Bluetooth.

"The release of our MPOS solution with Handpoint in the UK and Ireland is the next evolution in the Optimal Payments' suite of services," Danny Chazonoff, COO of Optimal Payments, said in a statement. "It will help to increase sales from cashless consumers whilst providing companies with a quick, simple and secure payment option."