Wirecard AG, a Germany-based global financial services and technology company, announced this past week it will provide mobile operator Orange with the E-Money and scheme license as well as the technical platform needed to manage the Orange Cash mobile payment application as part of the strategic alliance between the two companies.

Orange Cash users now can make mobile payments at any contactless Visa terminal in more than 530,000 stores across Spain and at 2.4 million acceptance points throughout Europe, according to a press release.

"Orange's innovative spirit and our desire to offer our customers the most useful and advanced services at all times have led us to develop Orange Cash with Visa and Wirecard, our first foray into financial services from the mobile phone," said Javier Ramírez, mobile banking and payments director of Orange Spain. "The announcement we made today is for us a decisive commitment on a business line that we expect to continue developing in the future, with more and better solutions that leverage all the benefits of security and utility that the mobile phone provides for the financial services."

Wirecard is responsible for the design, implementation and processing of all technical and financial processes related to the payment app Orange Cash, according to the announcement. This includes the issuing and payment processing of digital Visa cards. Wirecard Card Solutions Ltd., a member of Visa Europe, is the card issuing institution.