Terminal for conducting electronic transactions

1. A computer implemented method for processing payment transactions initiated from a payment terminal application of a mobile electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving at a server, over an electronic network, an authentication request to authenticate an identity of a merchant operating the payment terminal application of the mobile electronic device, the authentication request comprising user credentials of a user linked to the merchant received via a user input module of the mobile electronic device;

authenticating, at the server, the identity of the merchant if the user credentials received over the electronic network from the mobile electronic device are validated;

in response to authenticating the identity of the merchant, transmitting, one or more encryption keys from a payment switch of the server to the payment terminal application of the mobile electronic device;

receiving, by the payment terminal application of the mobile electronic device, the one or more encryption keys;

in response to receiving the one or more encryption keys, provisioning, in a volatile storage module on the mobile electronic device, a software card acceptance device (SCAD) instance using the one or more encryption keys, the provisioning comprising provisioning the mobile electronic device to emulate a payment terminal;

executing, on the mobile electronic device, the payment terminal application to take an electronic payment, the executing comprising communicating with a payment instrument to obtain payment instrument data from the payment instrument via a wireless communication module of the mobile electronic device;

encrypting, by the mobile electronic device, the payment instrument data of the payment instrument using the one or more encryption keys;

receiving at the server, over the electronic network and from the mobile electronic device, the encrypted payment instrument data based on the mobile electronic device emulating the payment terminal to take the electronic payment via the payment terminal application that is executing on the mobile electronic device by communicating with the payment instrument to obtain the payment instrument data from the payment instrument via the wireless communication module of the mobile electronic device; and

processing a payment transaction at the server based on the payment instrument data received from the wireless communication module of the mobile electronic device and the identity authenticated based on the user credentials.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

if authentication of the merchant identity is declined based on exceeding a maximum permitted number of submissions of un-validated user credentials:

declining authentication; and

transmitting instructions to the payment terminal application of the mobile electronic device for blocking or timing-out submission of user credentials.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

if authentication of the merchant identity is declined based on failure to validate the user credentials:

declining authentication; and transmitting degradation instructions or remedial action instructions to the payment terminal application of the mobile electronic device.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the mobile electronic device comprises the wireless communication module, a user input module, and a network interface module, all integrated with the mobile electronic device, and

wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, at the payment terminal application of the mobile electronic device via the user input module of the mobile electronic device, the user credentials of the user linked to the merchant;

transmitting the authentication request the server via the network interface module of the mobile electronic device, the authentication request comprising the user credentials;

receiving an authentication response from the server at the payment terminal application of the mobile electronic device; and

receiving the payment instrument data of the payment instrument via the wireless communication module of the mobile electronic device.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4 , further comprising:

if the authentication response comprises an indication that authentication was successful, then receiving and storing at least one encryption key received from the server in the volatile storage module of the mobile electronic device.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the user credentials are received via a touch-sensitive display screen of the mobile electronic device.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 4 , the method further comprising:

performing at least one security check using a local risk engine of the mobile electronic device by:

obtaining information relating to a security status of the mobile electronic device;

processing one or more local risk engine rules from a local risk engine rule set using the obtained information; and

determining whether to raise one or more security events based on the processed one or more local risk engine rules.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 7 , the method further comprising:

raising at least one security event relating to the security status of the mobile electronic device;

storing the at least one raised security event in a security event log;

processing the security event log using the local risk engine of the mobile electronic device; and

degrading functionality of the payment terminal application based on a first degradation instruction received from the local risk engine, the degradation including at least one of requiring re-input of the user credentials, preventing transmission of the authentication request, terminating the method, and invalidating stored cardholder information and encryption keys.

9. A system for processing payment transactions initiated from a payment terminal application of a mobile electronic device, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method including:

receiving at a server, over an electronic network, an authentication request to authenticate an identity of a merchant operating the payment terminal application of the mobile electronic device, the authentication request comprising user credentials of a user linked to the merchant received via a user input module of the mobile electronic device;

authenticating, at the server, the identity of the merchant if the user credentials received over the electronic network from the mobile electronic device are validated;

in response to authenticating the identity of the merchant, transmitting, one or more encryption keys from a payment switch of the server to the payment terminal application of the mobile electronic device;

receiving, by the payment terminal application of the mobile electronic device, the one or more encryption keys;

in response to receiving the one or more encryption keys, provisioning, in a volatile storage module on the mobile electronic device, a software card acceptance device (SCAD) instance using the one or more encryption keys, the provisioning comprising provisioning the mobile electronic device to emulate a payment terminal;

executing, on the mobile electronic device, the payment terminal application to take an electronic payment, the executing comprising communicating with a payment instrument to obtain payment instrument data from the payment instrument via a wireless communication module of the mobile electronic device;

encrypting, by the mobile electronic device, the payment instrument data of the payment instrument using the one or more encryption keys;

receiving at the server, over the electronic network and from the mobile electronic device, the encrypted payment instrument data, based on the mobile electronic device emulating the payment terminal to take the electronic payment via the payment terminal application that is executing on the mobile electronic device by communicating with the payment instrument to obtain the payment instrument data from the payment instrument via the wireless communication module of the mobile electronic device; and

processing a payment transaction at the server based on the payment instrument data received from the wireless communication module of the mobile electronic device and the identity authenticated based on the user credentials.

10. The system of claim 9 , the method further comprising:

if authentication of the merchant identity is declined based on exceeding a maximum permitted number of submissions of un-validated user credentials:

declining authentication; and

transmitting instructions to the payment terminal application of the mobile electronic device for blocking or timing-out submission of user credentials.

11. The system of claim 9 , the method further comprising:

if authentication of the merchant identity is declined based on failure to validate the user credentials:

declining authentication; and

transmitting degradation instructions or remedial action instructions to the payment terminal application of the mobile electronic device.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the mobile electronic device

comprises the wireless communication module, a user input module, and a network interface module, all integrated with the mobile electronic device, and

wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, at the payment terminal application of the mobile electronic device via the user input module of the mobile electronic device, the user credentials of the user linked to the merchant;

transmitting the authentication request the server via the network interface module of the mobile electronic device, the authentication request comprising the user credentials;

receiving an authentication response from the server at the payment terminal application of the mobile electronic device; and

receiving the payment instrument data of the payment instrument via the wireless communication module of the mobile electronic device.

13. The system of claim 12 , the method further comprising:

if the authentication response comprises an indication that authentication was successful, then receiving and storing at least one encryption key received from the server in the volatile storage module of the mobile electronic device.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the user credentials are received via a touch-sensitive display screen of the mobile electronic device.

15. The system of claim 12 , the method further comprising:

performing at least one security check using a local risk engine of the mobile electronic device by:

obtaining information relating to a security status of the mobile electronic device;

processing one or more local risk engine rules from a local risk engine rule set using the obtained information; and

determining whether to raise one or more security events based on the processed one or more local risk engine rules.

16. The system of claim 15 , the method further comprising:

raising at least one security event relating to the security status of the mobile electronic device;

storing the at least one raised security event in a security event log;

processing the security event log using the local risk engine of the mobile electronic device; and

degrading functionality of the payment terminal application based on a first degradation instruction received from the local risk engine, the degradation including at least one of requiring re-input of the user credentials, preventing transmission of the authentication request, terminating the method, and invalidating stored cardholder information and encryption keys.

17. One or more non-transitory machine-readable mediums storing instructions that, when executed by one or more computing systems, cause the one or more computing systems to:

receive at a server, over an electronic network, an authentication request to authenticate an identity of a merchant operating a payment terminal application of a mobile electronic device, the authentication request comprising user credentials of a user linked to the merchant received via a user input module of the mobile electronic device;

authenticate, at the server, the identity of the merchant if the user credentials received over the electronic network from the mobile electronic device are validated;

in response to authenticating the identity of the merchant, transmit, one or more encryption keys from a payment switch of the server to the payment terminal application of the mobile electronic device;

receive, by the payment terminal application of the mobile electronic device, the one or more encryption keys;

in response to receiving the one or more encryption keys, provision, in a volatile storage module on the mobile electronic device, a software card acceptance device (SCAD) instance using the one or more encryption keys, the provisioning comprising provisioning the mobile electronic device to emulate a payment terminal;

execute, on the mobile electronic device, the payment terminal application to take an electronic payment, the executing comprising communicating with a payment instrument to obtain payment instrument data from the payment instrument via a wireless communication module of the mobile electronic device;

encrypt, by the mobile electronic device, the payment instrument data of the payment instrument using the one or more encryption keys;

receive at the server, over the electronic network and from the mobile electronic device, the encrypted payment instrument data, based on the mobile electronic device emulating the payment terminal to take the electronic payment via the payment terminal application that is executing on the mobile electronic device by communicating with the payment instrument to obtain the payment instrument data from the payment instrument via the wireless communication module of the mobile electronic device; and

process a payment transaction at the server based on the payment instrument data received from the wireless communication module of the mobile electronic device and the identity authenticated based on the user credentials.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17 , further comprising:

if authentication of the merchant identity is declined based on exceeding a maximum permitted number of submissions of un-validated user credentials:

declining authentication; and

transmitting instructions to the payment terminal application of the mobile electronic device for blocking or timing-out submission of user credentials.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17 , further comprising:

if authentication of the merchant identity is declined based on failure to validate the user credentials:

declining authentication; and

transmitting degradation instructions or remedial action instructions to the payment terminal application of the mobile electronic device.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the mobile electronic device comprises the wireless communication module, a user input module, and a network interface module, all integrated with the mobile electronic device, and further comprises:

receiving, at the payment terminal application of the mobile electronic device via the user input module of the mobile electronic device, the user credentials of the user linked to the merchant;

transmitting the authentication request the server via the network interface module of the mobile electronic device, the authentication request comprising the user credentials;

receiving an authentication response from the server at the payment terminal application of the mobile electronic device; and

receiving the payment instrument data of the payment instrument via the wireless communication module of the mobile electronic device.