YNOT EUROPE – Frankfurt, Germany-based internet payment services provider Pay4 GmbH has hired Erik Bellavance to increase the company’s profile among North American merchants.

“My role as the North American representative will be to teach North American-based companies that Europeans have different payment habits,” Bellavance said. “In North America, we all have and use credit cards on a daily basis, but of 700 million Europeans, only approximately 25 percent have a credit card.”

Bellavance also said most Europeans who do have credit cards don’t feel comfortable using them online. In fact, he added, most consumers in 32 European countries prefer to pay by direct debit.

To meet the needs and security concerns of European consumers, Pay4 is PCI-certified. The company assists merchants in accepting direct-debit, Visa, MasterCard, e-wallet, Carte Bleue and bank-transfer payments in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland and England.

For more information, visit Pay4.eu.