The Moneto prepaid mobile wallet service, which uses DeviceFidelity's microSD-based NFC technology, is now available in the UK via a partnership with payments processor Kalixa Group and MasterCard.

The service is available at launch for iPhone 4 and 4S users. Android and iPhone 5 users are to be supported "soon" and plans call for the service to rolled out across other European countries in the coming months.

Money transfer capabilities are also now being added to Moneto, which launched in the US in January 2012, via a partnership with MoneyGram, the world's largest global money transfer provider.

"We are excited to deliver the first ever NFC mobile payment service to iPhone users in the UK," says Philippe Martineau, DeviceFidelity's VP of business development for Europe.

"Moneto is a truly versatile solution that brings ground-breaking innovation to payments by incorporating plug and play NFC functionality with MasterCard PayPass technology for the ultimate integration of mobile money."

"The UK is one of the fastest growing prepaid markets in the world and is a leader in terms of NFC and contactless acceptance at the point of sale," Ed Chandler, CEO of Kalixa Group, explains. "By enabling iPhone users to make smart, simple and secure NFC transactions we are taking an enormous step towards making mobile money an everyday reality for consumers."