California-based tap-and-pay mobile payments startup Bling Nation has certainly had a busy 2010. Not only has it expanded its services in communities throughout the US via a series of partnerships with local financial services providers, but it has also landed a significant deal with PayPal to link its contactless BlingTags to PayPal accounts; this would allow consumers to carry out contactless payments at Bling Nation-powered merchants and have the funds deducted from their PayPal accounts. The integration is currently beta tested by over 2,000 PayPal employees at the company's San Jose headquarters.

In the wake of this significant win, The Paypers sat down with Meyer Malka, founder, co-chief executive officer and director of Bling Nation to discuss Bling Nation’s value proposition, current development and vision on what’s next for the mobile tap-and-go payments market.