System and method for mobile payment transactions

A system for processing a request by a customer to pay a transaction amount, using the customer's account, for a transaction between the customer and a merchant, to provide a payment to an account of the merchant, the transaction incorporating use of a mobile wireless device operated by the customer to provide identification information of the customer's account, the system comprising:

• an authentication server configured for communications with the customer's mobile wireless device;
• and
• a payment server coupled to the authentication server, the payment server configured for communications with the merchant and to pass the merchant communications to the authentication server;
• wherein the authentication server receives the transaction amount from the merchant and receives customer account information from the customer's wireless mobile device, and processes the transaction and account information and, if authenticated, routes the payment transaction to the payment server for payment to the merchant's account.