 |
|
|
March 27, 2003
|
|
Welcome to the March edition of
ACTion News. Our newsletter is distributed each month in order
to keep you up to date with events in the advanced card
industry. This complimentary service is provided by ACT
Canada; "building an informed marketplace". It is also
available in the Resource Centre of our web site http://www.actcda.com/.
Please feel free to forward this to your
colleagues.
IN THIS ISSUE:
1. Editorial Comment
2. RBC Royal Bank Launches Canada's First
National Visa Chip Card
3.
STMicroelectronics Announces Acquisition In Smart Card Arena
4. Amex Tests Wave-'N-Go
Payment
5. Keycorp To
Supply Terminals For Canadian Business Rewards
Program
6. Vendors Support
MasterCard's Us$1.99 Multi-Application Smart Card Program
7. Ingenico Obtains
Generic EMV 4.0 Approval For Its Entire New Unicapt 32 Product
Line
8. Verified@Once Is
Certified Mastercard Securecode Compliant
9. SchlumbergerSema Smart Cards Wins
Biometritech™ Product Of The Year Award
10. Datacard Group Completes Purchase Of
Gilles Leroux
11.
Santiago's Subway System Introduces Chip Cards
12. Cubic To Expand Los
Angeles County's New Smart Card System
ACT CANADA WOULD LIKE TO THANK
OUR NEW & RENEWING MEMBERS:
GENERAL
Canadian Passport Office ~ Member Since 2002
CIBC ~
New Member
IBM Canada ~ New Member
Keycorp Canada ~
Member Since 1998
National Bank of Canada ~ New
Member
ASSOCIATE
Cyberassist Group ~ New
Member
|
| ATTENTION ACT CANADA
MEMBERS: |
| |
![]() |
|
CardTech/SecurTech 2003
We have
negotiated additional discounts for our members at
CardTech/SecurTech 2003, May 12 - 15, Orange County
Convention Center, Orlando.
Register early for
CTST 2003 & save:
Before April 1 - save 25%:
CDN$670 or US$424.25
After April 1 - save 15%:
CDN$400 or US$254.25
For more information about
the CTST 2003, please visit their web site at http://www.ctst.com/. Please contact Andrea McMullen for a link
to the CTST 2003 discounted registration
form - email andrea(AT)actcda.com.
April Network
& Education Meeting
ACT Canada is pleased to
announce the details for our April Network &
Education Luncheon
Topic: Intellectual
Property - What You Need To Know if You Aren't a
Lawyer
Speaker: David Phillips,
Vice-President, General Counsel & Corporate
Secretary, Credit Union Central of
Canada
Date: Wednesday, April 30,
2003
Time: 12:00 - 2:00 pm (registration
begins at 11:30am)
Location: 21 Melinda
Street, Commerce Court East, Suite
600
Presentation Overview
Ideas,
designs, creativity - these are valuable assets. They
aren't found on the corporate balance sheet, but they
can make the difference between success and
failure.
The Canadian smart card industry is a
potential source of important innovation in Canada.
Although the industry is small, Canadian companies have
achieved international recognition for the quality of
their work.
Join us on April 30th for our first
Network and Education meeting of the year. Whether you
work for a large or small organization, you have a role
to play in protecting this corporate asset. Join us as
we look at key aspects of Intellectual property -
including smart cards and the Internet. Learn what types
of IP protection are
available.
Fee:
ACT Canada members -
$30 + GST
Non-Members - $80 + GST
NEW
- Click here to register online
If you have any questions or would like to
register over the phone, please contact Melissa
Slade at 905 426-6360 ext. 21 or email melissa(AT)actcda.com.
| |
|
1. EDITORIAL
COMMENT
Source:
Catherine Johnston, President & CEO, ACT
Canada (03/26) |
| |
.gif) |
|
Last
month we called for governments and financial
institutions to make the move to counterfeit and tamper
resistant cards. It has always been our belief that both
sectors continually work to reduce fraud and protect
their constituents. Evidence of this was seen within
weeks of the last newsletter, as RBC, Royal Bank
launched Canada's first national VISA chip card. We
congratulate them for taking this leadership
position.
CIBC offers Entourage, also a chip
based card. Scotiabank has a proud history of work with
chip and almost all other Canadian financial
institutions have engaged in chip application pilots. We
applaud their efforts to date and encourage them to move
forward.
As our banks offer increased protection
for our credit cards, we expect our governments to move
ahead with secure chip cards to enable e-government,
protect cross border movement of goods and people and
protect us from identity fraud.
We hope you will
join us at CTST Orlando, May 12 - 15, to discuss this
and other subjects. | |
|
2. RBC ROYAL BANK LAUNCHES
CANADA'S FIRST NATIONAL VISA CHIP
CARD
Source: RBC Royal
Bank (03/19) |
| |
|
|
As
Canada's first nationally available VISA credit card to
embed a microchip into the card, the RBC Royal Bank VISA
Platinum Avion will provide greater security for
international travel as many countries outside North
America have already moved to "smart cards" to improve
credit card security.
"The RBC Royal Bank
Platinum Avion prepares our clients for the future and
gives them more for the present," said Sean Amato-Gauci,
director, Card Product Development, RBC Royal Bank. This
premier travel and rewards card makes it the ideal card
for Canadian consumers using VISA. And with the addition
of Chip technology, we have now put the foundation in
place for our clients who are most likely to benefit
from this feature today."
Chip technology
increases security and has the potential for a broad
range of services and is already widely available in
Europe, Japan and Australia. In Canada, it will also
become the natural evolution of the payment card
market.
"We are excited to see RBC advancing Chip
in our market," said Allen Wright, director, Emerging
Technologies and Chip Initiatives, Visa Canada. "Visa
supports Chip technology which has already had a
positive impact on other payment card markets worldwide,
with additional features for merchants and improved
security for all participants in the payment
system."
"There isn't another premium Canadian
travel credit card that offers as many features as the
new Avion," added Amato-Gauci. "Platinum Avion provides
more choice, flexibility and prestige than other
rewards-based cards, and with Chip technology it will
provide a new level of security for our cardholders who
travel internationally."
RBC Royal Bank and Visa
Canada Association are members of ACT Canada. For more
information about either organization, please visit
their web sites: http://www.rbc.com/ and
http://www.visa.ca/. | |
|
3.
STMICROELECTRONICS ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION IN SMART
CARD ARENA
Source: STMicroelectronics
(03/25) |
| |
|
|
STMicroelectronics announced the acquisition of
Proton World International (PWI). The acquisition will
significantly increase ST's smart card system know-how,
particularly in the key banking and financial fields.
Based in Belgium, PWI has approximately 90
employees and develops smart card system software (card
OS, middleware and application software), especially for
e-purse, EMV (Europay/Mastercard/Visa) debit/credit
cards, PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) security, and
data management applications. This software, together
with PWI's capabilities in specification and
certification, is an essential ingredient in a wide
range of current and potential smart card
applications.
"This acquisition is a response to
growing customer demand, especially in emerging markets,
for comprehensive systems solutions. In addition,
banking and other financial applications have
particularly challenging demands for security and
interoperability, making a systems approach increasingly
necessary," said Maurizio Felici, Group Vice-President
and General Manager of ST's Smart Card Division.
The transaction between ST and ERG Group
includes a cash consideration of €37 million for the
purchase of PWI, plus a business-related consideration
for up to 10 years, and is expected to close in the
second quarter of 2003. Additionally, ST and ERG Group
(current owner of PWI) will enter into a long-term
business relationship through a technology license
agreement and will work together in the deployment of
PWI's technology in transit applications
worldwide.
ERG Group is a member of ACT Canada.
For more information about either organization, please
visit their web sites at http//www.erggroup.com
and http://www.st.com/.
| |
|
4. AMEX TESTS
WAVE-'N-GO PAYMENT
Source: CardTechnology
(03/06) |
| |
|
|
American Express is the latest organization to
test a payment device that consumers can wave past a
reader, like the successful ExxonMobil SpeedPass. AmEx
calls its product ExpressPay, and has tested it with
1,000 employees in Phoenix and with consumers in small
tests in several other U.S. locations, says David
Bonalle, vice president and general manager of advanced
payments development. Focus groups show consumers like
it, Bonalle says. "They get excited about how easy this
is to use," he says. Bonalle says the product is
targeted at under-$100 transactions where speed and
convenience are important, such as quick serve
restaurants, gas stations, supermarkets, drug stores,
video stores and coffee shops. He says the tests have
proven the technology works and now AmEx is discussing
how to roll it out. The pilots have used a keyfob-type
device containing a contactless smart card chip, but
Bonalle says the same chip can be embedded into a
plastic card. AmEx is using a new smart card chip
developed by Dallas-based Texas Instruments Inc. The
chip is based on the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) 14443 standard for contactless
smart card chips, as are the chips MasterCard
International and three issuers are testing in credit
cards in Orlando. The Texas Instruments chip uses the
Type B variant of the 14443 standard; MasterCard issuers
are testing credit cards with both Types A and
B.
American Express Canada is a member of ACT
Canada. For more information about American Express,
please visit their web site at http://www.aexp.com/.
| |
|
5. KEYCORP TO
SUPPLY TERMINALS FOR CANADIAN BUSINESS REWARDS
PROGRAM
Source: Keycorp
(02/13) |
| |
|
|
Keycorp Limited announced it has signed a
letter of understanding to supply electronic
payment terminals for a Canadian small-medium
business (SMB) loyalty program. The initial
purchase order is for 500 terminals, with a
commitment of 2000 terminals to be delivered
within the next 12 months.
The customer,
Community Power Points Corporation (CPP), operates
a program where consumers earn and redeem points
on goods and services purchased at participating
businesses. If a cardholder chooses not to use the
points for their own benefit, they can opt to
donate their accumulated points to charity or
designate them to a child's educational savings
fund. Initially the program is being rolled out in
Canada, but it is proposed to expand into the
US.
CPP employs the latest smartcard
technology, including the Keycorp K23 Debit /
Credit POS Terminal, to provide an internal or
community loyalty program, a smartcard gift card
program, bank-neutral transaction processing,
complete accounting and data mining as well as
added value after sale marketing
services.
"Keycorp has long been
established as a major supplier of POS terminals
within the Canadian market. Our agreement with CPP
further supports this position with Keycorp now
supplying its next generation K23 terminals within
Canada," Paul DeRosse, Managing Director Keycorp
Canada Inc. said. "We look forward to a long and
profitable business relationship with Community
Power Points."
The K23 is a fixed line
terminal for credit and debit transactions which
combines ease of use, reliability and security.
The sleek new terminal features a large graphics
display, a fast thermal printer and an intuitive
user interface. The K23 terminal is
smartcard-capable and meets the latest security
standards including compliance with the EMV
(Europay, MasterCard and Visa)
standard.
About Community Power
Points:
Community Power Points Corporation
offers a unique community driven loyalty and
coalition-marketing program that focuses on
benefiting small to medium sized local and
regional businesses, and acquires, retains, and
rewards customers, thereby stimulating the local
economy.
They provide a dynamic coalition
marketing program that offers businesses a level
of marketplace support and visibility that would
otherwise be unaffordable.
Keycorp is a
member of ACT Canada. For more information about
either organization, please visit their web site
at http://www.keycorp.net/
and http://www.communitypowerpoints.com/.
|
|
6. VENDORS SUPPORT
MASTERCARD'S US$1.99 MULTI-APPLICATION SMART
CARD PROGRAM
Source: MasterCard
(03/14) |
| |
|
|
MasterCard International announced that a
number of technology vendors will be supplying
smart cards in support of its new US$1.99
multi-application smart card program.
MasterCard's US$1.99 smart card program is part
of its overall OneSMART™ MasterCard® strategy to
provide members with greater technology choices,
support and critical flexibility they need to
launch a successful smart card program. With the
support of these leading vendors, MasterCard
will further accelerate the migration of payment
cards to multi-application smart cards in
Asia/Pacific and worldwide.
MasterCard
first introduced its MULTOS-based
multi-application smart card under its US$2.99
chip program in December 2000. Now, MasterCard
has brought down the price of its state of the
art, 16K multi-application MULTOS card by 33
percent to US$1.99.
The US$1.99 card
contains MasterCard's EMV compliant M/ChipTM
credit/debit application, Mondex e-cash, Public
Key Infrastructure (PKI) file storage and PKI
identification applications built into the chip,
ready for enablement as required by MasterCard's
member financial institutions.
Vendors
that support MasterCard's US$1.99 chip program
include KeyCorp Ltd (Australia), ORGA Card
Systems (Singapore), AMS Co (Korea), DZ Card
(South East Asia), FoongTone Technology
(Taiwan), KBC Corp (Korea), Kyodo Printing
(Japan), Security Plastics (New Zealand), Shoei
Printing Co (Japan), Taiwan Name Plate (Taiwan),
Toppan Form HK (Hong Kong) and Versatile Card
Technology (USA).
"When it comes to
fraud prevention, cardholders and banks need to
know they are being supplied the most secure
proven solution available, which chip technology
provides," explained Tim Fletcher, Keycorp's
General Manager, Smartcard Technologies.
MasterCard continues to lead in the
multi-application smart card arena in
Asia/Pacific. Worldwide, there are more than 127
million MasterCard®-, Maestro-, Mondex®-branded
smart cards issued and more than half of them
carry value-added applications like loyalty,
digital ID, e-ticketing, e-coupons or personal
data storage.
MasterCard Canada and
Keycorp are members of ACT Canada. For more
information about either organization, please
visit their web site at http://www.keycorp.net/
and http://www.mastercard.com/.
|
|
7. INGENICO
OBTAINS GENERIC EMV 4.0 APPROVAL FOR ITS ENTIRE
NEW UNICAPT 32 PRODUCT
LINE
Source: Ingenico
(03/11) |
| |
|
|
The new EMV 4.0 standard (or EMV 2000),
for which the approval process has just started
up in the world, sets the new international
benchmark for interoperability and security as
users everywhere shift to EMV smart cards.
At the Cartes 2002 trade show, Ingenico
presented its new generation of payment
terminals, designed for all market segments and
world regions and already on sale in several
countries. Based on UNICAPT 32-bit architecture,
these terminals provide maximum security and
power for effectively handling EMV transactions.
The EMV Pack at under $100 thus makes it easy to
upgrade an installed base of terminals, as at
large retail chains, or to adapt older
point-of-sale systems to EMV standards.
Level-1 approval granted to Ingenico by
EMVCo relates to the interface module included
in the new devices. Level-2 approval covers the
applications library developed by Ingenico in
compliance with EMV 4.0 specifications, based on
experience with over 35 EMV projects carried out
around the world. The EMV 4.0 approval won by
Ingenico is generic, involving its entire new
product line along with all future payment
systems based on the same standard. It will be
supplemented in each country by the relevant
local certification procedures.
Ingenico
is a member of ACT Canada. For more information
about Ingenico, please visit their web site at
http://www.ingenico.com/.
|
|
8. VERIFIED@ONCE
IS CERTIFIED MASTERCARD SECURECODE
COMPLIANT
Source: ONCE Corp.
(03/05) |
| |
|
|
Verifed@ONCE, the Merchant Payment
Authentication Solution from ONCE Corporation,
has passed the MasterCard SecureCode
certification testing. This makes ONCE
Corporation one of the first vendors in the
world to have a 3D-Secure Payment Authentication
Solution which is certified compliant to both
Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode
standards.
The MasterCard SecureCode and
Verified by Visa solutions help overcome two of
the most pressing issues in e-commerce today:
cardholder concerns about the safety of online
shopping and Internet merchants' need for an
enhanced payment guarantee. The program provides
card issuers a way to authenticate the identity
of the person completing Internet payment
transactions, significantly reducing online
fraud and the number of related chargebacks.
MasterCard, ONCE Corporation and Visa
are members of ACT Canada. For more information
about any of the above mentioned companies,
please visit their web site at http://www.mastercard.com/,
http://www.oncecorp.com/,
and http://www.visa.com/.
|
|
9.
SCHLUMBERGERSEMA SMART CARDS WINS BIOMETRITECH™
PRODUCT OF THE YEAR
AWARD
Source: SchlumbergerSema
(03/06) |
| |
|
|
SchlumbergerSema announced that they were
the recipients of the Product of the Year Award
from BiometriTech. The SchlumbergerSema
Cyberflex Access smart cards were the first Visa
Open Platform JavaCard™ 2.1 smart cards with
cryptographic capabilities to make the Precise
Biometrics' Match-on-Card™ application possible
in 2002, and the company is now the first to put
this capability into the application-programming
interface (API). The integration enables
SchlumbergerSema to bring to market cards that
use the owner's fingerprint as identification
authentication, and, or in addition to, a
personal identification number (PIN).
The system authenticates the user by
matching the fingerprint to one digitally stored
on the SchlumbergerSema smart card. Since this
sensitive data is computed directly on the card
without the need to rely on the availability or
speed of a network for validation, the risk of
the information being compromised is
substantially eliminated. Authentication is
directly accessed through the card's API,
improving the performance and allowing other
card applications to easily use the function.
"Through the use of smart cards combined
with a biometric ID system, cardholder identity
can be verified more securely in both the
physical and digital worlds," stated Paul
Beverly, vice president of smart cards and
terminals, SchlumbergerSema, North America. "We
are proud to accept this award and we will
continue to deliver security products that
reinforces our position as the technology leader
in advanced multi-application smart cards."
"The Product of the Year award is meant
to recognize the innovation and outstanding
development efforts of companies involved in the
growth of the biometric industry. We believe the
products honored are indicative of the promise
this market has to offer," said Laura Guevin,
editorial director, BiometriTech™
SchlumbergerSema is a member of ACT
Canada. For more information about
SchlumbergerSema, please visit their web site at
http://www.slb.com/smartcard.
|
|
10. DATACARD GROUP
COMPLETES PURCHASE OF GILLES
LEROUX
Source: Datacard Group
(03/17) |
| |
|
|
Datacard Group
announced it has completed the acquisition of
assets from Gilles Leroux S.A., a French
manufacturer of plastic card production, control
and personalization systems and supplier of
solutions to the Global System for Mobile
Communication (GSM) smart card market. Datacard
was awarded the right to purchase the Gilles
Leroux assets in June 2002 by the Commercial
Court of Orleans, France, which was overseeing
Gilles Leroux since the company's bankruptcy
filing last year.
Datacard has been
managing the operations of Gilles Leroux under
court order since June 17, 2002. Datacard plans
to continue the integration of the acquired
Gilles Leroux products into its industry-leading
portfolio and continue to provide service and
supplies for Gilles Leroux systems currently in
operation, according to Jerry Johnson,
Datacard's president and CEO.
Datacard
Group is a member of ACT Canada. For more
information about Datacard, please visit their
web site at http://www.datacard.com/.
|
|
11. SANTIAGO'S
SUBWAY SYSTEM INTRODUCES CHIP
CARDS
Source: CardTechnology
(02/27) |
| |
|
|
Chile's
government-run Metro of Santiago went live with
contactless smart cards that operate throughout
the 52 subway stations and three lines of
Santiago. The company is completing distribution
of 100,000 smart cards, provided by Giesecke
& Devrient. The system has deployed 160
card-reloading machines and 320 smart card
readers in turnstiles, both from Indra Sistemas
S.A. of Spain. Called "Multivia," each card
costs 1,000 pesos (about US$1.35), but
cardholders receive a free subway ride after 20
rides and pay 20 pesos less per trip than do
paper ticket users. Multivia users can have
their 1,000 pesos refunded within three months
of purchase if they are not happy with the smart
card. Pedro Sabatini, head of integration
projects for Metro of Santiago, says the firm
plans to phase out its paper tickets. It also
expects that the smart cards will go live in the
firm's 350 buses in Santiago within three
months. Approximately 800,000 people travel
daily on Santiago's subway and 150,000 on its
metro buses. Ultimately, Metro of Santiago plans
to expand smart card service to its commuter
trains in Santiago and Valparaiso.
Separately, the Metropolitan Union
Association for Passenger Transport (AGMTP)
announced that it will be launching smart cards
for its buses, which also are in Santiago. The
private bus association, the largest in Santiago
with 3,800 buses, plans to equip all its
vehicles to accept smart cards and to install
500 point-of-sale systems at kiosks, bus
terminals and bus stops. The AGMTP expects to
close a deal in the next few days with a
multinational firm that will provide the smart
card equipment and to then go live with the
smart cards three months later. The transit
agency would not name the vendor. Driving the
smart card launches by AGMTP and Metro of
Santiago is a call by Chile's government for
Santiago's entire transportation system to be
smart card-compliant by 2005.
Giesecke
& Devrient is a member of ACT Canada. For
more information about Giesecke & Devrient,
please visit their web site at http://www.gdai.com/. |
| |
12. CUBIC TO
EXPAND LOS ANGELES COUNTY'S NEW SMART CARD
SYSTEM
Source: ePaymentsnews
(03/21) |
| |
|
|
Cubic
Transportation Systems Inc., has received nearly
$6.3 million in contracts for "smart" validating
fareboxes from three municipal bus operators
that are partnering with the L.A. County
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA)
on what will be California's largest smart card
payment system for public
transit.
Foothill Transit, Antelope
Valley Transit Authority and Montebello Bus
Lines are the first of several regional service
providers expected to participate in the smart
card system, known as the Los Angeles County
Universal Fare System, which Cubic is designing
and delivering under an $84 million contract
awarded in 2002. It will provide commuters the
opportunity to use a single smart card for
public transportation, a major convenience for
people who live and work in different parts of
the county.
The Universal Fare System
will employ several features from Cubic's
Nextfare Solution Suite including rail ticket
vending machines, smart card validators and
validating bus fareboxes. Nextfare technology
also makes it possible to offer electronic
download of prepaid transit benefits and
'Autoload,' which lets transit users link their
smart cards to their credit cards for automatic
reload of transit value into the system. It also
includes advanced operational features that help
the agencies protect and manage their revenues
through fraud prevention and fare reconciliation
among participating agencies.
Last
summer, in order to familiarize riders with the
benefits of a one-ticket-to-ride system, the
LACMTA and 11 municipal operators began offering
the EZ Transit Pass, the first phase of the
future regional smart card, in the form of a
paper flash regional pass. The Cubic-developed
smart card system debuts in 2005.
For
more information about Cubic, please visit their
web site at http://www.cubic.com/. |
| |
|
| ACT Canada is an
international non-profit association for the
advancement of card technologies. We work on
behalf of our members to promote the awareness,
understanding and use of all advanced card
technologies; including optical, smart,
capacitive and emerging technologies. If you
would like to learn more about ACT Canada
membership please visit http://www.actcda.com/
or contact our office at (905) 426-6360 ext.
21. |
|
|
|
| Please forward any comments, suggestions,
questions or articles to andrea(AT)actcda.com.
If you would like to be removed from our
newsletter distribution list please reply
to this email with the word "REMOVE"
in the subject field. Please note that articles
contained in this newsletter have been edited
for length. |
|
|
|
Andrea McMullen
AVP
ACT Canada
tel: 905 426-6360 ext.
24
fax: 905
619-3275
email: andrea(AT)actcda.com
web: http://www.actcda.com/
mail: 85 Mullen Drive, Ajax,
ON, L1T
2B3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| |
