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AUSTRIACARD Becomes Major Supplier of Belgian De Lijn
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AUSTRIACARD has been designated as a partner of choice for the production of the MOBIB-card for VVM De Lijn,
one of Belgium’s largest public transport operators. Only two suppliers could comply with the strict qualification
requirements of the tendering procedure, whereby AUSTRIACARD has been awarded with more than half of the volume.
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The MOBIB-card is a sophisticated smart card product, providing not only easy access to public transport operators, but also to several mobility-related services.
The MOBIB technology is now widely spread in Belgium: Besides De Lijn, all major transport companies (STIB, SNCB, TEC) and other mobility providers such as Cambio and
Villo (car- /bike sharing) are part of the network. The dual-interface card is based on the renowned Calypso-standard and is characterized by enhanced durability
(validity period of up to five years). This prolonged durability not only saves costs for the issuer, but also reduced the ecological impact
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For AUSTRIACARD the project is yet another milestone for its rapidly growing public transportation branch. The company is, for example, supplying the Oyster
Card for the City of London in one of the most prestigious projects of the industry. On the Belgian market De Lijn is already the second major success:
Since 2011 the Viennese smart card expert has been supplying the national railway company (SNCB NMBS) with over one million Calypso/MOBIB cards.
Konstantinos Lagios, Chief Commercial Officer at AUSTRIACARD, summarizes: "That we were awarded the De Lijn project underscores our expertise in
implementing complex public transport projects, as well as the trust in our high quality smart cards, which are based on one of the world's most innovative ticketing standards."
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Vlaamse Vervoersmaatschappij De Lijn is majority-owned by the Flemish government and one of the major transport operators in Belgium. The company has
over 8.000 employees and operates a comprehensive network of bus and tramlines, which also includes the world's longest interurban tramline, the so
called Costal Tram ('Kusttram') that connects the coastal towns Knokke-Heist and De Panne (68km in total). Every year over 500 million passengers
use De Lijn's 3650 busses and 359 trams.
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@ AUSTRIACARD
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Cash Registers – Digital Signatures With AC Smart Cards
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From April 1 2017 the Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance obliges every shop and restaurant in Austria to digitally sign each cash receipt, which in
most cases will happen with electronic cash registers. Due to the highest security standards required for such a digital signature, AUSTRIACARD and
its partner A-Trust are the clear choice for this technology.
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There are three ways to employ the digital signature on a receipt — via HSM (hardware security module),
via the technology for the mobile phone signature (online), or via a smart card in the cash register.
The usage via smart card is the only way to produce offline digital signatures, which explains this
method’s high popularity. The smart card signature makes particularly sense if there are many
transactions with a high frequency. The card (including the security certificates) can be
purchased via the A-Trust web shop. A-Trust and the cash register producers also offer
trainings to shop owners on how to implement the software.
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AUSTRIACARD delivers smart cards in the ID1-format, which the shop owner inserts into the cash register.
The smart card is printed by AUSTRIACARD in the A-Trust design and includes the signature keys (that are
necessary for every receipt) on the chip. The majority of the cards will be delivered to the market by April 2017.
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@ AUSTRIACARD, Fotolia
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Athens Gets a Smart Card System Powered by AUSTRIACARD
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The city of Athens will change its entire public transportation ticketing system from paper tickets to contactless smart cards. The switch will start
beginning of 2017, and by the summer the entire system should be migrated. The rollout includes all means of public transportation
such as the subway, buses, and trams.
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The new system will help to combat fare dodging and free riding, will reduce the paper-waste, and will ensure a more adequate pricing structure.
Due to the technical possibilities offered by AUSTRIACARD’s smart cards, it will be possible to charge passengers based on the distance
they actually travel instead of having a one-size-fits-all approach.
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Along the new cards, new terminals and gates will also be installed. Passengers will have to tap the card when entering and leaving buses or subways.
The system supports two types of cards, one memory card without a microprocessor that can store value and track fares, and a
more sophisticated microprocessor card. So the new system will be based on a contactless smart card that can be preloaded with
credit ahead of time, or loaded with weekly and monthly fares (travel card).
The tickets can be purchased via credit and debit cards at the POS or over the internet.
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The Athens Urban Transport Organization (OASA) signed a deal with the LG CNS consortium for the creation of this new ticket system.
It was kicked off at the 81st Thessaloniki Trade Fair,
where Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was the first to “test” the new
public transportation card. All across the world banks, governments, and public transport operators trust AUSTRIACARD and Inform,
the group’s information management division with its headquarters in Athens. And so do all major Greek banks as well as Transport
for London, for which AUSTRIACARD has meticulously implemented the renowned Oyster Card project, which in its functionality
very much resembles the new system in Athens. This was a major reason why LG chose to partner with AUSTRIACARD. “We knew that
we were getting the best by partnering with the digital security expert AUSTRIACARD. They have implemented trailblazing projects
all over the world, and we are sure that together we can make the Athens transportation card a success,” says Mr. Shin, Director CTO of Branch at LG CNS.
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@ AUSTRIACARD
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Native Operating System ACOS Boosts Efficiency
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The operating system is the heart of every smart card, and thus it is no wonder that one of the major decisions managers in
the payment industry have to make is whether to opt for Java-based or proprietary operating systems.
We have realized that most of our clients decide to go with our native solution. A closer look at the pros and cons revealed why.
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State-of-the-art native operating systems can be significantly more efficient than a Java-based system. After all, a native operating system is better
tailored to the specific needs of the particular application domain. But it requires years of expertise and a highly-trained engineering staff
to deliver this benefit. This explains why the number of companies who have EMV-certified native operating systems is still very low, while the
demand for high-quality native products continues unabated. The popularity of our in-house developed chip card operating system ACOS has even grown.
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Decades of secure development expertise and hundreds of millions of successfully issued cards on the ACOS platform give testimony to the advantages
it brings with it. Standardized applications ensure international compatibility and leave ample space for all kinds of adaptations. ACOS provides a
wide set of EMV functionalities according to MasterCard and Visa specifications. And it works for contact-based and dual interface product families,
as well as for contactless tags and wearables. Those native EMV products on the ACOS operating system are tailored to the payment application domain
and are optimized in terms of performance and efficiency to satisfy specific requirements of EMV products. Furthermore, all our native products feature
ISO/IEC 7816-4 functions for non-payment customer-specific applications support in addition to EMV payment applications.
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Historically, a reason to go with Java-based cards was its capability to host multiple applications on the same chip, whereby
it was possible to load additional applications onto the chip while it was already in the field. Java was initially designed as
a multi-purpose smart card operating system to address the needs of various application domains from telecommunication to payment
and identification. And though times have changed, this reasoning has persisted. But AUSTRIACARD has invested more than a decade in
tweaking its native ACOS system so that it can do exactly that: host multiple applications, while at the same time offering the benefits
of a native solution. “No matter whether you want to supplement the payment functionality with a loyalty-, ticketing-, or any other application – ACOS-powered
smart cards can do all of that. And we have numerous such projects implemented around the world,” explains Mikhail Gordeev, AUSTRIA CARD’s head of new products.
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@ Fotolia, iStock
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AUSTRIACARD Ships Luxurious Crystal Cards to JKB
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AUSTRIACARD is the first company to ship crystal-stone enhanced cards to Jordan. This high-end printing technique
has never before been used in the entire region. Jordan Kuwait Bank (JKB), a highly trusted bank that has evolved
into one of the major players in the country and the region, started issuing the crystal-enhanced VISA Infinite cards to its elite customers.
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"The introduction of this innovative card design, with the high-class luxury crystal stones, enables us to bring glamor and finesse to our customers' credit cards
to compliment the high end benefits the card offers to our customers," says Mr. Haethum Buttikhi, Head of Retail & Private Banking at Jordan Kuwait Bank at JKB.
The introduction of this printing technique has heralded a new era of card design in the premium segment. The Austrian crystal stones can be incorporated into any
custom design. All crystals are set by hand and are artistically placed onto the card.
Fadi Nashashibi, MENA Business Development at AUSTRIACARD: "We are continuously working on new card body features, especially for
the premium segment. I am certain that the crystal cards will stand out with their splendor and sophistication. They will not only impress JKB's customers, but also their acquaintances."
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@ AUSTRIACARD
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First Translucent Card with Coil on Module
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For its client Ceska Sporitelna, AUSTRIACARD has produced the first transparent card body in which the coil on module technique is implemented.
With coil on module there is no more galvanic connection between antenna and chip. A radio frequency link replaces
the mechanical-electrical connection between the two components.
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Cards with coil on module have multiple advantages. First, they are
more robust than usual dual interface cards and more resistant to corrosion.
Moreover, the module thickness is reduced by 20%, enabling better back side visual appearance.
“With this new card we can give our end-customers a state-of-the art dual interface card with
attractive and catchy design which is the first choice for our clients. And the increased robustness
ensures that they will enjoy their card,” comments Vaclav Adamec, Mananager of payments and card portfolio from Ceska Sporitelna.
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@ AUSTRIACARD
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Eurobank/Manchester United DI-Cards With New Red-Core Feature
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For Eurobank Serbia AUSTRIACARD produced the first contactless MasterCard prepaid card on the Serbian market. The cards are co-branded with Manchester United,
the world-famous football club from the English Premier League. It is already the third anniversary of the successful cooperation of Eurobank in which they offer
MasterCard debit, credit, and prepaid cards with the Manchester United logo. Now the design fits even better to the cooperation: AUSTRIACARD has implemented the new red-core feature,
meaning that even the edges of the card bear Manchester's traditional red color.
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"The colored core is far more than just an optical detail. The edge of a card is often the only visible part in a wallet where it competes
for attention with all the other similar-looking edges. But the red among the white cores makes the card immediately stand out,"
comments Christoph Paul, head of sales banking at AUSTRIACARD.
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For years AUSTRIACARD has been a reliable partner for Eurobank in multiple European markets. And since the company is one of
the world’s leading contactless payment experts, the project was completed timely and professionally with the accustomed security
standards. “We are happy to see Eurobank’s project reach the next stage. In light of the massive rollout of terminals with contactless
functionality, we believe that the new generation of the card will add significant value to the bank’s end-customers," continues Christoph Paul.
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@ Eurobank
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AUSTRIACARD’s FIDO at the Money 20/20 in Las Vegas
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Joining forces with the FIDO-alliance, AUSTRIACARD promoted the new FIDO-technology at the Money20/20 exhibition in Las Vegas last October.
On site, we were supported by our local American partner Ghelfond & Lecuona (G&L).
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Together with seven other leading FIDO-certified companies, AUSTRIACARD exhibited at the FIDO Ecosystem Pavilion and showcased its
innovative FIDO® Certified products for the financial services and payments sectors. Inside the pavilion, the alliance members
featured 40 of the hardware-, mobile- and biometrics-based devices from throughout the FIDO ecosystem providing simpler, stronger
authentication. Among those were AUSTRIACARD’s FIDO-certified smart cards and payment wearables. AUSTRIACARD is the first company
worldwide to certify the technology on EMV-smart cards. FIDO can run on our native operating system ACOS and is available on contactless
and dual interface-cards, as well as NFC-based key fobs, stickers, and bracelets.
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Overall, the feedback from attendees that toured the pavilion was agreement that the payments industry as a whole needs to move beyond passwords and excitement
over how strong authentication can be super simple. And FIDO’s event-participation helped to make the technology known to a wide audience. In addition to the pavilion,
FIDO Alliance Executive Director Brett McDowell was joined on stage by EMVCo’s Director of Operations Brian Byrne to announce that the FIDO Alliance will work with EMVCo
to develop a new technical specification for mobile wallet providers and payment application developers to support Consumer Device Cardholder Verification Method (CDCVM).
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With more than 11,000 attendees Money20/20 organizes the largest global event enabling payments and financial services innovation for connected commerce at
the intersection of mobile, retail, marketing services, data and technology.
It provided an outstanding opportunity to position AUSTRIACARD’s leading payment products in the US-market.
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@ AUSTRIACARD
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AUSTRIACARD Sponsors Austrian National Day Celebration in Turkey
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For the sixth year in a row the Austrian embassy in Istanbul organized a celebration for the Austrian national holiday on October 26th. This time the Austrian-Turkish
clubbing took place under the slogan "Six and the City” and was attended by 800 guests. Besides the open-air party with various artists, visitors could
also enjoy a presentation of short animated films in the halls of the Austrian Cultural Office.
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As a long-standing partner and supporter of the Austrian Embassy in Istanbul, AUSTRIACARD Turkey sponsored the event and
invited top executives and key customers to the celebration to mingle with other leading figures from the industry.
The Austrian Ambassador Klaus Wölfer and the Director of the Austrian Culture Office Romana Königsbrun also attended.
The event was also covered by the Turkish media and received public attention. “The Austrian embassy serves as a bridge
between our two countries and its interwoven economies. As an Austrian company with a large footprint in the region we are
happy to support the embassy on its mission,” concludes Burak Bilge, the CEO of AUSTRIACARD Turkey.
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@ AUSTRIACARD
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INFORM offers E-Mail Analytics
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Inform, the group’s information management division, has now implemented an e-mail analytics platform that clients can use to track and optimize electronic
mailing campaigns. The platform is based on a 3-tier infrastructure and is hosted securely at Inform’s secure infrastructure in its certified production facility in Bucharest.
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Via an online interface the e-mail analytics platform provides the means to track all aspects of e-mail delivery as well as end recipients’ interaction with
the e-mail body. The core of the platform is a user-friendly dashboard which grants an overview of ongoing and completed campaigns. The user
can track general campaign characteristics such as the number of recipients, the date and time of the campaign, and can dive into specific
campaigns for more detailed information. Are you interested in how many e-mails were delivered or how many bounced? Do you want to see how
many people unsubscribed or which content was more appealing as measured by the number clicks? Inform’s e-mail analytics provide all that
and more. A complete set of demographic information is available that allow your company to customize the content of mailing
communication on a regular basis for maximum campaign efficiency.
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The company using the platform also receives an administrator account that can create individual access credentials for end users and can handle all aspects
of user management including password resets, new user creation, etc. Also, the administrator can have access to the logging reports.
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@ Fotolia
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Win Five Cashless Monopoly Games by Following Us on LinkedIn
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It pays to follow us! Among the new followers of our LinkedIn pages, we will raffle five cashless Monopoly board games.
Click on one of the links below before March 10 and you will automatically participate in our lottery.
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If you are not yet a follower, click either on AUSTRIACARD,
on Inform,
or on the AUSTRIACARD AG.
Please also share this news channel with colleagues and friends who might be interested in receiving the latest updates on digital security and information management topics.
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@ AUSTRICARD, LinkedIn
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Imprint:
Copyright © 2013 AUSTRIACARD-Plastikkarten und Ausweissysteme Gesellschaft m.b.H.,
Lamezanstra.e 4–8, A-1230 Vienna| Data Processing Register DVR 0390089 | Commercial Court Vienna/Registry number FN
98272v | All rights reserved
Tel: +43 1 610 65-0 | Fax +43 1 610 65-700 | marketing@austriacard.at
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