Gothenburg, Sweden / Brussels, Belgium, March 10, 2003–The Todos eCode application, which can be added on smart cards for secure remote authentication, has now been implemented in Proton World’s Proton Prisma family of multiapplication cards (SP,BP,EP,DP, …), using the Sesame awarded EMV PLUS application.

SINGAPORE and TOKYO, March 4 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/–Visa International today announced the establishment of a joint working relationship with Sony Corporation and Infineon Technologies for the joint development and promotion of a single-chip GlobalPlatform multi-application chip product that supports Visa Smart Debit/Credit (VSDC) payment and contactless applications based on FeliCa.

First in New SmartTalk Series

Princeton Junction, NJ, March 4, 2003–Executives from the retail and payments industries are invited to join a teleconference on “Trends and Technology Advances In Contactless Payment” hosted by the Smart Card Alliance.

Tokyo, Japan, Feb. 20, 2003–(JCN Newswire)–JCB Co., Ltd. has developed a postpayment settlement scheme for transport fares in Japan, and has begun to provide payment services for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport sponsored trial project in Sapporo City from January through March 2003.

News from the Mid-Winter Conference of the Smart Card Alliance

Princeton Junction, NJ, February 24, 2003–Speakers and attendees at the recently concluded Smart Card Alliance Mid-Winter Conference were all in agreement that applying technology to protect identities and the privacy of individuals presents an excellent market opportunity.

Wave Systems Corp. (Nasdaq: WAVX - http://www.wave.com), a leader in secure hardware and software computing solutions and services, today announced it is partnering with the Comodo Group, the leading Internet security specialist which provides next generation E-commerce security solutions, to offer the industry’s most comprehensive solutions for managing processes and transactions securely online.

By Junko Yoshida

The Smart Card Alliance’s Mid-Winter Conference, opening today, will focus on how to protect identities

Feb. 12, 2003–Companies around the world may soon be dealing with an identity crisis. As more and more services are delivered remotely over local, wide-are and wireless networks, creating, managing and securing identities could become a major issue.

/PRNewswire-FirstCall/–Gemplus, leading provider of smart card solutions and Sagem, leader in biometrics based identity applications, today announced the signing of a cooperation agreement with a view for both companies to jointly pursue development and activities in the field of biometrics and smart card technology for secure identity solutions. Sagem provides advanced biometrics technology and system integration technology and expertise, while Gemplus delivers smart card technology, as well as the related software and services required for identity programs. Smart card-based biometric recognition in the identity segment is expected to experience rapid growth in the future. This cooperation agreement will enable Gemplus and Sagem to benefit fully from the proven complementarities of each other’s technologies, and their combined know-how and experience in the field of secure identity projects. The cooperation derives from a recent joint national identity customer win in the Sultanate of Oman, where 1.5 million biometrics-enabled smart cards are to be issued to the local population by the end of 2003.

Minnetonka, MN, February 3, 2003–Datacard Group today announced the implementation of the Datacard® Affina™ life cycle management system through a partnership with LogicaCMG, who have been appointed by Luottokunta to provide Finland’s first national smart card payment program. Datacard Group will implement the Affina™ life cycle management system which will provide all the card management needs for the initial launch, and ultimately manage the life cycle of the card population, including adding, deleting or modifying applications to any issued card. LogicaCMG will provide proven systems integration services to manage Luottokunta’s successful migration to the next-generation smart card payments processing platform.