NEW YORK, April 29, 2008–All the major business stakeholders in the NFC mobile payments ecosystem are gathering at CTST 2008–The Americas Conference to address the best ways to bring this convenient form of payment to consumers. CTST 2008, the largest payment, security and identification conference in the Americas, will be held May 12th through 15th at the Orange County Convention Center West, in Orlando, Fla.

NEW YORK, April 16, 2008–The rapidly expanding Latin American smart card market will be given extra focus including a special daylong mini-track Wednesday, May 14th during CTST 2008–The Americas Conference. CTST 2008, the largest payment, security and identification conference in the Americas, will be held May 12th through 15th at the Orange County Convention Center West, in Orlando, Fla.

PRINCETON JUNCTION, NJ, April 16, 2008–The Smart Card Alliance is bringing its industry knowledge and experience to the conference program of the premier event in the payments and security industry for the Americas: CTST 2008 - The Americas Conference and Exhibition. A combination of the Smart Card Alliance Annual Conference and SourceMedia’s CTST Conference, CTST 2008 will feature over 120 speakers, 40 conference sessions, and 30,000 square feet of exhibit hall space from May 12th through 15th at the Orange County Convention Center West, in Orlando, Florida.

Princeton Junction, NJ, March 25, 2008–Discussing and demonstrating the issuance, personalization and use of dual-interface FIPS 201 Personal Identity Verification (PIV) cards is the focus of the Smart Card Alliance’s presence at ISC West, April 2nd–4th at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas.

Princeton Junction, NJ, March 24, 2008–The Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council is kicking off its fourth year with new officers and steering committee members, including the re-election of Chair Paul Korczak, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit, and a new industry white paper addressing the hottest topic in transit today–financial/transit payment convergence.

PRINCETON JUNCTION, NJ, March 18, 2008–Growth and excitement continue to surround the contactless financial and transit payment markets, industry leaders confirmed at the Smart Card Alliance’s first annual Payments Councils Summit held recently in Salt Lake City, Utah.

PRINCETON JUNCTION, NJ, March 12, 2008–A recent Associated Press story and subsequent news reports contained an important error, and the Smart Card Alliance wants to correct the record. The stories inaccurately linked security questions raised by a University of Virginia graduate student about an RF-enabled chip used primarily in transit applications with the contactless smart card technology used in financial payment cards. The RF-enabled chip used in the U.Va. research is not the same product used in contactless credit/debit cards and electronic passports.Additional information on contactless financial payment card security can be found at http://www.smartcardalliance.org/pages/publications-contactless-payment-security-qa.

NEW YORK, February 27, 2008–SourceMedia and the Smart Card Alliance will mount the largest payment, security and identification conference in the Americas May 12th through 15th at the Orange County Convention Center West, in Orlando, Fla. Starting this year, CTST 2008–The Americas Conference combines the Smart Card Alliance annual meeting and SourceMedia’s CTST 2008 conference to feature 120+ speakers, 40 conference sessions, 20 hours of exhibit hall time and the Alliance’s prestigious Outstanding Smart Card Achievement (OSCA) awards. David Pogue, the humorous, tech-savvy New York Times technology columnist and Emmy-winning CBS news correspondent, will keynote the event luncheon.

Princeton Junction, NJ, February 21, 2008–The Smart Card Alliance is accepting nominations for its “Outstanding Smart Card Achievement” (OSCA) awards, recognizing those who have significantly impacted and influenced the market for smart cards in North America. The OSCA Awards will be presented during CTST 2008 - The Americas Conference, the newly combined Smart Card Alliance Annual meeting and SourceMedia’s CTST conference, being held May 12th through 15th, 2008 at the Orange County Convention Center West, in Orlando, Fla.

PRINCETON JUNCTION, NJ, February 14, 2008–The Smart Card Alliance Healthcare Council is off to an exciting start to 2008, with newly elected officers and steering committee, the first in a series of industry roundtables this month, and a new Web site full of educational resources.