PRINCETON JUNCTION, NJ, June 16, 2008–Transit agencies implementing smart card-based automatic fare collection (AFC) systems face challenges serving those who do not have credit or debit cards, nor checking or savings accounts, as these riders are limited to cash when obtaining, loading and reloading transit smart cards. A new white paper from the Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council examines how transit agencies can serve these “unbanked” or “underbanked” individuals, including both the traditional approach of establishing retail sales outlets for fare media and a potential new approach of using network-branded prepaid cards.

PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J., May 19, 2008–Another regional healthcare network in Spokane, Wash. is starting to use smart card technology, attendees learned during the healthcare track at the joint Smart Card Alliance annual meeting and CTST conference last week.

PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J., May 19, 2008–Rapidly rising fraud rates due to skimming of magnetic stripe credit cards and shifts in fraud liability are fueling the migration of Latin American banks to smart bankcards based on the global EMV standard, attendees learned at the joint Smart Card Alliance annual meeting and CTST conference last week.

PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J., May 19, 2008–The number of U.S. employees using smart card technology to access computers and networks at work continues to grow as enterprises look for better ways to protect information, according to presenters at the joint Smart Card Alliance annual meeting and CTST conference last week. Compounding this growth is the rise of federated identity networks in the pharmaceutical, aerospace and defense, and government sectors.

CTST 2008–THE AMERICAS CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION, ORLANDO, Fla., May 14, 2008–Open-branded contactless payment cards in the United States nearly doubled in the last year, but the buzz was about mobile payment and near field communication (NFC) on the first day of the joint Smart Card Alliance annual meeting and CTST conference.

CTST 2008, Orlando, Fla., May 13, 2008–The Smart Card Alliance today announced the 2008 award winners for “Outstanding Smart Card Achievement” (OSCA) in the North American and Latin American smart card industry during its annual conference, taking place at the CTST 2008 The Americas Conference and Exhibition.

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.