The Smart Card Alliance Latin America project kicked off on October 19, 2004 with the presentation of the Department of Commerce Market Developer Cooperator Program (MDCP) award totaling $288,000 that forms a partnering effort between the International Trade Administration and SCA to develop international trade and support education, training, and resource development for smart cards in Mexico, Brazil, and the Caribbean Islands.   The Alliance staff has held organizing meetings with ITA field office personnel in Mexico and Brazil to discuss ways to bring smart card awareness and education to the government and commercial markets in those countries. The Alliance has also met with ITA personnel based in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, and Miami who are in support roles and are prepared to assist the Alliance's Latin American project.

In July 2005 the Latin America Chapter was launched.  Organizations with smart card-related business interests in all Latin American countries and the Caribbean, plus any organization based in North America or internationally with interests in the Latin America markets, should contact Edgar Betts, Manager Business Development - Latin America at 1-954-590-3795 or ebetts@smartcardalliance.org. Memberships are available for Leadership Council, General, Government, and Associate levels.

Next Steps:
 
The Latin American smart card market is growing, due to many market factors including the migration of mobile telecommunications operators to GSM technology, the migration to EMV in the financial sector, the move to smart transit fare cards and new government and commercial secure identification initiatives.  Responding to these market factors, the Smart Card Alliance today announced the formation of a new Latin American chapter to bring together smart card suppliers, partners and customers in order to address the challenges facing smart card deployment in the region.  The new organization was announced at the start of the Americas Security Expo, in Miami Beach, FL where thousands of security industry leaders representing Latin America, the Caribbean and southeastern United  States gathered for its annual conference.

“The Latin American smart card market is now emerging and could develop more rapidly than other markets by effectively learning from similar smart card initiatives and by forming business partnerships that can quickly deliver successful implementations,” said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance.  
 
The main mission of the Smart Card Alliance Latin American chapter is in line with the overall goal of the Alliance: to stimulate the understanding, adoption, use and widespread application of smart cards. The Alliance plans to use specific projects such as bi-lingual education programs, market research, advocacy, industry relations and open forums to keep Latin American chapter organization members connected to industry leaders and innovative thought.
 
“The Smart Card Alliance has played a valuable role in developing the U.S. market in both the public and private sector.  Our organization provides an educational and collaborative forum in which all of the stakeholders—manufacturers, issuers and end users—can work together to develop the cross-industry real-world solutions needed to deploy smart card systems.  Our organization is uniquely positioned to bring a collective energy and focus to this technology in Latin America,” said Vanderhoof.
 
In order to recognize new members who are initial founding members of the Latin American chapter, the Smart Card Alliance has created a Foundation Membership Program.  This program is open to any organization that joins the Latin American chapter at the Leadership Council level. Foundation Members will receive a discounted membership rate for the first two years and will be eligible to have a leadership role in determining the scope and direction of the Latin American chapter.  The Smart Card Alliance is making ten Foundation Memberships available on a first come, first served basis until October 1, 2005.

Having completed visits to Sao Paulo, Brazil and Mexico City, Mexico to attend several smart card-related industry conferences, the Alliance has now gathered enough information to determine that there is sufficient interest in creating a Latin American Chapter organization of the Smart Card Alliance.  Invitations will be sent to leading smart card organizations in Latin America to become “Foundation Members” of the new chapter.  These foundation memberships will form the advisory committee for further chapter activities and help with recruitment or additional chapter members.  Current white papers and reports from the work groups and councils are being translated in Portuguese and Spanish for the chapter members to use to promote the widespread adoption, understanding, usage, and application of smart cards.


The Smart Card Alliance Latin American chapter will play a significant role in the USA/Latin American Conference during the Smart Card Alliance 2005 Fall Annual Conference that takes place in Miami Florida, October 11-14, 2005.

How to get involved:
  
If you would like to get involved in any of the Latin American activities listed above or wish to be added to the contact list for future announcements, please send an email to info@smartcardalliance.org.

Council and Task Force Report

Alliance Members:  All current Councils are open for participation by any Smart Card Alliance member. If you are interested in participating in any of the active councils, please contact Cathy Medich.

Transportation Council

• The Transportation Council held a web briefing on July 22 to introduce the Council to Alliance members and the transportation industry. The briefing was well-attended and the Council is actively looking for members to participate in the initial Council projects. The web briefing presentation describes the planned Council projects and is available at http://www.smartcardalliance.org/about_alliance/councils_tc.cfm.  
• The Transportation Council is working on its first project, a white paper on the use of smart cards for parking payment and the benefits of extending contactless transit payment cards to parking. The project is being led by David deKozan from Cubic and Chris Cipperly from WMATA. The group is targeting having the white paper complete in October 2005.   If you are interested in participating in the project, please email Cathy Medich.
• The Transportation Council encourages all interested smart card industry people to attend the APTA Annual Meeting and International Public Transportation Expo in Dallas, TX from September 25 - 28, 2005. Click here for more information.
• If you are interested in participating in the Transportation Council, please contact interim Council co-chairs, Greg Garback ( ggarback@wmata.com ) or Mike Dinning ( dinning@volpe.dot.gov ) or Cathy Medich.  

Physical Access Council

• The Physical Access Council is highly active, meeting weekly to complete the Council's executive summary white paper describing how FIPS 201, SP 800-73, and SP 800-76 affect implementation of government physical access control systems.  Bob Merkert, Council Chair, is leading this project. 
• If you are interested in participating in the Physical Access Council, please contact Council Chair, Bob Merkert ( rmerkert@scmmicro.com ), Vice Chair, Dwayne Pfeiffer ( dwayne.pfeiffer@ngc.com ) or Cathy Medich.  

Healthcare Council

• The Healthcare Council has launched its first project, a white paper on the use of smart cards in healthcare applications in the US. The Council is actively looking for members to participate in this project.
• If you are interested in participating in the Healthcare Council, please contact Council co-chairs, Frank Avignone ( favignone@healthmeans.com ), Paul Davis ( pdavis3@mindspring.com ) or Cathy Medich.  

Contactless Payments Council

• The Smart Card Alliance Board has approved the formation of a new Contactless Payments Council to focus on projects that facilitate the adoption of contactless payments in the U.S. The Council is being led by three co-chairs - Francine Dubois, Oberthur Card Systems, Wendy Humphrey, First Data Corporation, and Mohammad Khan, ViVOtech. The Council Steering Committee includes participation from American Express, Atmel, Axalto, First Data Corporation, Gemplus, IBM, JCB International Credit Card Co., MasterCard International, Oberthur Card Systems, SMART System Technologies, VeriFone, Visa USA and ViVOtech. Initial Council activities are currently being defined by the Council Steering Committee.
• If you are interested in participating in the Contactless Payments Council, please contact Cathy Medich.  

Other Councils

• We are currently in the process of defining several new industry and technology councils, including groups focused on identity management, government relations and smart chip security.  
• If you are interested in forming or participating in an Alliance council, contact Cathy Medich. Click here to download a description of the council structure, proposal process and council interest feedback form.  

Secure Personal ID Task Force

• The Secure Personal ID Task Force has published 2 new briefing documents, "Contactless Smart Chip Technology: The Business Benefits," and "Contactless Smart Chip Technology: Providing Strong Support for Security and Privacy."  These documents are available on the Smart Card Alliance web site. If you are interested in participating in the Task Force, please email Cathy Medich, Task Force Chair.

Terminal and eTransaction Infrastructure Task Force

• The Terminal and eTransaction Infrastructure Task Force report, "Mobile Payments at the Physical Point-of-Sale: Assessing U.S. Market Drivers and Industry Directions," is available to all members at no charge from the members-only web site and to the general public from the Alliance web store. If you are interested in participating in the Task Force, please email Cathy Medich, Task Force Chair.

FIPS 140 Smart Card Task Force

• The FIPS 140 Smart Card Task Force is working on a project to investigate and define a common card platform that allows the establishment of a reference against which applet developers can certify. If you are interested in participating in this Task Force, please email Cathy Medich.

New Members

Adobe Systems - San  Jose, CA  www.adobe.com
Membership Level: General
Contact : Kelly Ring, Business Development, Security & Platforms
Description:  Document control and security software and services
 
ACS - Government Solutions - Washington, DC www.acs-inc.com
Membership Level: General
Contact: Duke Hanson, Vice President Business Development
Description: Services related to account and card-based public sector programs
 
Actcom Security Solutions - Virginia Beach, VA www.actcom.org
Membership Level: General
Contact: Jon Paradis, Vice President Sales & Marketing
Description: Security integrator providing government and corporate security solutions
 
Digimarc Corporation - Beaverton, OR www.digimarc.com
Membership Level: Leadership Council
Contact: Bruce Davis, CEO
Description: Leading supplier of secure media solutions
 
Bermuda Government, Department of E-Commerce - Hamilton, Bermuda  www.gov.bm
Membership Level: Government
Contact: Nancy Volesky
Description: E-Commerce services for the Government of Bermuda
 
Parcxmart Technologies - Hampton Falls, NH  www.parcxmart.com
Membership Level: General
Contact: John Regan, CEO
Description: Electronic payments company for on and off street parking and merchants
 
TNO ITSEF B.V. - Delft,  Netherlands www.itsef.com
Membership Level: General
Contact: Pascal Van Gimst, Manager Business Development
Description: Security approval services of smart cards and terminals

Membership Upgrade to Leadership Council
 
CardLogix - Irvine,  CA  www.cardlogix.com
Membership Level: Leadership Council (upgrade)
Contact: Bruce Ross, President & CEO
Description: Smart card technology to integrate cards and devices for secure access and payment transactions

Latin America Chapter - new members

ASK - Sophia Antipolis, France  www.ask-rfid.com
Membership Level: Foundation Member, Leadership Council
Contact: Claire Boyer, Corporate Communication
Description: Developer and manufacturer of contactless and RFID products
 
Axalto Latin America - Austin, TX  www.axalto.com
Membership Level: Foundation Member, Leadership Council
Contact: Eric Claudel, VP Cards Latin  America
Description: Global leader in smart card sales and manufacturing
 
Daruma Orga Card Systems SA - Sao Paulo, Brazil www.darumaorga.com.br
Membership Level: Foundation Member, Leadership Council
Contact: Marcelo Bellini Garcia, Marketing and Sales Director
Description: Smart cards and end-to-end solutions based on leading-edge technology
 
Identification Technology Group (ITG) - Irvine, CA www.aaitg.com
Membership Level: Foundation Member, Leadership Council
Contact: Helen Sacks, Executive Vice President, Product Marketing
Description: Global leader in RFID solutions for physical and logical access control
 
Visa International, Latin America - Miami, FL www.visa.com
Membership Level: Foundation Member, Leadership Council
Contact: Diego Rodriguez, Visa Smart Latin  America
Description: International card association developing innovative payments products and technologies

Alliance in the News

The Alliance has an active communications program to promote industry messages in business, vertical market, and technology publications. Coverage results from both Alliance press releases and interviews with publications writing articles about smart cards. Selected recent coverage is shown below with links to online articles.

• Biotech Business Week , 7/25/05, "Healthcare Coverage; Smart card alliance forms council to address card use in health industries" [link not available]
• Biotech Week , 7/27/05, "Smart Card Alliance; Smart card alliance forms council to address card use in health industries" [link not available]
• CardLine , 7/22/05, "Latin America Heating Up for Smart Cards" [link not available]
• Contactless News , 7/1/05, "Smart card technology holds great promise for the healthcare industry" [ link to article ]
• Contactless News , 7/19/05, "The Smart Card Alliance Announces Opening of Latin American Chapter" [ link to article ]  
• Contactless News , 8/1/05, "New council seeks members to shape a contactless future for transit fare collection in the U.S." [ link to article ]  
• CR80 News , 8/1/05, "New council seeks members to shape a contactless future for transit fare collection in the U.S." [ link to article ]  
• ePayments News , 7/1/05, "SCA To Promote Smart Cards In US Healthcare" [link not available]
• Gannett News Service , 7/11/05, "Credit card companies are doing the wave" [ link to article ]  
• ePayments News , 8/9/05, "Contactless Payments Have Unique Security Risks" [link not available]
• eWeek , 7/29/05, "PluggedIn: Wireless Wallets Come Closer to Reality" [link not available]
• Extreme Nano , 7/29/05, "PluggedIn:Wireless Wallets Come Closer to Reality" [ link to article ]  
• Harvard Crimson , 7/1/05, "Charlie Tickets, Cards To Replace T Tokens" [ link to article ]  
• Health & Medicine Week , 7/25/05, "Healthcare Coverage; Smart card alliance forms council to address card use in health industries" [link not available]
• Hispanic Business , 7/19/05, "The Smart Card Alliance Announces Opening of Latin American Chapter" [ link to article ]  
• IT News , 7/20/05, "Smart card alliance opens Latin American chapter" [ link to article ]  
• ITWeb , 8/1/05, "Wireless wallets come closer to reality" [ link to article ]
• Life Science Weekly , 7/26/06, "Healthcare Coverage; Smart card alliance forms council to address card use in health industries" [link not available]
• Managed Care Weekly Digest , 7/25/05, "Healthcare Coverage; Smart card alliance forms council to address card use in health industries" [link not available]
• Medical Devices & Surgical Technology Week , 7/31/05, "Healthcare Coverage; Smart card alliance forms council to address card use in health industries" [link not available]
• New York Sun , 7/12/05, "Smart Card Would Unite Local Transit Systems" [ link to article ]  
• Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week , 7/30/05, "Healthcare Coverage; Smart card alliance forms council to address card use in health industries" [link not available]
• Pharma Business Week , 7/25/05, "Healthcare Coverage; Smart card alliance forms council to address card use in health industries" [link not available]
• Poughkeepsie Journal , 7/11/05, "Credit card companies are doing the wave" [ link to article ]  
• Reuters News , 7/29/05, "PluggedIn: Wireless wallets come closer to reality" [link not available]
• Science Letter , 7/26/05, "Healthcare Coverage; Smart card alliance forms council to address card use in health industries" [link not available]
• SecureID News , 7/19/05, "The Smart Card Alliance Announces Opening of Latin American Chapter" [ link to article ]  
• SecureID News , 8/1/05, "New council seeks members to shape a contactless future for transit fare collection in the U.S." [ link to article ]  
• Security Info Watch , 7/1/05, "Smart Card Alliance Creates Healthcare Council" [ link to article ]  
• Security Info Watch , 7/26/05, "Smart Card Alliance Forms New Latin American Chapter" [ link to article ]
• Security Sales & Integration , 8/1/05, "Smart Card Alliance Announces Plans for Annual Conference in Miami" [ link to article ]  
• Washington Post , 7/29/05, "PluggedIn: Wireless wallets come closer to reality" [link not available]

Web Site News

NEW additions to the Smart Card Alliance web site

• Smart Card Alliance 2005 Fall Annual Conference/USA & Latin America Conference information and registration site
• Updated draft of the GSA Federal Identity Management Handbook
• Transportation Council web briefing presentation
• Healthcare Council information page
• Briefing documents - "Contactless Smart Chip Technology: The Business Benefits," and "Contactless Smart Chip Technology:   Providing Strong Support for Security and Privacy"
• "Contactless Payments: Delivering Merchant and Consumer Benefits" - now available at no charge

July 2005 web statistics

•  47,956 visitor sessions for the month
•  1,547 visitor sessions per day
•  83,746 total page views for the month
•  19,664 Industry News items viewed
•  1,975 Card Reader Catalog items displayed

If you have any suggestions on content that you'd like to see on the Alliance web site, please send them to info@smartcardalliance.org .

Copyright 2004-2005 · Smart Card Alliance · 191 Clarksville Rd. · Princeton Junction, NJ 08550
Phone: (800) 556-6828 info@smartcardalliance.org · www.smartcardalliance.org