Card Factory Share Discussion Threads

[grupo] 15/7/2004 16:39

LONDON (AFX) - ID Data PLC said chief executive Peter Cox has today acquired
300,000 ordinary shares, representing 0.09 pct, of the company's shares in the
name of James Hay Pension Trustees Ltd at 3.75 pence per share.
Following this notification, Cox's aggregate holding is 39,155,513 ordinary
shares, representing 12.3 pct.
[e-mail]
slm/

[grupo] 15/7/2004 16:38

LONDON (AFX) - ID Data PLC said chief executive Peter Cox has today acquired
300,000 ordinary shares, representing 0.09 pct, of the company's shares in the
name of James Hay Pension Trustees Ltd at 3.75 pence per share.
Following this notification, Cox's aggregate holding is 39,155,513 ordinary
shares, representing 12.3 pct.
[e-mail]
slm/

[waldron] 15/7/2004 13:42

Have your PIN or you could have your chips

The Chip and PIN Programme - an initiative of retailers and providers to combat credit and debit card fraud - has issued new advice to UK holidaymakers going abroad to make sure they know their PINs (personal identification numbers) for all chip and PIN debit and credit cards they want to use.

The rollout of new chip and PIN technology is taking place across the world and for the very first time travellers in Europe, in particular, could come across newly upgraded chip and PIN terminals in restaurants, hotels and shops. In these instances, cardholders with chip and PIN cards will be asked to enter a PIN instead of signing to verify a payment. If cardholders don't know their PIN, they may not be given the option of signing, which shops at home may allow.

New research shows that 65% of us use our plastic to pay for things when we are on holiday abroad. The biggest users of plastic are people from the South East with over 70% using cards to pay for holiday items. However, the same research shows that less than half of people checked that they knew all of their PINs before they went on their last holiday.

As Chip and PIN spokesperson, Sandra Quinn comments: "If there is one message that we'd like to get across to chip and PIN debit and credit card holders this summer, it's that they should memorise their PINs before going on holiday abroad because there is a growing chance that you'll be asked to use it.

"The majority of us use plastic abroad because it is so convenient and safer than cash. However, more than half of us didn't check that we knew our PINs before going on our last holiday. Yet, if you have a chip and PIN card you'll need to know it because retailers abroad may not accept your signature as an alternative as they currently might at home."

The Chip and PIN Programme has also revealed the extent of fraud on UK cards which took place abroad last year and a top 10 ranking of 'hot spot' countries. Fraud on UK cards reached nearly £95 million in 2003 compared to £130.2 million in 2002. Moreover, European countries occupy seven out of the 10 top slots for fraud committed on UK cards with France topping the list at £23.6 million worth of fraud.

Spain - the UK's first choice for summer sun - also appears in the top five. And the US is the highest non-European destination ranking in second place with just over £18 million worth of fraud committed on UK cards there. The biggest growth for this type of fraud is in South Africa followed by Australia

[ariane] 15/7/2004 10:31

PARIS (AFX) - Axalto NL said it has begun volume deliveries of its Usimera
128 Java SIM/USIM card to Hutchison group unit 3 UK -the UK's first video mobile
network.
This new generation of USIM card means 3's customers can store up to double
the amount of information as compared to existing SIM/USIM cards in the market,
Axalto said.
With Usimera 128, Axalto enables 3 to maximize over-the-air card management
and increase the portfolio of applications and services that 3UK can provide to
its customers, it said.
3 is the first UK mobile network to adopt the latest USIM (128 kilo Bytes)
cards, Axalto said.
[e-mail]

[ariane] 15/7/2004 10:30

PARIS (AFX) - Axalto NL said it has begun volume deliveries of its Usimera
128 Java SIM/USIM card to Hutchison group unit 3 UK -the UK's first video mobile
network.
This new generation of USIM card means 3's customers can store up to double
the amount of information as compared to existing SIM/USIM cards in the market,
Axalto said.
With Usimera 128, Axalto enables 3 to maximize over-the-air card management
and increase the portfolio of applications and services that 3UK can provide to
its customers, it said.
3 is the first UK mobile network to adopt the latest USIM (128 kilo Bytes)
cards, Axalto said.
[e-mail]

[ariane] 15/7/2004 09:17

LONDON (AFX) - ID Data PLC Results said its pretax loss widened in the year
ended March 31 to 5.1 mln stg, from 3.4 mln stg last year, blaming a drop in
sales, restructuring costs and a "tough market position".
Sales fell 43 pct to 11.25 mln, due to the previous one-off effect of the
Nectar Loyalty card launch in 2002.
[e-mail]
ab

[maywillow] 06/7/2004 17:40

Gemplus and iBIZ Software Provide Smart Card-Based Authentication Solution for On-Line Payments Via 3-D Secure Technology
Tuesday July 6, 7:01 am ET
New Secure Payment Solution Reduces Password Management Costs for Card Issuers


LUXEMBOURG, and BELLAIRE, Texas, July 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Gemplus (Euronext: LU0121706294 - GEM; Nasdaq: GEMP), the world's leading provider of smart card solutions, and iBIZ Software, a leading global provider of payment authentication solutions, today announced the launch of their innovative authentication solution for 3-D Secure technology.
3-D Secure technology is an open standard aimed at reducing online fraud and increasing consumer confidence in online shopping by authenticating the identity of individual cardholders in online transactions. This technology has been developed by Visa and has been adopted now by major payment associations such as Visa, MasterCard and JCB.

With the joint solution, based on iBIZ' CommerSafe(TM) ACS and Gemplus' GemAuthenticate(TM), instead of using passwords, cardholders are now authenticated in the same way as they do payments at the Point of Sale: simply by entering their smart banking card into a reader and their personal PIN code. An important benefit of the joint solution is that it helps banks reduce their increasing password management costs as no new passwords need to be issued to users. Today, up to 80% of helpdesk calls are due to password management issues, as these are easily forgotten or stolen. This unique offer can be deployed to all bank's customers as it is fully compliant with all EMV smart banking cards and payment schemes such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express and JCB.

"Cardholders are now offered a secure and very convenient shopping solution that will encourage them to spend more with each purchase and use their banking card more frequently, thus helping banks to fully leverage their EMV investment." said Claire Laffanour-Ferrand, marketing manager at Gemplus.

"Gemplus, the global leader in smart card technology, is a perfect fit for our iBIZness Technology Partner program," said Yaron Charka, CEO of iBIZ Software. "iBIZ customers will benefit greatly from this new enhancement of CommerSafe ACS by having the widest range of authentication methods available under 3-D Secure."

Editor's notes:

GemAuthenticate is Gemplus' smart card web authentication solution providing failsafe security to web-based applications and content. Its core feature is user-authentication to web applications via secure smart card.

CommerSafe ACS is iBIZ Software's payer authentication solution for issuers of payment cards. With CommerSafe ACS thinServer, issuers get an unparalleled level integration into existing platforms and the tools needed to be compliant with 3-D Secure programs like Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode.

About GemPlus S/A

Gemplus International S.A. (Euronext: LU0121706294 - GEM and Nasdaq: GEMP) is the world's leading player in the smart card industry in both revenue and total shipments (source: Gartner-Dataquest (2003), Frost & Sullivan, Datamonitor.) It has the largest R&D team, unrivalled experience, and an outstanding track record of technological innovation.

Gemplus offers an exceptional range of portable, personalized solutions that bring security and convenience to people's lives. These include Mobile Telecommunications, Public Telephony, Banking, Retail, Transport, Identity, WLAN, Pay-TV, e-government, access control, and a wealth of other applications.

Gemplus' revenue in 2003 was 749 million Euros.

About iBIZ Software, Inc.

Founded in 2000, iBIZ is a pioneer and a recognized leader in online payment card security and offers robust authentication solutions for the entire e-payments industry. iBIZ 3-D Secure software - CommerSafe Product Suite, is suitable for both Verified by Visa and MasterCard® SecureCode(TM). iBIZ, backed by LSKW Investments LP in which the Ron Lauder's group is a major investor, is a valuable partner for payment card issuing banks, processors, acquiring banks, payment service providers and online merchants as well as channel partners. iBIZ Software is based in Bellaire, Texas and has customers and channel partners in the United States, Latin America, Russia, Central and Western Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit us at .

[grupo guitarlumber] 29/6/2004 22:05

Differentiation is Key in the Smart Card IC Market


Date Published: 29 Jun 2004




Palo Alto, Calif. — June 29, 2004 — Manufacturers of smart card ICs are focusing on offering increasingly advanced ICs. To differentiate themselves from competitors, smart card IC manufacturers will have to focus on vital competitive parameters of price, technology performance, and time-to-market. Research and development investment toward improved chips is also needed, which proves to be difficult in a shrinking profit margin environment.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (www.SmartCards.frost.com), World Smart Card IC Market, reveals that this market generated revenue totaling $1.40 billion in 2003. Total market revenue is expected to reach $2.38 billion in 2007.

Global system for mobile communications (GSM) penetration of less saturated markets in Asia and the Americas is rising, and telecom operators are promoting higher-memory SIM cards to provide value-added services. Increasing demand for high-memory 64k and 128k SIM cards as well as for Java cards in particular are improving the GSM product mix.

“The arrival of 3G and 2.5G services is boosting high-end smart card IC chip sales since they require larger memory capacity to store new features and bigger files,” says Industry Analyst Anoop Ubhey.

The use of contactless technology by retailers and in various transit projects worldwide is also spurring high uptake of smart cards. In addition, the retail and payment application have shown tremendous potential for contactless smart cards.

“Migration to EMV standard in the banking sector is also creating substantial opportunities for smart card IC chips,” states Industry Analyst Jafizwaty Haji Ishahaq.

Government interest in ID security applications post 9/11 brings further potential into the chip-based market. The launch of high volume national ID projects such as the China national ID project has generated enormous opportunities for this industry.

“Using smart cards not only provides easy identification and decrease in instances of fraudulent activities, but also benefits governments through the integration of multiple applications such as retirement benefits, e-purse, and so on,” says Programme Manager Prianka Chopra.

Nonetheless, major smart card projects that require expensive infrastructure upgrades can create cost issues for the implementer and lead to delayed projects.

World Smart Card IC Market, part of the Global Smart Card Subscription, offers insights into the global markets for ICs. The study offers key market drivers and restraints, in-depth market analysis, competitive analysis, and strategies employed by participants in the memory and microcontroller smart card ICs market. It covers detailed market shares across geographic regions including Americas, Europe Middle East Africa, and Asia Pacific. Executive summaries and interviews are available to the press.

If you are interested in an analysis overview which provide manufacturers, end-users and other industry participants an overview, summary, challenges and latest coverage of the World Smart Card IC Market - then send an email to Julia Paulson – North American Corporate Communications at [e-mail] with the following information: Full name, Company Name, Title, Contact Tel Number, Contact Fax Number, Email. Upon receipt of the above information, an overview will be emailed to you.

Frost & Sullivan, an international growth consultancy, has been supporting clients' expansion for more than four decades. Our market expertise covers a broad spectrum of industries, while our portfolio of advisory competencies includes custom strategic consulting, market intelligence, and management training. Our mission is to forge partnerships with our clients' management teams to deliver market insights and to create value and drive growth through innovative approaches. Frost & Sullivan's network of consultants, industry experts, corporate trainers, and support staff spans the globe with offices in every major country.

World Smart Card IC Market
6929

Contact:
Julia Paulson
Corporate Communications – North America
P: 210.247.3870
F: 210.348.1003
E: [e-mail]

Kristina Menzefricke
Corporate Communications – Europe
P: [phone]
F: [phone]
E: [e-mail]

Donna Jeremiah
Corporate Communications – Asia Pacific
P: [phone]
F: [phone]
E: [e-mail]

www.frost.com

The following is a key list of industry participants: ACG Identification GmbH; Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation of Shanghai (“ASMC”); Atmel Corp.; CEC Huada; Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing; DaTang Microelectronics Technology CO.,LTD.; Fudan Microelectronics, FUJITSU Microelectronics; Huahong NEC, Infineon Technologies AG; INSIDE Contactless; Malaysia Microelectronic Solutions Sdn Bhd; NEC Electronics Singapore ; Philips Semiconductor; Renesas Technology Corp.; SAMSUNG; Shanghai Belling Co., Ltd.; Shanghai Chang Feng; Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics Co., Ltd.; Sharp Microelectronics Corp.; Sony Corp.; STMicroelectronics

Keywords in this release: IC chip, smart cards, smart card chips, microcontroller, memory chip, integrated circuit, global system for mobile communications, GSM, 64k, 128k, SIM card, Java cards, EMV, e-purse, national/citizen ID projects

[grupo guitarlumber] 29/6/2004 22:01

June 29, 2004 07:55 AM US Eastern Timezone

Frost & Sullivan Releases New Analysis in Smart Cards Sector

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 29, 2004--New analysis from Frost & Sullivan's Smart Cards division ( regarding the World Smart Card IC Market and the Battle of Platforms is now available. For full details please contact Julia Paulson, North American Corporate Communications.


Differentiation is Key in the Smart Card IC Market

Manufacturers of smart card ICs are focusing on offering increasingly advanced ICs. To differentiate themselves from competitors, smart card IC manufacturers will have to focus on vital competitive parameters of price, technology performance, and time-to-market. Research and development investment toward improved chips is also needed, which proves to be difficult in a shrinking profit margin environment.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (www.SmartCards.frost.com), World Smart Card IC Market, reveals that this market generated revenue totaling $1.40 billion in 2003. Total market revenue is expected to reach $2.38 billion in 2007.

Global system for mobile communications (GSM) penetration of less saturated markets in Asia and the Americas is rising, and telecom operators are promoting higher-memory SIM cards to provide value-added services. Increasing demand for high-memory 64k and 128k SIM cards as well as for Java cards in particular are improving the GSM product mix.

"The arrival of 3G and 2.5G services is boosting high-end smart card IC chip sales since they require larger memory capacity to store new features and bigger files," says Industry Analyst Anoop Ubhey.

World Smart Card IC Market, part of the Global Smart Card Subscription, offers insights into the global markets for ICs. The study offers key market drivers and restraints, in-depth market analysis, competitive analysis, and strategies employed by participants in the memory and microcontroller smart card ICs market. It covers detailed market shares across geographic regions including Americas, Europe Middle East Africa, and Asia Pacific. Executive summaries and interviews are available to the press.

If you are interested in an analysis overview which provide manufacturers, end-users and other industry participants an overview, summary, challenges and latest coverage of the World Smart Card IC Market - then send an email to Julia Paulson - North American Corporate Communications at [e-mail] with the following information: Full name, Company Name, Title, Contact Tel Number, Contact Fax Number, Email. Upon receipt of the above information, an overview will be emailed to you.

To view the entire press release for the World Smart Card IC Market, click here:



Multi-Application Smart Card Developers Must Convince Card Issuers of Product Viability to Spur Uptake

Card issuers' misgiving about uncertain return on investment on multi-application smart cards is one of the primary barriers to its greater deployment. To build demand, smart card manufacturers and open platform consortiums need to establish a viable business case for multi-application cards.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (www.smartcards.frost.com), Battle of Platforms, reveals that this market generated unit shipment of 220 million for JavaCard and 8.3 million for MULTOS in 2003. Total market unit shipment is expected to reach 867 million and 46.8 million for JavaCard and MULTOS, respectively, in 2008.

The relative high costs of open platform applications over native platform products continue to be a major deterrent to their acceptance. While open platforms are ideal for smart card applications that feature dynamic downloadable capability, they are at the wrong end of the price spectrum for end users who prefer less expensive, low-functionality solutions.

"With the introduction of the 'JavaCard S' program and MULTOS 'step/one,' the cost restraint of application development in open platforms has been alleviated to some extent," says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Karthik Nagarajan. "End users can now use JavaCard and MULTOS platforms for single/fixed function card applications, which will also be interoperable with multi-application cards that an organization might launch later."

Battle of Platforms, a part of the Smart Card Subscription, compares the various trends and opportunities in the smart card platforms market. The research has segmented the smart card platform market into native and open platforms. It provides the market and technology trends in both segments and analyzes the most prominent applications for these platforms. Interviews and executive summaries are available to the press.

If you are interested in an analysis overview which provide manufacturers, end-users and other industry participants an overview, summary, challenges and latest coverage of the Battle of Platforms - then send an email to Julia Paulson - North American Corporate Communications at [e-mail] with the following information: Full name, Company Name, Title, Contact Tel Number, Contact Fax Number, Email. Upon receipt of the above information, an overview will be emailed to you.

To view the entire press release for the Battle of Platforms, click here:



Frost & Sullivan, an international growth consultancy, has been supporting clients' expansion for more than four decades. Our market expertise covers a broad spectrum of industries, while our portfolio of advisory competencies includes custom strategic consulting, market intelligence, and management training. Our mission is to forge partnerships with our clients' management teams to deliver market insights, create value, and drive growth through innovative approaches. Frost & Sullivan's network of consultants, industry experts, corporate trainers, and support staff spans the globe with offices in every major country.

[maywillow] 14/6/2004 15:47

ID wins Chip and Pin contract
Andrew Oxlade, This Is Money
14 June 2004

SMART-CARD company ID Data has won an exclusive contract to design and develop 'Chip and Pin' cards for Citibank in the UK.

Banks are hoping to slash fraud by introducing microchips on cards that need customers to tap in a personal identification number at shop tills. Similar systems have had success in Australia and France in recent years.


By the end of the year, all major retailers will have pin pads at checkouts.


The deal with Citibank, the world's largest bank and card issuer, will generate additional revenues for ID Data of between £2m and £3m over the initial two years of the contract.


ID also said it has also now begun production for GE Capital, the UK's biggest store-card supplier. It announced the extension of the contract with Electronic Data Systems to supply chip cards for the Post Office Card Account. The contract will now run until April 2010 and the extension will earn an additional £8m.


The Post Office card has gained approximately 4m users since its launch in April 2003 as those receiving Government benefits adopt 'smart cards*' offering other banking services alongside state payments.

ID Data said up to 19m cards could be needed over the life of the contract.


The firm's Aim-listed* shares rose 6% to 5 1/2p.

[waldron] 14/6/2004 07:15

RNS Number:7067Z
ID Data PLC
14 June 2004

Press Release 14 June 2004


ID Data wins Citibank and extends EDS Post Office bank contract



ID Data plc, the smart-card systems company, has won an exclusive contract to
design, develop and personalise Citibank chip-and-pin cards for the UK market,
enabling Citibank, the world's largest card issuer, radically to reduce the risk
of fraud. The exclusive contract, which will generate additional revenues for
ID Data of between #2 million to #3 million over the initial two years of the
contract, covers 'Citibank' debit and credit cards.



Further to its announcement of 29 April 2004, ID Data has also now begun
production for GE Capital, the UK's biggest store-card supplier.



ID Data also announces the extension of the contract with Electronic Data
Systems ("EDS") to supply chip cards for the Post Office Card Account ("POCA").
The contract will now run until April 2010 and the extension will generate an
additional #8 million of revenue.



POCA has gained approximately 4 million users since its launch in April 2003 and
has grown in acceptance as recipients of Government benefits adopt "smart cards"
offering banking type services to a wider audience. It is estimated that over
the life of the contract, there could be up to 19 million POCA cards in use to
manage benefits and pension payments.



Peter Cox, Chief Executive, ID Data, said: "Citibank is a world leader in
credit, store and debit cards and this win strengthens our objective of becoming
a leader in card supply to European financial services. With Citibank and GE
Capital as clients, we will now be servicing the two world leaders in retail
credit.



"The extension of the POCA contract so early in the relationship rewards our
performance on this important project, the UK Government's largest smart-card
initiative, and could assist us in becoming a potential supplier of the proposed
UK National ID Card.



"These contracts, together with ID Data software solutions currently being
implemented by Capital One and Abbey for their chip-card deliveries, shows we
are gaining recognition as a supplier to the global banking sector, to which we
have delivered more than 17 million chip cards to date.



"ID Data is developing its technology base and with the recently announced
acquisition of CardBASE, we are very well positioned to now not only tackle the
card issue but also the back office management of the mass roll out of Chip and
PIN cards.



"A major strength of our marketing proposition in card supply within the
financial sector is our Joint Venture with Toshiba, a large producer of silicon
chips. This relationship will protect us from any potential scarcity of silicon
as demand increases with the global deployment of bank and GSM smart cards.



"The Citibank, GE Capital and POCA contracts build ID Data's recurring revenue
and confirm the Company's ability to win and retain significant business in the
financial retail sector."



The Citibank contract will be processed through ID Data's new Financial Services
Centre of Excellence based in Petersfield, Hampshire.





For further information, please contact:
ID Data plc
Peter Cox, Chief Executive Tel: [phone]
Email: [e-mail] www.id-data.co.uk

Media enquiries:
Bankside
Peter Curtain / Heather Salmond Tel: [phone]
Email: [e-mail] www.bankside.com


Notes to Editors:

ID Data plc (the "Company") is a significant supplier of secure-transaction
systems and smart-card services to the international telephony, banking, retail,
and secure-access sectors. The Company's strategy, to move from commodity
products to value-added services and solutions, has created a solid platform on
which to build further growth. The Company's clients have included EDS (Post
Office Counters), Barclaycard, Lloyds TSB, Vodafone, Nectar, Tesco, the
Automobile Association, Esso / ExxonMobil and, in Poland, the Premium Club
loyalty card scheme. The Company has formed agreements with major global
corporations to facilitate rapid market development including partnerships with
the Japanese companies Toshiba and Toppan. The Company has delivered in excess
of 17 million chip cards to the banking market in the UK. The Company was
founded in 1988 and was listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange in
October 2000.


Ends

[waldron] 11/6/2004 07:12

RNS Number:6611Z
ID Data PLC
11 June 2004


Press Release 11 June 2004


ID Data plc to acquire CardBASE Technologies Limited

ID Data plc ("the Company"), the smart-card systems company, is to acquire
CardBASE Technologies Limited, a leading developer of smart card management and
prepaid purse solutions to the retail financial services market, subject to
approval by shareholders.

CardBASE Technologies, Dublin supplies prestigious customers with software to
mass issue smart cards in banking, retail and security environments. One of
Europe's leading central banks uses CardBASE's smart card management solution
MASCOT to issue smart cards with digital certificates as part of a public key
infrastructure (PKI). British Airways employs CardBASE to monitor and furnish
ex-gratia passenger and crew payments around the world. CardBASE supplies the
payments infrastructure for ValuCard, Nigeria, a system used by 43 banks.

For the 12 month period to December 2003, CardBASE sales revenues were Euro2.1
million and pre tax loss was Euro1.7 million. At time of acquisition net
liabilities will be Euro0.4 million having charged all development costs against
profits. Going forward, a combination of lower costs, together with new market
opportunities introduced by ID Data, should lead to a positive contribution in
the medium term.

The acquisition reflects ID Data's strategy of building a strong position using
intellectual-property products in the smart card arena, complementing revenues
derived from high-volume manufacturing. CardBASE products are licensed,
offering prospects for significant new customers and recurring revenues in the
coming years.

ID Data expects CardBASE's annual turnover to increase as its new parent company
introduces market opportunities among retail banks, which are mandated to adopt
smart cards to combat fraud by 2005 as well as other markets such as national
identity cards.

The acquisition consideration of Euro3.42 million (#2.28 million) is being financed
by the issue of 32,639,973 million shares in ID Data plc priced at 7p for the
entire share capital of CardBASE. CardBASE's existing institutional
shareholders are also subscribing for 10,975,429 new ordinary shares in ID Data
at 7p for a total of Euro1.15 million (#0.77 million). These funds will be used to
provide ID Data with additional working capital which will be used to grow the
CardBASE business and enhance its market presence. The new ID Data shares will
be held for a minimum of six months by the vendor institutional shareholders of
CardBASE who include, Bank of Scotland (Ireland) Ltd, a member of the HBOS plc.
ICC Equity, Eastbound Consultores e Servicos, Portugal and LTG International.
The senior management of CardBASE will remain to assist ID Data in developing
the business.

The acquisition is subject to the approval of ID Data shareholders, who are to
vote on the offer and the increase in share capital at an extraordinary general
meeting on 6th July, 2004.

Application will be made for all the new ordinary shares to be admitted to AIM.
It is expected that the new ordinary shares will be admitted to AIM on 7th July
2004.

Peter Cox, Chief Executive of ID Data plc, said: "This important acquisition
strengthens our position as a provider of complete smart-card solutions,
enabling us to compete with the largest providers in the market. It better
equips us to supply not only banks, but also the UK and other governments that
are either considering the introduction of identity cards or reviewing their
requirements in that area.

"ID Data products already enable customers such as Capital One and Abbey to
generate high volumes of secure keys for chip-and-pin smart cards. CardBASE
will enhance our ability to win customers by delivering additional proven
technology that is currently being used by other major companies in our
markets."

Maurice McHenry, Director of ICC Venture Capital & Software Partners, the
Dublin-based venture capital fund subsidiaries of Bank of Scotland (Ireland)
ltd, who are selling their majority stake in CardBASE to ID Data, said: "
CardBASE has proven skills and major clients utilizing software and smart card
technology. The merging of ID Data's card delivery solutions and software with
CardBASE will bring major opportunities for the combined business."

For further information, please contact:
ID Data plc
Peter Cox, Chief Executive Tel: [phone]
Email: [e-mail] www.id-data.co.uk

ICC Venture Capital & Software Partners
Maurice McHenry, Director Tel: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

Media enquiries:
Bankside
Peter Curtain / Heather Salmond Tel: [phone]
Email: [e-mail] www.bankside.com

Notes to Editors:

ID Data plc (the "Company") is a significant supplier of secure-transaction
systems and smart-card services to the international telephony, banking, retail,
and secure-access sectors. The Company's strategy, to move from commodity
products to value-added services and solutions, has created a solid platform on
which to build further growth. The Company's clients have included EDS (Post
Office Counters), Barclaycard, Vodafone, Nectar, Tesco, the Automobile
Association, Esso/Exxon and, in Poland, the Premium Club loyalty card scheme.
The Company has formed agreements with major global corporations to facilitate
rapid market development including partnerships with Toshiba and Toppan of
Japan. The Company has delivered in excess of 17 million chip cards to the
banking market in the UK.

The Company was founded in 1988 and was listed on the AIM market of the London
Stock Exchange in October 2000.



Ends


This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
END

ACQQKKKNCBKDPAD

[grupo guitarlumber] 07/6/2004 08:27

LONDON (AFX) - Swedish security services group Securitas AB said its agreed
takeover of UK security systems company Bell Group PLC has gone unconditional
after the company received acceptances for its offer from shareholders with
88.67 pct of the shares.
[e-mail]
cw

[ariane] 03/6/2004 21:03

China’s SIM Card Market Remains High-Volume, Largely Low-End, Says Gemplus Executive

Unit sales of SIM cards for mobile phones keep on soaring in China, but two-thirds of the demand is for low-priced cards with no more than16 kilobytes of memory, according to Philip Shih, president of the Greater China region of France-based card vendor Gemplus International. SIM card sales exceeded 220 million units in 2003, a jump of 50 million subscriber identity module cards from the previous year, and will grow again in 2004 to between 250 million and 300 million units, Shih tells Card Technology during an interview in Beijing. Although China’s operators created a stir when they asked for bids for 110 million SIM cards in the first quarter of this year, Shih says some of the projected orders covered the first six months of the year.

Still, he says, orders are up from last year’s already high numbers. But half of the demand is for prepaid SIM cards that consumers typically use for about six months and then discard, Shih says. Mobile operators are paying under $1 for such cards, industry sources say, so it is less expensive for them to sell consumers new prepaid cards than to promote reloading systems. Shih says top-level executives at the major mobile operators like China Unicom and China Mobile may be aware of the revenue-producing services that can be offered with higher-end SIM cards, but that their subsidiaries in China’s 31 provinces must be educated to the potential revenue streams opened up by higher-end SIM cards. Cards with 32K to 128K or memory can store many messages and phone numbers, and facilitate information-retrieval and other fee-based services.

Competition is fierce for the 16K SIM card orders because suppliers include many Chinese card manufacturers, including Datang, Eastcom, Watchdata and Mingwah. Shih says only Datang, whose roots are in the telecom industry, has the expertise to compete with European smart card vendors for the more sophisticated, higher-memory SIM cards. Overall, Shih estimates that international vendors like Gemplus capture 60% of the revenue from China’s smart market. The total market is believed to be around $500 million.

While SIM cards remain by far the biggest revenue producer for chip card vendors, Shih says there remains substantial demand for low-end prepaid chip cards for mobile phones. Areas in which smart card demand is growing in China, he says, include student cards, motorists’ cards for accumulating penalty points and paying fines, and cards used to collect retirement and health benefits. Many of these projects are regional. Shih says China’s banks could begin issuing chip cards in the near future. Encouraging signs, he says, include the scheduled completion this year of a Chinese version of the international EMV standard for chip-based payment cards, and plans by the Bank of China, one of the country’s four big commercial banks, to begin issuing smart cards in Hong Kong, where other banks are moving to smart cards.

[maywillow] 03/6/2004 09:15

The Banker Awards Welcome's XLS Solution 'ROI of the Year' for its Benefits to Banks
< back




AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France, June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Welcome announced today
that it has won the "ROI of the Year" award in The Banker "Technology Awards
2004." Welcome's XLS solution is the world's first EMV application to win
formal recognition of its role in reducing costs and increasing revenues.
The goal of The Banker Technology Awards is to inform the financial
industry of the technologies that have made a real contribution to advancing
shareholder value and customer service within financial institutions over the
past 12 months.
The Banker also recognized XLS as 'Highly Commended' in the "Smart Card
Solution" Category. The core feature highlighted in this special
acknowledgement was the capability of XLS to run multiple dynamic loyalty
programs, in real time, at the point of purchase.
"We are proud to join the elite of the world's financial industry in
becoming The Banker Award Winners," said Aneace Haddad, Welcome's founder and
chairman. "Many of our customers are themselves Banker Award winners, also
recognized for their leadership and performance in their local markets.(1) We
are equally proud of our contribution to their success in improving returns
from their customer-centric payment cards.
"We are particularly pleased to win the award for the major category, 'ROI
of the Year'. This award recognizes the hard work our team has put into
developing a product which can increase retail banking income and decrease
operating expenses, while giving banks next generation payment features," said
Haddad.
XLS has been designed to address the real profitability issues affecting
banks in mature and developing markets. Fundamentally, XLS dramatically cuts
the cost of communicating with prospective and existing customers, while
giving banks a strategic tool to increase card uptake and usage.
The strategic use of XLS directly contributes to a bank's non-interest
income, through increasing customers and card usage fee income. The interest
income of banks increases through the corresponding growth in revolving credit
and cross selling other financial products to customers attracted to the bank
by the features of the XLS credit or debit card.
The most powerful feature of XLS is that it enables a bank to partner with
an infinite number of merchants who can offer their own marketing rewards to
valuable customers, in real time, from the RFM (recency, frequency and
monetary value) information communicated through the card. The bank meanwhile
can run their own loyalty points and/or cash bank program across all or some
of the participating merchants. The ability for the bank to offer additional
features to merchants assists in increasing revenue raising opportunities and
provides an alternative to decreasing fees for competitive advantage.
The costs of operating a card loyalty program become negligible through
the automated, real time technology and through cost sharing with
participating merchants. Traditional costs of points calculation, postage,
telecommunication and reward redemption are substantially reduced or non-
existent.
The net result is that the cost of providing rewards from card usage is
minimized and the value of the actual rewards to the cardholders increases
exponentially. The benefit to the cardholder is maximized through the high
level of personalization of the rewards programs as well as the convenience of
the redemption process. The main beneficiary therefore, the real driver of
improved returns, is the cardholder.
Unlike co-branded card or loyalty programs with a small number of
suppliers, the ability for a bank to run individual or collective programs
across hundreds or thousands of merchants with XLS creates a real value
proposition for cardholders. As Mashreqbank noted, the value of the bonuses to
cardholders of their WOW Card is between 2-20 years value in annual fees.

Leveraging EMV Investment
In awarding the 'ROI of the Year', The Banker paid attention to the fact
that the business case for investment in EMV has been difficult to justify
until now. XLS changes that scenario by offering features that add real value
for a bank desiring to leverage the EMV infrastructure investment.
Akbank provides a key case study of a bank leveraging their investment in
EMV with XLS.
The Banker technology editor Parveen Bansal noted that the panel of judges
were "thoroughly impressed with the detailed analysis and cost return figures
(Welcome) was able to give for their work with Akbank" and cited the
performance figures Akbank's Axess Card achieved:

-- Cardholder acquisition -- 1 million customers in the first 8 months
-- Cardholder growth -- 42% cardholder growth in its 3rd year, twice as
fast as the rest of the market
-- Attract new customers and cross sell products -- 59% of new customers
to the bank as a result of Axess Card
-- Merchant network growth -- grew over 4 times in 3 years (to reach
43,000 participating merchant outlets)

Notably, more recent Akbank figures also show that Axess Card achieved a
193% increase in turnover volume in 2003. Akbank Chief Executive Officer Zafer
Kurtul, explains how their retail banking strategy has driven their technology
investment choices and returns. "We understand the importance of giving
customers the exact services they require to meet their needs and desires at
the various stages of life. We are proud of what we have managed to achieve
from our investment in customer-centric technologies, both for our customers
and for our shareholders. Our technology has provided the foundation for us to
grow and prosper, along with our customers."
A number of factors are combined to explain why investing in XLS is
increasingly cost effective for banks. Haddad explains, "Welcome has worked
closely with card and terminal manufacturers(2) as well as the card
associations(3) to ensure that the majority of smart payment cards and
terminals on the market are XLS certified. There has also been a concerted
effort by the industry to reduce the cost of smart cards and terminals, so XLS
is now available on $1 smart cards and entry-level smart card payment
terminals. These factors all reduce the time and cost investment required by
banks to install enhanced payment features with their basic EMV.
"In addition, XLS installation costs are also minimized when it is
initiated in the early phases of a bank's EMV migration. As the majority of
banks are in the preparatory phases of EMV, Europe and the Middle East for
completion by 2005 Asia by 2006, this is an ideal time for us to receive the
ROI Award and raise market awareness of the potential of XLS for greater
returns," said Haddad.

About Welcome
Welcome is the world's leading provider of enhanced payment software.
Financial institutions, retailers and card associations across the world
depend on Welcome's payment software to boost their revenues with services
such as instantly awarded loyalty points, coupons, punch cards, vouchers,
tickets and cash back, all integrated within a single convenient payment
process. With over a hundred deployments involving millions of cardholders and
thousands of merchants worldwide operating the company's software, Welcome has
proven repeatedly that its easy-to-deploy solutions generate higher sales for
its clients while increasing their customers' satisfaction and loyalty.
Welcome is headquartered in Aix-en-Provence, France, with offices in Phoenix,
Arizona and Singapore.

(1) 2003 winners include: Mashreqbank in United Arab Emerates, Akbank in
Turkey, Maybank in Malaysia, UOB in Singapore.
(2) Lipman, Gemplus, Axalto, Ingenico, Giesecke & Devrient, Hypercom,
Obethur, Sagem, Verifone.
(3) Visa, MasterCard and American Express

[maywillow] 02/6/2004 19:03

Axalto Launches Sim-Based Instant Messaging Application for Mobile Users

"PA"


Business Editors/High-Tech Writers AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands – (BUSINESS WIRE) – June 2, 2004 –

Provides operators with a simple, fast, cost-effective and handset-independent means to extend instant messaging services to all

subscribers

Axalto (Euronext NL0000400653 AXL) today announced the launch of SIMapse(TM) – its SIM-based instant messaging application for mobile users. SIMapse from Axalto builds on the growing popularity of Instant Messaging (IM) among Internet users in order to open up a new SMS (short message service) revenue stream for mobile operators.

The SIMapse application combines the widely used SMS channel with a Java(TM) SIM-based solution. SIMapse enables mobile users to develop contact lists and receive online alerts about their contacts. At a glance, users know whether their contacts are online or not and can conveniently keep track of their messages as they are received, allowing them to reply instantly.

Online status and presence alerts encourage users to communicate, generating more SMS traffic. SIMapse brings the most popular instant messaging features to all mobile users – one touch log-in and log-out, contact lists with corresponding details, message history, and one-touch messaging to multiple users. Users can easily change handsets while retaining their preferred service as the solution is SIM-based. Comprehensive applet communication protocols allow for interoperability and compatibility across instant messaging service providers, extending the advantages of SIMapse to a wider range of subscribers.

Instant messaging on handsets is in strong demand and thanks to SIMapse, Axalto allows mobile operators to tap into this enormous potential and increase their revenue stream. Axalto has developed a solution that uses Java(TM) SIM cards and SIM Toolkit technology, which provides operators with a simple, fast and affordable means to extend IM services to all their subscribers. SIMapse offers operators a fully interoperable solution to leverage the instant messaging experience.

“SIMapse is an ideal way for operators to replicate the success of instant messaging in the wireless world,“ commented Philippe Vrignaud, director mobile communications at Axalto. “The business case is very straightforward for our mobile telecommunication operator clients, and, based on the strong appetite and familiarity young users currently demonstrate for this interactive approach, we anticipate rapid adoption of this technology.”

About Axalto

Axalto (Euronext: NL0000400653 AXL) is the world’s leading provider of microprocessor cards (Gartner Dataquest 2004) –– the keys to digital networks –- and a major supplier of point-of-sale terminals. Its 4500 employees come from 70 nationalities and serve customers in more than 100 countries, with worldwide sales reaching 3 billion smart cards to date. The company has 25 years’ experience in smart card innovation and leads its industry in security technology and open systems.

Axalto continuously creates new generations of products for use in a variety of applications in the telecommunications, finance, retail, transport, entertainment, healthcare, personal identification, information technology and public sector markets. Microprocessor cards provide convenience, security and privacy to public and private services operators, their customers and end users. For more information, visit us at www.axalto.com

– 30 – ZW/uk*

CONTACT: Axalto

Emmanuelle Saby

Tel [phone]

Mobile [phone]

[e-mail] ZZZZZ £2122566

[maywillow] 01/6/2004 12:40

Europeans get new medical card


The card will replace existing health forms
Millions of people across the European Union will be able to apply for a new medical card from Tuesday.
The European Health Insurance Card will replace the E111 form, which entitles temporary visitors to other states free emergency care if needed.

The card will eventually replace all other health forms, such as those needed by students and job seekers.

Officials hope it will cut bureaucracy and make it easier for Europeans to get medical care in other member states.

Health forms

At the moment, people have to fill out a wide variety of different forms depending on whether they are on holidays, studying or working.

These forms entitle holders to emergency care and medical treatment on the same terms as nationals of the country they are visiting.

The government is committed to introducing the new EU health card by the end of next year

Department of Health
The smartcard aims to cut bureaucracy by simplifying the process.

It will, for example, allow patients who have to pay for their health care abroad to be reimbursed more quickly by their own social security system.

Over time the card could become a kind of medical passport entitling holders to medical care anywhere in the EU.

While some countries are introducing the card immediately, others are phasing it in over the next 18 months.

Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Spain, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Estonia and Slovenia are all expected to introduce it immediately.

The remaining 11 member states, including the UK, will phase it in. All countries are expected to have introduced the card by the end of 2005.

A spokesman for the Department of Health in the UK said: "The government is committed to introducing the new EU health card by the end of next year.

"UK citizens can continue to use the E111 forms when they travel to any of the EU member states. They will not be deprived of access to health care should they require it."

[waldron] 30/5/2004 23:14

25 May 2004
Strategic agreement between Oberthur Card Systems and Sistema 4B for the personalisation of payment cards in Spain
Oberthur Card Systems, the number one supplier of Visa and MasterCard payment cards, and Sistema 4B, one of the largest companies devoted to the provision of outsourced services related to payment programs, electronic money and interbank cooperation in Spain, announced today an agreement to transfer card personalisation and fulfilment activities from Sistema 4B to Oberthur Card Systems.

[waldron] 30/5/2004 22:37

cheers jailbird

[jailbird] 30/5/2004 20:52

Oyster extends reach
Tfl's Oyster card pre-payment system is being extended to cover travel by London buses. Six thousand one man operated buses are being fitted with Oyster card readers and hand held readers are being given to conductors on routes operated by Routemaster buses. The use of pre-payment travel should significantly reduce costs; at Victoria station ticket machines need to be refilled with coins every 14 minutes during busy periods.

[jailbird] 30/5/2004 20:42

NHS smartcards
The NHS is to issue all its clinical staff with smartcards to protect access to patient's records. Patient records are to be held on a national "data spine", accessed through a portal by swiping a valid smartcard at a suitably equipped PC. The new system is at the core of the £2.3 billion National Programme for NHS. At least 800,000 smartcards will need to be issued and supported.