Gemalto providing contactless EMV cards in Italy
20 January, 2010
category: Contactless, Financial
Gemalto announced it is providing Setefi (Intesa Sanpaolo), with its Optelio solution for the first rollout of EMV PayPass contactless payment cards in Italy.
Intesa Sanpaolo offers its services to more than 11 million customers. Gemalto supplied technical support during the launching phase and assisted the bank in upgrading its personalization infrastructure.
The project, developed in collaboration with MasterCard, will be first deployed in the Milan area and Intesa Sanpaolo plans to extend it nationwide while upgrading the point of sale terminal base. The Gemalto technology provides Intesa Sanpaolo customers with a convenient and innovative means of payment, as they simply tap their card on a reader for purchases of up to 25 euros.
Eleven brands of relevance with a presence in Italy’s major cities, spanning from fast food restaurants and supermarkets, to sports and home improvement stores, will provide acceptance points. Hundreds of smaller merchants are also expected to join in the program as it unfolds. Intesa Sanpaolo is the first Italian financial institution to rollout contactless payment cards.