NuoDB 1MM TX
With a maximum of 40 transaction processing servers running on inexpensive commodity hardware, NuoDB’s performance was seven times higher as compared to its previous version — processing more than one million transactions per minute.
NFC technology powers Home Shopping for Retailers
Think&Go NFC NFC-Shopping solutions consumer customizable Home Shopping solution for Retailers. The solution consists of a mobile app, a Home Shopping board and a web site where consumers preferred services can be configured. The consumer feedback reports that 100% consumers gain significant time while shopping and accessing personalized services. NFC Home Shopping for regularly bought products becomes fun and can be done in seconds compared with minutes using a e-commerce site or mobile app. Each tag can easily be reassigned to a different product by scanning the barcode on the products that needs to be reordered. The board is designed to be set up on a wall or on a refrigerator and consists of three areas, product ordering, local services, and brand services.
INSIDE & ENOVIA
Dassault Systèmes announced that INSIDE Contactless has successfully
implemented the ENOVIA
Synchronicity DesignSync solution. By leveraging Dassault Systèmes
ENOVIA Synchronicity DesignSync Data
Manager, DesignSync DFII and ProjectSync INSIDE Contactless has been
able to improve global team collaboration while also optimizing product
design. This approach has enabled INSIDE Contactless to increase
system-on-chip design integration efficiencies and IP reuse by utilizing
modular data abstraction within a hierarchical design data and
configuration management system. INSIDE Contactless is using the
DesignSync solution to
design high-performance contactless chip technologies for
next-generation payment, transit, identity and access control
applications. INSIDE’s secure contactless and NFC solutions are
currently found in smart cards, key fobs, mobile phones, handheld
devices, point-of-service systems and PC peripherals.
Hypercom Names a New Sales VP for HBNet
Hypercom Corporation has announced the appointment of Connie Festa, previously Director of Strategic Sales and National Sales Manager at TNS, as HBNet VP of Sales. At TNS, she spearheaded all aspects of the company’s sales and customer support to the retail, banking and processing markets in the US and Canada. She previously served as Director of Strategic Sales and National Sales Director – US, for WAY Systems, where she developed new markets and increased revenues for wireless payments.
Gemplus Replaces Three Non-Executive Directors
Gemplus Internationa announced that three new non-executive Directors will be proposed for election to its Board on April 27th. The three non-executive directors are proposed to replace Ron
Mackinstosh, Randy Christofferson and Thierry Dassault, who will not be proposed for re-election by the Board to shareholders. The proposed new non-executive Directors are Kurt Hellstrom, John Ormerod, and
Michel Akkermans. Hellstrom is the former President and CEO of Ericsson. Ormerod is a Senior Partner in the UK practice of Deloitte. Akkermans, is Chairman and Chief Executive of Clear2Pay.
GEMPLUS ADJUSTMENTS
After a weekend meeting in London, Gemplus is reportedly near the
execution of a plan to cut more than 1,000 jobs after posting a third
quarter net loss of nearly $40 million. The company is also looking to
patch up discord among its board members and management staff. Major
shareholder, Texas Pacific Group, is pushing for new board members against
the blessing of other shareholders including Dassault family and Gemplus
founder Marc Lassus. Lassus recently agreed to sell his shares in Gemplus
to Groupe SAGEM. With this purchase, Sagem will own about 10% of the
capital of Gemplus. The weekend also meeting also challenged the new
leadersip of CEO Alex Mandl. Gemplus hired Mandl on September 9th. Mandl
was the former Chairman/CEO of Teligent between 1996 and 2001, following a
four stint at AT&T, where worked his way up to President/COO. There was
some controversy between Gemplus board members over the selection of Mandl.
The debate centered on Mandl’s previous ties with the Central Intelligence
Agency. Mandl belonged to the board of trustees of In-Q-Tel, a nonprofit
organization set up by the CIA in late 1999. In-Q-Tel’s purpose was to keep
track of Internet technology on behalf of the CIA. Some board members were
concerned that Mandl’s CIA ties could affect its ability to sell its
product and services to some countries. Dow Jones reports that Mandl may be
considering a salary reduction to appease shareholders.
Gift Card Applet
CO-based Smart Transaction Systems has developed a new gift card applet that adds gift card capability to specific models of VeriFone and Thales credit card terminals. The gift card applet is loaded onto the terminal and runs on the same terminal as the credit card software. The company has made versions of its gift card applet available for the VeriFone “Tranz 330,” VeriFone “Tranz 380,” VeriFone “Tranz 460” and all versions of the Thales “Talento” terminal.
WELCOME CYBERPRO
Welcome real-time announced an agreement to merge with Canada-based Cyberpro
Technologies. This merger establishes Welcome as the North American leader in
marketing solutions on smart cards and further extends the company’s global
leadership. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Cyberpro is the leading provider of smart card based marketing applications in
North America, with more than 60 different programs in the US and Canada.
Twice in the last three years the Advanced Card Technology Association of
Canada recognized Cyberpro, presenting the prestigious Lorne Boates Award of
Excellence for the company s work with Northern Stores and the Quebec Soccer
Federation McDonalds. Cyberpro has successfully delivered applications to
numerous retailers, restaurant chains, car manufacturers, museums, ski resorts
& events.
The combined 80-person company has a solid shareholding structure with leading
smart card solutions provider Gemplus, European marketing firm High Co,
Standard Chartered Bank, Dassault Multimedia and TDF, a Singapore-based VC
fund.
Aneace Haddad, president & CEO of Welcome, said, Our companies share such
similar corporate cultures that our people have already begun working on
customer projects together. The merger will quickly yield significant
opportunities.
Daniel Tardif, president & CEO of Cyberpro, and new CEO of Welcome’s Americas
region agrees. Cyberpro’s strong expertise with retailers, combined with
Welcome s expertise with financial institutions, will allow us to leverage
synergies between banks and merchants worldwide, he said.
Welcome’s clients include: American Express; Akbank, Turkey; ANZ Bank,
Australia; Chase Manhattan Bank, HK; Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore and
Sumitomo Credit Services, Japan. Cyberpro s clients include: Kodak; McDonald
s; Northern Stores; Toyota; Québec Ski Stations Association, and the
Confédération des Caisses Populaires Desjardins.
About Welcome Real-time
Welcome’s (www.welcome-rt.com and
www.axiomatique.com) smart transaction platform enhances payment transactions
with revenue boosting services such as instantly awarded loyalty points,
coupons, punch cards, vouchers, tickets, cash back & all in a single
convenient
payment process. With millions of smart cards and thousands of merchants
worldwide operating the company s software, Welcome has proven repeatedly that
its easy-to-deploy solution generates higher sales for its clients while
increasing their customers satisfaction and loyalty.
Welcome Real-time is headquartered in Aix-en-Provence, France, with offices in
Philadelphia and Singapore.
About Cyberpro Technologies
Cyberpro Technologies www.cyberpro.ca develops and
implements turnkey smart card systems that provide integrated marketing and
loyalty solutions to retailers, financial institutions and other issuers of
card programs. Cyberpro’s combination of retail marketing experience and
smart
card technical expertise allows issuers to tailor solutions to various retail
environments either through Cyberpro’s existing software platform or through
custom development of new applications. Cyberpro’s systems are compatible
with
the planned smart card payment systems of Visa and MasterCard. The company s
varied loyalty and marketing implementations portfolio includes smart card
projects in North America and the Caribbean. Cyberpro, headquartered in
Montreal, with an office in Toronto, was founded in 1996.
Atomic & Thales
The THALES e-transactions ‘Artema Motient’ terminal has been certified on Atomic’s ‘ecomPort’ wireless gateway’. The ‘Artema Motient’ system is comprised of a battery-powered hand held terminal and base. It includes a built-in printer and an optional built-in PIN pad. The device also offers super-fast printing at 15 lines per second and has ‘Global Industry Standards Certification’ with ‘EMV 1 & 2’ as well as ‘SAR’. The Atomic ‘ecomPort’ service provides connectivity to the leading credit card processors for credit, debit and check transactions. Additionally, merchants can use any web browser to view real time transaction reports and to see up to a year of transaction history on the ‘ecomPort Merchant Console’. THALES e-Transactions, Inc. was formerly known as Dassault AT of America.
AXIOMATIQUE ACQUIRED
Welcome Real-time, a leading provider of marketing software for smart
payment devices, today announced that it has acquired Singapore-based
Axiomatique International. The acquisition brings complementary
technology, marketshare, and clients to Welcome Real-time and clearly
positions the company with resources and a worldwide presence that spans
Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The company has signed agreements with
card issuers in these regions representing a potential of over 150 million
cards, far more than any other provider in this sector.
The combined 60 person company has a solid shareholding structure with
French marketing firm High Co, part of WPP Group; leading smart card
manufacturer Gemplus; Standard Chartered Bank; Avenir Telecom; Dassault
Multimedia, and TDF, a Singapore-based VC fund.
The new company’s combined technology provides advanced marketing features
and multi-program capabilities at the point of sale, which is Welcome
Real-time’s core strength. It also includes comprehensive back-end program
administration and management, as well as seamless integration of magstripe
and smart card functionality at the back-end, which is Axiomatique s core
strength. Integration of Welcome Real-time and Axiomatique’s respective
systems began over six months ago. American Express has licensed the joint
solution for the Australian launch of Blue.
Welcome Real-time and Axiomatique’s solutions are each based on several
hundreds of man years of software development and have been designed to
serve millions of users, corresponding to the requirements of typical
nationwide smart card roll-outs. Both companies bring together significant
real-world market experience through numerous implementations in Europe and
Asia over the past five years. For example AK Bank, a leading Turkish
bank; American Express; AOM French Airlines; Carte Jeunes, France; Chase
Manhattan Bank, HK; LG Credit Services, Korea; Standard Chartered Bank,
Singapore; Sumitomo Credit Services, Japan, and Telekom Malaysia.
About Welcome Real-time
Welcome Real-time’s (www.welcome-rt.com) smart transaction platform enhances payment transactions with revenue
boosting services such as instantly awarded loyalty points, coupons, punch
cards, vouchers, tickets, and cash back, all in a single convenient payment
process.
The company’s patents provide broad protection in Europe, North America,
and Asia. More than 17 patent applications cover the ability to
dynamically manage services relating to entries, visits or cumulative
spending at designated merchants, the ability to add and redeem e-coupons
from a smart card, or the use of mobile phones and hand held devices to
perform smart transactions.
Welcome Real-time is headquartered in Aix-en-Provence, France, with offices
in Philadelphia.
About Axiomatique International
Axiomatique’s (http://www.axiomatique.com/) loyalty management system powers virtually all of the multi-function
smart card programs deployed in Asia. Axiomatique’s system is used with
smart cards issued by banks, such as Standard Chartered, Chase Manhattan,
Sumitomo Credit Services, and others, in addition to cards issued by a
variety of retail consortiums and loyalty operators.
Axiomatique International, headquartered in Singapore, was founded in 1997.
Welcome Buys Axiomatique
Welcome Real-time said this morning it has acquired Singapore-based Axiomatique International. The combined company will have a shareholding structure with French marketing firm High Co; smart card manufacturer Gemplus; Standard Chartered Bank; Avenir Telecom; Dassault Multimedia, and TDF, a Singapore-based VC fund. The new company’s combined technology provides advanced marketing features and multi-program capabilities at the point of sale, which is Welcome Real-time’s core strength. It also includes comprehensive back-end program administration and management, as well as seamless integration of magstripe and smart card functionality at the back-end, which is Axiomatique’s core strength. American Express has licensed the joint solution for the Australian launch of ‘Blue’.
NEW MULTOS MEMBER
Further to the recent unveiling of its new tiers of membership, the MULTOS
Consortium announced the intention of Schlumberger to become an
Alliance member.
“Schlumberger is an important addition to our already impressive list of
member companies. The company is known for innovation in the smart card
industry and will bring a number of initiatives as well as focus to aspects
of our technical and business development,” said John Wood, Chairman of the
MULTOS Consortium.
Drawing on 20 years experience in pioneering smart card innovations,
Schlumberger is continuing to evolve the new generation of smart cards,
parking terminals, ticketing machines, payphones, banking terminals,
servers, software, applications and systems integration that will play a key
role in the 21st century’s digital age.
” Schlumberger is delighted to join the MULTOS Consortium and help
contribute to the ongoing development of MULTOS operating system
specifications,” said Martin Djunte-Ghomsi, Product Manager Banking Smart
Cards. “Our involvement enables us to position the company as a global
supplier of MULTOS-based solutions, encompassing card manufacturing,
consulting, personalisation and MIP services. Our aim is to deliver high
standard value added services based on smart card technology.”
***
Notes to Editors
How the Membership Works
Founder membership is most appropriate for companies wishing to develop
their own implementation of the MULTOS specification or who want to
contribute to the governance of the Consortium. Key founder members are
operating systems implementers, silicon vendors, card vendors, major
infrastructure suppliers, etc.
Founder members
Infineone Technologies
Discover Financial Services
Keycorp
Dai Nippon Printing
MasterCard International
Mondex International
Europay International
Hitachi
Fujitsu Group (includes ICL and Amdahl)
Motorola
Giesecke & Devrient
Telstra
Alliance membership is for companies that don’t initially intend to
implement the MULTOS specifications but wish to contribute to their
technical development through technical expertise in specific areas or
markets. Principal participation is through the Technical Advisory Group
and associated working groups. Examples of potential alliance members
include technology systems integrators, application developers, technical
card issuers, card vendors, key management systems companies, etc.
Observer membership companies wish to track the development of the
specifications and the workings of the council but their contribution may be
sporadic or non-technical. Typical observer companies could be governmental
bodies, advisory groups, trade associations, non-technical consultancies,
card issuers and systems integrators. Observer membership is not intended
for companies whose smart card product related revenues exceed $1,000,000
per annum, although the Full Consortium members may vote to waive this
restriction.
Founder membership includes an implementation license and is currently set
at approx. USD 500,000; Alliance membership is USD50,000 for the first year
and USD35,000 renewal; Observer membership is set at USD7,500.
STIP Consortium Releases STIP v2.0
A Java API bringing interoperability to payment terminal market as well as
e- and m-commerce market
Allows PDA, mobile phone, set-top box- designers to use the expertise of
payment terminals manufacturers to tap into secure transaction expertise
San Francisco, May 15, 2001.
The STIP Consortium announces the release of STIP v2.0, enhancing the
ground-breaking Java API specification released last year.
STIP v2.0 provides for the practical deployment of STIP Technologies on a
wide range of devices that have limited memory and processing power but are
required to support applications that meet the strict security, performance
and cost requirements of traditional electronic payment and emerging
m-commerce providers.
“STIP v2.0 solves one of the main practical problems of application
inter-operability” announces Jean-Paul Billon, Chairman of the STIP
Consortium.” The new XML-based User Interface specification allows
applications to easily adapt to a range of device configurations and
accommodate regional variants; multi-application support enables resources
to be shared securely; and the new cryptographic API simplifies support for
secure payment and application management.”
Devices such as payment terminals, payphones, vending and ticketing machines
and PC connected intelligent smart card readers benefit from the flexibility
of STIP since the hardware independent layer it provides allows applications
to be written for one device and then easily ported to another. This
drastically reduces development and certification costs, speeding deployment
and increasing profitability of new applications .
Secure transaction expertise is a hot topic in the e-commerce and m-commerce
markets. Using STIP technology, providers of PDAs, 2.5G and 3G mobile phones
and set top boxes can benefit from the experience of the consortium members
who’s expertise is in providing secure payment solutions.
“Texas Instruments sees the publication of the STIP API 2.0 as a positive
step toward providing secure wireless applications for 2.5 and 3G devices,
said Loic Hamon, European Strategic Marketing Manager Texas Instrument. “The
security features built in STIP 2.0 not only provide an enhanced framework
for secure transaction, but also control features for future STIP-based
applications.”
” We strongly support the STIP technology as it creates the huge advantage
of complete interoperability of POS platforms worldwide”, says Benoit
Perrin, product-marketing manager Schlumberger. ” By joining forces with the
STIP-members we succeeded in developing a practical and easy-to-implement
API which generates the main advantages of fast roll-out of new applications
and easy maintenance of the installed POS-base for our customers”.
“Ingenico welcomes the publication of STIP 2.0. This is an important
milestone toward interoperability between secure transaction devices. Such
interoperability is needed to accelerate the deployment of secure payment
solutions, especially those based on smart cards. The technology proposed by
STIP 2.0 will help the industry of traditional payment devices to adapt to
the new exigences of the market. It will help also this industry in
exporting its know how in matter of payment and security to new emerging
markets like e- and m-commerce.” said Bernard Morvant, General Manager/
corporate business development & partnerships of Ingenico. “Ingenico is
deeply involved in specifying, experimenting and providing the new standard
that is emerging of the efforts of converging initiatives like STIP, FINREAD
and Global Platform.”
“As a founding member of STIP, VeriFone is enthusiastic about the prospect
of achieving cross-platform interoperability for our industry,” said Eric
Lecesne, general manager of VeriFone’s Technology and Product Operation.
“STIP has the potential to bring greater efficiencies to the development and
certification process, giving developers more incentive to create new
applications that can
run, virtually unaltered, on a range of devices with differing operating
systems. We expect this to further enhance the benefits of our
multi-application Verix platform and our multi-purpose Verix-based
terminals.”
“Cardsoft congratulates the STIP Consortium for the publication of STIP API
2.0. With this version 2.0, STIP has become a major and mature reference for
secure transaction and payment industries. Cardsoft is proud to participate
with some of the main players of the industry in the elaboration,
validation, and, now, deployment of STIP technology. Cardsoft is already
marketing several products related to STIP 2.0 technology. A portable STIP
2.0 platform, eASP, will be available in June of this year for beta-test, as
well as a variant of this platform, eAFINREAD, based on FINREAD
specifications themselves including STIP 2.0 technology. Cardsoft will also
offer a development environment for these platforms, including a PC
implementation of eASP/eAFINREAD, for testing and debugging purpose” said
Donald Sweet, CEO Cardsoft Inc.”STIP 2.0 is essential for bringing
interoperability and security on small devices running secure transactions
applications, and Cardsoft is positioning itself as a major expert and
provider of this technology.”
“We at Thales e-Transactions strongly believe that this latest release of
STIP is a significant milestone on the road to true interoperability on
secure transaction devices. ” said Mike Kerrigan, director of Strategic
Marketing at Thales e-Transactions. “The benefits to our customers in
decreased time to market for new applications will ensure that they can
profitably meet the ever increasing expectations of cardholders and
merchants.”
About STIP Consortium
STIP Consortium (www.stip.org) is an independent
non-profit organization
incorporated in March 2000 that defines and promotes the Small Terminal
Interoperability Platform specification. STIP is a complete, royalty free
platform for secure transaction devices such as EFT/POS terminals, mobile
phones, vending machines and payphones and PDAs when used for secure
transactions. STIP is defined to run on Sun’s CLDC configuration.
STIP Consortium’s members comprise the traditional powerhouse of embedded
secure transactions and e-commerce solution providers – manufacturers of
payment terminals, mobile device chipsets, payphones and smart cards.
Current principal members are Bull CP8, Cardsoft, Gemplus, Ingenico,
Keycorp, Landis & Gyr, Lipman Electronic Engineering, Schlumberger,
SmartMove, Texas Instruments, Thales e-Transactions (formerly
Racal-Transcom, Dassault A.T, Krone and ICS) and VeriFone.
The goal of STIP Consortium is to enable Java applications to run with
limited resources on a compact virtual machine and API platform and to make
these applications interoperable among a variety of devices utilizing
different operating systems and microprocessors.