Card Services International (CSI) : Newsletter : May 1997

ISSUE 1 - MAY 1997

Welcome to CSI-Digest. The primary objective of this FREE newsletter is to keep you informed of major global smart card industry developments on a monthly basis.

We will also let you know, where in the world you can meet with us, and will update you on any news relating to CSI.

This month, we are delighted to inform you that CSI and IBM have announced a new marketing agreement, whereby IBM have been given the rights to sell and distribute CSI's multi-function smart card management system, CardBASE2000^®.

Sarah Flynn, Editor

Tower Group Research:
Infrastructure Cost Analysis of Smart Cards in the US

February: The cost of the use in Europe of smart cards has been justified by the formerly expensive and unreliable nature of European telecommunications and high levels of fraud. This solution, however, is less compelling in the US, according to infrastructure cost analysis research undertaken by Tower Group. They estimate that in three to five years Visa and MasterCard will start the process of credit/debit smart card rollout in the US. And that six to eight years later, the majority of Americans will be using smart cards for some part of their everyday financial transactions.

Killen & Associates
Non-Banks will capture 50% of Network-Based, smart card transactions by the year 2001

April: A recent study reveals that at least 50% of the emerging Internet-based, smart card transaction market will be captured by non-banking organizations such as American Express, AT&T, FDC, Microsoft, VeriFone by the year 2001. The study also forecasts that by 2005, micropublishing will account for one-third of the 30m networked smart card transactions, whilst the remaining transactions will come from markets that would have previously been settled by cash, check or credit.

LiveWire Limited:
Profit from Purse?

April: Geff Griffin reports on why the financial world appears to be "rushing headlong into electronic purse". He discusses how the initiatives for the development of the electronic purse were sponsored by national governments and by national associations of banks "as a way to begin the migration away from the traditional, but costly, approach of coin and currency".

Byte.com
Banks turn to smart cards to provide security and new services for on-line transactions

April: Banks in France and across Europe are in a race to offer the next generation of services to consumers, while the US lags behind.

News.com
PC, Smart card standard nears

May: All the members of the PC/SC Workgroup, comprising top makers of personal computers and smarts cards, expects to issue a specification defining how the two devices will interact by the end of the year.

Jupiter.com
By 2000, smart cards to be used for half of all purchases online

May 27: A new study from Killen & Associates finds that telephone companies are ideally positioned to apply smart cards to capture a significant share of the booming market for electronic cash and Internet payments.

VISIT CSI AT UPCOMING TRADESHOWS AND EVENTS

Cards Australia ’97 and Retailbank Expo

August 26 - 28
World Congress Centre
Melbourne, Australia

We will be present on the Gemplus Stand (Stand11)

Scandicards ’97

September 16 - 18
Stand #A6
NackaStrand
Stockholm, Sweden

CSI Headquarters: BIM House, Crofton Road, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, Ireland
Tel: +353-1-284 3233, or Fax +353-1-284 3220
Contact CSI