Oberthur Technologies has choosen Collis as its preferred provider for EMV card personalization validation software. The aim is to standardise a common EMV card personalization validation software across Oberthur’s network.

Collis’ EMV Personalization Validation Tool and Collis Personalization Validation for Production are examples of tools that will be implemented across Oberthur’s production facilities. 

TranZfinity, a Carlsbad, Calif.-based company that provides NFC-enabled devices, has launched a mobile POS solution using NFC phones for merchants who require mobility in their transactions with consumers, such as street vendors or restaurant delivery services.

Using an existing mobile phone along with TranZfinity’s Myztro, a smartcard reader that can attach to a cell phone via Bluetooth, and a secure mobile POS application, merchants can now offer secure transactions for their customers anywhere. Although closed-loop pre-paid card schemes will be certified first, it is expected that this solution will ultimately support MasterCard PayPass, Visa payWave and even PayPal Mobile in the coming months. 

Collis has announced that Sagem Orga has selected Collis as its supplier for test tools in the areas of banking, e-ID, telecom and health.

Collis’ test tools offer a means for testing products and applications. Whether it is in the area of banking–smart cards, contactless, NFC, ATM, Host, MasterCard, Visa– e-ID, telecom or health care, Collis offers test tools and test suites.  

Oslo’s NFC research team Touch has once again teamed up with London design firm BERG to create visual representations of RFID fields using LED lights.

The project was created and carried out by Jack Schulze and Timo Arnall, who made specially designed LED probes that light up in the presence of an RFID field. The resulting long exposure photographs show patterns of surprising depth and shape. 

INSIDE Contactless, a French manufacturer of contactless chip technologies, has launched a partnership with Adelya, a software-as-a-service company specializing in contactless and mobile loyalty and relationship programs, to enable consumers to conduct retail loyalty, ticketing, ID and other transactions using the phones they already have. 

Etisalat, a UAE-based telecommunications services provider, Emirates NBD, a UAE bank, Gemalto and Visa have unveiled plans to offer mobile contactless technology in the region that will enable NBD Visa cardholders to purchase goods and services with their NFC-enabled mobile phones.

Purchases will be charged directly to the customer’s Emirates NBD Visa credit card account. NFC enabled mobile phones will soon be available from handset manufacturers like Samsung and Nokia in the UAE and Etisalat is working to bring these to market.

The plans were announced at Gitex Technology Week 2009, which concludes tomorrow at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center.  

The National Bank of Kuwait and Visa Inc. have partnered with Zain a telecommunications operator across the Middle East and Africa to launch a Near Field Communication mobile payment trial in the GCC, using NFC enabled Nokia 6212 devices.

The six-month pilot will take place from October 2009 to April 2010. The trial will enable 500 selected NBK cardholders to download their Zain Visa credit card account details directly to their Nokia 6212 classic handset over the Zain network. Once the account has been personalized on the phone, customers can then begin to make purchases at any one of the 100 merchant partner outlets at Kuwait’s largest mall, The Avenues by simply passing a Nokia mobile phone over the Visa payWave reader at the point of sale.