News

Axalto opens card-personalization center in Canada

September 21, 2005

TORONTO - Axalto announced in a Sept. 21 news release the opening of its new advanced-payment card-personalization center, which is located near Toronto.

The center enables bankers to add smart card technology to credit and debit cards. Axalto will utilize its global personalization and fulfillment experience to assist banks in preparing and personalizing EMV banking cards. Customization includes loading appropriate cardholder data and then packaging and sending the cards to banks or directly to cardholders.

"The Canadian banking industry sees smart card technology as essential to achieving the highest levels of security and services for bank customers," said Paul Beverly, Axalto president for the Americas. "This personalization center illustrates that Canadian banks can count on Axalto for a successful collaborative effort that puts a personalized smart payment card in the hand of each customer."

Smart cards, beyond providing greater account security than magnetic-stripe cards, create opportunities to bring new services like reward programs and more secure Internet payment to banking customers.

"Through this, Canada can realize the substantial benefits smart card technology has to offer - greater convenience to consumers, added protection to merchants and future services our members will use to differentiate their products in the market," said Derek Fry, president of the Visa Canada Association.