News

UK EMV Test/Cert firm expands in US to help speed American migration

June 11, 2012

To support the migration to EMV chip card standards in U.S. retail and financial industries, Britain's ICC Solutions Ltd., a provider of EMV contact and contactless test and certification products announced today that it has expanded its operations significantly in the U.S. The company said it will add technical sales, service and support capabilities.

British-based ICC Solutions is currently the only company in the world capable of offering fully qualified test scripts for American Express AEIPS, Discover D-PAS, INTERAC Contact and Flash; M-TIP, PayPass and NIV for MasterCard; Visa ADVT and ADVT qVSDC Device Module in addition to EMV Level 2 and EMV Entry Point Type Approval test suites. The company has so far provided services to all G20 nations but one — the U.S.

"EMV is a successful and proven technology, but implementation is complex and the U.S. migration is a major undertaking that will place a premium on key process steps like testing and certification," said Dave Maisey, CEO of ICC Solutions Ltd.

"Globally, the payment industry has gained significant experience with EMV, particularly in Western Europe and Canada, so the migration process in the USA is expected to be quicker and smoother and confidence is much higher.

"ICC Solutions has learned some best practices and key among these is planning — allotting adequate time for acquirer certification and testing, problem resolution and cashier training among other things," Maisey said.

"MasterCard's recent call for U.S. collaboration on the EMV migration effort is to be applauded," noted Wendy Maisey. The size and scale of the migration effort warrants such a collaborative effort similar to the UK's Chip and PIN Programme Management Organization (PMO) and the efforts of INTERAC in Canada. These organizations proved worthy, impartial enablers in their respective countries' EMV migration programs. We in the USA should learn from the challenges faced by Canada and the United Kingdom — and collaborate."

For more on this topic, visit the EMV resesearch center.