Gemalto provided Garanti Bank with its single-chip EMV contactless banking cards and Dexxis Central Issuance solution that enables in-house personalization. Gemalto also supplied consultancy services to assist the bank in the product specification. The agreement involves an initial order of 300,000 units, which are being deployed.
The Gemalto card features a range of value added applications comprising traditional EMV and contactless payment, Garanti Bank’s Bonus loyalty scheme and the Mifare capability that enables e-ticketing. It allows Garanti Bank customers to enjoy the speed and convenience of contactless payment at 4,000 acceptance points and in some 20 retailer chains, said Gemalto. These chains include fast food restaurants and supermarkets all across Turkey, as well as movie theaters and entertainment centers.
In addition, Bonus Trink cardholders may use their banking card as an e-ticket for public transportation in Turkish cities or on shuttle boats and sea taxis across Bosphorus. They can also benefit from the Bonus loyalty program in both contact and contactless modes.
Gemalto said that the high-end dual-interface Optelio Contactless card hosts both the EMV and contactless payment functionalities on the same microprocessor. It is fully compatible with Garanti Bank’s infrastructure.
Philippe Cambriel, executive vice president of the secure transactions business unit at Gemalto, said: Through this new contract, Garanti Bank is placing its trust in Gemalto’s technological expertise yet again. We appreciate this strong mark of confidence, which rewards our commitment to innovation in the banking sector. Gemalto has been a major partner of Garanti Bank since 2000, as we already provided the bank with several million multi-application smart cards.
