Gemalto and United Nations Federal Credit Union Advance Payments Security with Faster EMV Global Payment Card Issuance
Amsterdam and Long Island City, NY- February 5, 2014 - Gemalto (Euronext
NL0000400653 GTO), the world leader in digital security, is enabling United
Nations Federal Credit Union (UNFCU) members around the globe to quickly and
securely obtain their new Europay-MasterCard-VISA (EMV[1]) cards. Through a
worldwide network of service centers, Gemalto's Allynis Global Issuance services
works seamlessly to issue EMV cards from regional centers that are located
closest to the cardholder. Previously, UNFCU's cards had been deployed from just
one location in North America.
Gemalto, having already delivered more than one billion EMV payment cards to
clients worldwide, is making the card issuance service easier and more efficient
for UNFCU and all its globally located cardholders. With the Allynis Global
Issuance services, UNFCU's EMV cards are now produced and distributed from
multiple service centers in Europe, the Far East and North America, depending on
which has the best proximity to each member's location. The solution reduces
delivery times and shipment costs, enables UNFCU members to receive their
payment cards when and where they need them.
In 2010, the Long Island City, New York-based UNFCU became the first financial
institution in the United States to introduce an EMV credit card. Since adopting
EMV, UNFCU has seen lower fraud on its VISA® Elite and VISA Azure[2] credit card
portfolios when transactions are authorized by EMV Chip and PIN capable
merchants. As more countries move to this global standard, U.S. travelers are
increasingly at a significant disadvantage using the old technology magnetic
stripe bank cards, especially when paying for taxis or at unattended kiosks.
Beyond this greater convenience, U.S citizens using magnetic stripe payment
cards in foreign countries have also a higher exposure rate to fraud than if
they were using EMV chip enabled cards.
"We wanted to better assist our international community with a highly responsive
service for lost card replacement and for first-time card issued to a member
leaving for an overseas mission," said Merrill Halpern, Assistant Vice President
of Card Services at UNFCU, who is also a member of the EMVCo Board of Advisors.
"With Gemalto's extensive global EMV deployment experience and multi-site
facilities, we now have the ability to provide cards to members in the field in
a timely manner, no matter where they are."
"Gemalto's technology is providing UNFCU cardholders with a more secure and
convenient experience at home or abroad," said Sebastien Cano, President North
America at Gemalto. "With our certified issuance centers located around the
globe we are able to ensure our clients have a prompt solution for credit card
replacement, which is especially important for UNFCU, who has a member base of
some of the world's most mobile individuals."
[1] EMV is the global standard in payment security deployed in over 120
countries, and the October 2015 liability shift has the U.S. market poised to
embrace the convenience and security benefits of EMV technology.
[2] The UNFCU EMV cards VISA® Elite and VISA® Azure can be used anywhere in the
world, as UNFCU members live in or travel to more than 200 countries and
territories
About United Nations Federal Credit Union
UNFCU, chartered in 1947, offers a wide array of flexible savings, loan,
investment and insurance products, as well as advisory services and a focus on
corporate social responsibility/sustainable development. Headquartered and with
branches in New York City, UNFCU has representative offices in Geneva,
Switzerland; Vienna, Austria; Nairobi, Kenya, and Rome, Italy. For more
information, please visit its website at www.unfcu.org.
Press Contacts:
Elisabeth Philippe, UNFCU
Tel. 1 347-686-6776, ephilippe@unfcu.com
About Gemalto
Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO) is the world leader in digital security with
2012 annual revenues of €2.2 billion and more than 10,000 employees operating
out of 83 offices and 13 Research & Development centers, located in 43
countries.
We are at the heart of the rapidly evolving digital society. Billions of people
worldwide increasingly want the freedom to communicate, travel, shop, bank,
entertain and work - anytime, everywhere - in ways that are enjoyable and safe.
Gemalto delivers on their expanding needs for personal mobile services, payment
security, authenticated cloud access, identity and privacy protection,
eHealthcare and eGovernment efficiency, convenient ticketing and dependable
machine-to-machine (M2M) applications. We develop secure embedded software and
secure products which we design and personalize. Our platforms and services
manage these products, the confidential data they contain and the trusted end-
user services made possible.
Our innovations enable our clients to offer trusted and convenient digital
services to billions of individuals. Â Gemalto thrives with the growing number of
people using its solutions to interact with the digital and wireless world.
For more information visit www.gemalto.com, www.justaskgemalto.com,
blog.gemalto.com, or follow @gemalto on Twitter.
Gemalto Media Contacts:
Peggy Edoire Nicole Smith
Europe, Middle East & Africa North America
+33 4 42 36 45 40 +1 512 758 8921
peggy.edoire@gemalto.com nicole.smith@gemalto.com
Pierre Lelievre Ernesto Haikewitsch
Asia Pacific Latin America
+65 6317 3802 +55 11 5105 9220
pierre.lelievre@gemalto.com ernesto.haikewitsch@gemalto.com
Press Release (PDF):
http://hugin.info/159293/R/1759094/594796.pdf
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Source: Gemalto via GlobeNewswire
[HUG#1759094]