• An overview of the technology
• How do we measure success?
• Why don’t they go e?
• Interoperability
• Are Smart Cards green?
• Communications

To see the slides from the presentation click here.

Gemalto will be at Card & Payments Middle East 2012. Come and see their presentation or meet them by registering here.

See what FREE seminars you can attend here.

Getting ready for the RFID World event on Wednesday the 16^th at ADNEC in Abu Dhabi. The speakers are getting prepped and ready for the event and are already talking about RFID’s multi-functionality. The day will be packed full with regional and international case studies that will teach you how to bring the RFID solution to your business.

From family groups, to oil and gas companies – RFID is streamlining business process and improving operational efficiency and the RFID World is the place where you can learn how to employ these new technologies to benefit your business.

Speakers from Saudi Aramco, Saudi Post, DHL and the Al Fahim Group will share their real –life experiences of successful RFID implantation. It’s about building RFID investment into your business model, ensuring best business practice and ultimately building a profitable business.

From retailers to banks, production to logistics, RFID technology is changing the way businesses are run and RFID World is your fast-track solution to learn how to bring this business excellence to your firm.

RFID World takes place at Cards and Payments Middle East, the region’s largest payments event. Register now to network with thousands of visitors

1. Africa Economic Outlook – download
2. Royal Bank – Rebuilding a service ethic brand – download
3. Towards a successful corporate banking model in Africa – download
4. The Basel Committee and Regulatory Reform – download
5. The New Framework for Banking Supervision – download
6. Talk is Cheap – Putting Policies into Practice – download
7. Regulatory reform: remaining challenges – download
8. What’s next for banking? – download
9. Case study: Nedbank Retail turnaround – download
10. Banking the low income market – download

Banking Outlook Africa is a conference for retail bankers with a banking technology day. It is about the opportunities, ideas, strategies and solutions in retail banking markets in Africa.

MasterCard

The PayPass Wallet will be up against competing payment services from major competitors Visa, Paypal and Google.

The PayPass Wallet is set to be released in the third quarter of 2012. Partners already onboard are JB Hi-Fi, American Airlines, CBA, and Westpac.

The PayPass Wallet has three components to steamline the shopping experience: PayPass Acceptance Network, Paypass Wallet, and PayPass API.

For full details, click here to read the article by Sydney Morning Herald.

To learn more about the lastest payment innovations and strategies, check out the Cards and Payments Australasia expo.

Mobile Money World Africa is about the opportunities that lie in Africa’s mobile money and payments sector.

This event brings together Africa’s Mobile Telecom Operators, Micro Financiers, Retailers & Merchants and Money Transfer Organisations.
Mobile Money World Africa is a unique offering in the African market. This is Africa’s only conference and exhibition dedicated to growing this niche sector.

If you are in the business of providing world-class solutions you need to be here!

http://www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/cards-and-payments-africa/

Click here to see the graphic and share your thoughts: http://mashable.com/2012/05/02/future-of-mobile-payments/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Spain has already been introduced to this technology and Alan Shields, Director of RFi says that there is no doubt the technology will make its way to Australia.

Having contactless ATMs will allow people to access their money quickly and also offer cards greater protection from theft.

Click here to read the full article by the Hearld Sun.

To gain more insights and strategies on payment innovation for retail banks, merchants, government and telecommunications, please check out Cards and Payments Australasia 2013.

Banks in the GCC are slowly starting to recover following the economic crisis of recent years.  As timely actions by Government, central banks and individual banks softened the blow and ushered in a more rapid return to profitability.These top 10 GCC banks must now focus on improving efficiencies and tackling their remaining challenges.

The top 10 banks in GCC had assets worth more than $612 billion last year:

1. Qatar National Bank (QNB)
QNB’s assets grew by 35 per cent year-on-year to $83 billion in 2011, while net profits also rose by 32 per cent to just over $2 billion.

2. National Commercial Bank (NCB)
Saudi Arabia’s NCB came second with $80 billion in assets, an increase of 6.6 per cent from 2010. The bank’s net profit reached $1.6 billion in 2011.

3. Emirates NBD (ENBD)

ENBD, the UAE’s largest bank by assets, was pushed to the third spot from the first position last year after its assets reduced 0.5 per cent to $77.4 billion. Net profit also dropped to $676 million.

4. National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD)
NBAD’s assets rose significantly in 2011 to $69.6 billion, up 20.9 per cent from $57.5 billion in 2010.

5. Al Rajhi Banking Corporation
The second bank from Saudi Arabia on the list, Al Rajhi also saw its assets growing by 19.4 per cent, from $49.2 billion in 2010 to $58.8 billion last year.

6. Samba
The Saudi Arabian bank dropped one spot from last year due to a weak increase in assets. Samba’s assets reached $51 billion in 2011, a 2.8 per cent year-on year rise.

7. National Bank of Kuwait (NBK)
NBK, Kuwait’s biggest bank, jumped up from the ninth spot last year as its assets rose six per cent to $48.9 billion in 2011.

8. Kuwait Finance House
Kuwait Finance House’s assets rose 7.71 per cent from 2010 to reach $48.3 billion last year.

9. Riyad Bank
With slightly lower assets than Kuwait Finance House, Riyad Bank dropped one spot this year. Its assets rose 4.4 per cent year-on-year to reach $48.2 billion in 2011.

10. Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB)
ADCB’s assets fell 1.85 per cent year-on-year in 2011 to reach $47.6 billion, pushing the bank three spots down from last year. However, ADCB’s profit soared by over 600 per cent in 2011, aided by higher net interest income and lower provisioning charges. ADCB’s results also benefitted from the sale of its stake in RHB Capital Berhad, which resulted in a major gain of Dhs1.3 billion.

The following are several reasons why profitable growth in the GCC banking sector continues to rise:

• Favourable demographics – The young wealthy population has fueled demand for more banking products
• Credit hungry economy – Rising oil revenues and government investments in diversification have helped the region grow
• Low banking penetration – Despite the credit hungry environment, the GCC banking system has lower penetration levels that its Western counterparts
• Competition – Historically, GCC countries have been cautious in opening up their banking sector to foreign banks
• Lower costs – Labor intense operations and limited geographical spread have helped GCC banks keep down operating expenses and capital expenditure
• Easier access to cheap funds – Governments have substantial ownership in most GCC banks, helping some banks gain access to stable deposits at lower costs than would otherwise be possible.

Source – http://www.gulfbusiness.com/revealed-top-10-gcc-banks-2011?page=2

To meet representatives from all of the banks in GCC, discover the latest cards and payment strategies, find out the power of NFC and mobile payments and enhance your pre paid and self service strategy to improve customer loyalty and experience – register to attend Cards & Payments Middle East.

Bell ID were at Cards Middle East 2011 to deliver the FREE seminar session: Multi-Token Management – Managing EMV cards and NFC payment devices side by side. The presentation covered:

1. “Transactions” view
2. “Lifecycle view” for cards,
3. “Lifecycle view” for mobile
4. Consumers views
   • Registration & activation
   • Transactions

Click here to download the presentation.

If you are interested in attending the FREE exhibition to see these seminars in person register to attend here, and don’t forget to enter your promotion code: BLOG1

> Register to attend

After an overwhelming number of nominations, the finalists have now been shortlisted for the Smart Card Awards 2012.

On Tuesday 15th May, these finalists will be recognised in front of industry leaders, and one nominee from each category will be awarded the title.

› Visit our website to find out the finalists

Here’s how you can attend:

Option 1
When you register for any of the conferences at Cards & Payments Middle East, you will have the opportunity to also reserve a seat at the awards ceremony and gala dinner.
› Register to attend the conference

Option 2
Book 1 of the few available dedicated tables for 10 of your clients and colleagues for just $5000.

› Book a table

This is your opportunity to meet the key players in the smart card industry, network and continue the peer-to-peer interactions you established at the conference in this more relaxed and entertaining setting.

This will be an evening of great entertainment, provided by special guest host Wonho Chung, stand-up comedian, singer, musician, interviewer and media personality.

The awards will be held at the glorious Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, an amazing setting to recognise your teams’ achievements. The evening will begin with a drinks reception followed by the gala dinner, the presentation of the awards, and entertainment from Wonho Chung. What a great night to invite your clients and colleagues along to!

For any enquiries regarding booking your place at the Awards contact Customer Service Manager, Prima Castelino on +971 4 440 2506 or prima.castelino@terrapinn.com.

From payments on the go to transport, ticketing or loyalty programs, NFC technology is an enabler which opens the door to a full range of added value services for mobile operators to build on customer retention, find new revenue streams, gain market share and explore a wide range of mobile marketing strategies. But to drive this forward, consumer trust is essential and NFC services need to be backed up by a reliable and scalable trusted service manager who not only smoothes the service integration but manages the provider relationships and ensures confidential data is kept secret.

Gemalto’s expertise in security and unmatched cross-market experience in Telecom, Banking and Transport enables mobile operators to quickly deploy new services beyond the traditional telecom world. With unrivalled track record of prestigious TSM references and 50 NFC projects worldwide, we are ideally positioned to successfully support service providers in their NFC initiatives.

Author – Christelle Toureille, Middle East North Africa Marketing Director, Telecommunication Solutions, Gemalto

Visit us at NFC World Middle East 2012 – Booth 33A