On June 15th, Oberthur Technologies has officially launched the new Visa payWave contactless payment plan with the People's Bank of Georgia (PBC). The bank’s “Voyage Card†combines Chip and PIN payment with Visa’s payWave contactless payment application, enabling cardholders to simply place the card in front of the reader. The card also provides MIFARE tickets for public transportation, thus taking the forefront of payment fusion technology. The Voyage Card combines the visual effects of hot stamping technology and will provide the bank with an effective marketing tool to become a "pay first choice" card that will improve customer frequency and loyalty.
The Voyage Card is also the world’s first Visa payWave contactless card that uses Oberth Technologies’ first-rate “hot stamp†card design technology to provide a new look for the People’s Bank card without any risk of intervening in transactions. Part of the card design (a world map) is the use of holographic material on the surface of the card to make high-resolution embossed holographic prints that are very attractive to the cardholder's eye.
The bank plans to issue this card to students and teachers in Tbilisi, which is an important customer area where the bank encourages the use of contactless technology. The People's Bank also plans to implement Visa payWave at pharmacies, train stations, fast food restaurants, schools and universities. Contactless payments replace low-payment cash payments, the most common forms of transactions in Europe today. It shortens the transaction time and waits for the store to queue up and check and achieves significant time savings for shoppers and merchants by increasing free spending in the store. The MIFARE application of the Voyage Card also enables customers to purchase personalized e-tickets for the Tbilisi public transport system.
George Glonti, chief executive of Georgia’s People’s Bank, said: “The People’s Bank of Georgia greatly appreciates the role of Oberthur Technologies in this and its important plans for the bank and the country as a whole. Oberthur has always been a reliable support partner in this plan. The international experience, technical innovations and expertise of Oberthur technicians have enabled us to issue the first VISA payWave card in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. This is a historic event in the payment card industry.â€
Frederic Chevreton, Head of Payment Products for Oberthur Technologies Card Systems Division, stated: “The People’s Bank’s Visa payWave program clearly articulates the innovative technologies of Oberthur’s contactless payments, and the real world applications of smart cards will drive advances in the payments industry. In this important region, consumers will be able to take advantage of the versatility, speed and security of contactless payments, and the flexibility of converged payment and public transportation applications."
The Voyage Card is also the world’s first Visa payWave contactless card that uses Oberth Technologies’ first-rate “hot stamp†card design technology to provide a new look for the People’s Bank card without any risk of intervening in transactions. Part of the card design (a world map) is the use of holographic material on the surface of the card to make high-resolution embossed holographic prints that are very attractive to the cardholder's eye.
The bank plans to issue this card to students and teachers in Tbilisi, which is an important customer area where the bank encourages the use of contactless technology. The People's Bank also plans to implement Visa payWave at pharmacies, train stations, fast food restaurants, schools and universities. Contactless payments replace low-payment cash payments, the most common forms of transactions in Europe today. It shortens the transaction time and waits for the store to queue up and check and achieves significant time savings for shoppers and merchants by increasing free spending in the store. The MIFARE application of the Voyage Card also enables customers to purchase personalized e-tickets for the Tbilisi public transport system.
George Glonti, chief executive of Georgia’s People’s Bank, said: “The People’s Bank of Georgia greatly appreciates the role of Oberthur Technologies in this and its important plans for the bank and the country as a whole. Oberthur has always been a reliable support partner in this plan. The international experience, technical innovations and expertise of Oberthur technicians have enabled us to issue the first VISA payWave card in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. This is a historic event in the payment card industry.â€
Frederic Chevreton, Head of Payment Products for Oberthur Technologies Card Systems Division, stated: “The People’s Bank’s Visa payWave program clearly articulates the innovative technologies of Oberthur’s contactless payments, and the real world applications of smart cards will drive advances in the payments industry. In this important region, consumers will be able to take advantage of the versatility, speed and security of contactless payments, and the flexibility of converged payment and public transportation applications."