Bank Islam Malaysia has begun issuing its MasterCard M/Chip Select smart card, running on Multos, across the region.

Ajay Bhalla, senior vice president and general manager, South East Asia, MasterCard International, says the implementation will not only help the bank combat card fraud, but will also provide a platform to launch customised and differentiated payment programmes.

Ybhg. Dato' Mohd. Yusoff Haji Nasir, chairman, Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad, concurs. "We are planning to introduce debit, MEPSCash and e-purse applications in the near future," he says.