EMVCo has approved Fime's Japanese laboratory to its EMVCo Contactless Communication Protocol Specification, covering both analogue and digital testing requirements.
This accreditation means FIME Japan can support chip card and mobile device manufacturers with type approval testing of their products to the requirements defined by EMVCo.
"Following the launch of our Japanese operation in December 2013, EMVCo accreditations have been a high priority as they are central to the payment ecosystem," comments Alex Chen, Sales Director at FIME Asia. "We have been able to leverage FIME's global expertise and knowledge of quality systems in order to achieve this accreditation quickly and effectively."
EMVCo is the EMV® technical body collectively owned by American Express, Discover, JCB, MasterCard, UnionPay and Visa. It accredits laboratories and qualifies test tools that in turn can support product type approval. This particular EMVCo contactless specification describes the minimum functionality required for operation and market interoperability of contactless payment cards and near field communication (NFC) enabled mobile devices.
Commenting on the marketplace, Alex adds: "The contactless payments ecosystem is evolving rapidly in Japan and this accreditation enables us to support our rapidly growing customer base throughout the development lifecycle of NFC devices and EMV payment chip cards. We partner with our customers to develop payment technology innovations by combining real-world implementation challenges with future technical ambitions. In addition to our status as an EMVCo laboratory, FIME has also achieved accredited laboratory status and test tool qualification from various industry bodies including GlobalPlatform, Isis, Orange, NFC Forum and others. As contactless payments continue to gain traction, FIME recognises the stability and trust these vital compliance schemes bring to the industry.”