Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) has contracted with Gemplus for the supply of 15 million EMV smart cards to replace the bank's mag-stripe debit cards.
HBOS currently issues approximately five million debit cards per annum, making it one of the largest debit card issuers in the UK. The value of the three-year Gemplus chip card contract has not been disclosed.
The new EMV cards will be used as part of the bank's migration to chip & PIN payments at the point-of-sale and in the delivery of more secure payments functionality for customers.
John Capper, manager, service and delivery strategy banking at HBOS says the bank selected the French card supplier because of its established track record in helping banks migrate to EMV.
"Working with the market leader in smart card solutions gives us the capability to explore the possibilities within that technology to their fullest," he says. "And will allow us to offer our customers an extra level of security and the potential to add a wide range of value added applications."
In an unrelated announcement, Gemplus says it has signed a local production and distribution agreement with Turkish smart card manufacturer Plastkart.