CSOB Bank in the Czech Republic and Kredyt Bank Poland have begun a mass roll-out of Proton Prisma multi-application smart cards.
Both banks are part of the KBC Bank & Insurance Group which signed a license agreement with Proton World International in 2002 allowing a number of KBC's associated banks in Central and Eastern Europe to start implementing Prisma technology.
Both banks are using Matrix, the Proton Prisma card management and personalisation system to manage the roll-out.
Kredyt Bank, which began to issue chip-based Visa Classic and Gold credit cards last month following approval from Visa, also plans to replace its present Electron and Maestro debit cards with Proton Prisma-based EMV cards. The bank is also exploring opportunities to develop loyalty applications on the chip.
In the Czech Republic, CSOB Bank started the migration of its Visa Electron debit card base to chip technology in June, and will move other cards to the platform under a phased roll-out.
STMicroelectronics, which acquired Proton from ERG in April, says a third KBC-affiliated bank, K&H, has also decided to implement the platform in Hungary.