Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) has been awarded an international contract by the UniCredit Group for the supply of electronic payment system solutions.
The three-year contract was put out to international tender and took effect on January 1, 2011. G&D will be a UniCredit group-wide strategic partner for providing the full spectrum of modern payment cards, including dual-interface cards, as well as comprehensive payment services. The UniCredit Group is an internationally active financial institution and one of Europe's biggest banks, with 160,000 employees.
Besides supplying state-of-the-art debit and credit cards to the UniCredit Group, G&D is able to provide a wide range of services including technical consultancy and card personalization. The successful partnership between Giesecke & Devrient and the UniCredit Group, especially with Germany's HypoVereinsbank, has been existing for many years.
UniCredit Group stated that they were looking for a solutions provider with a global presence and a wide portfolio of innovative products who could offer them the highest levels of quality and reliability.
Michael Kuemmerle, Group Executive of Mobile Security at G&D, said: "This sign of trust adds new depth to our existing partnership with UniCredit. We will use our pioneering solutions and our expertise to make UniCredit's services even more convenient and secure. This includes the development and rollout of new services."
UniCredit's three most important markets are Germany (HypoVereinsbank), Italy (UniCredit) and Poland (Bank Pekao SA). In addition, UniCredit has subsidiaries in a further 19 countries and an international network of around 9,500 branches - including the largest international branch network in central and eastern Europe.