Citibank Customers Use Open JavaCard Based Multi Application Cards; First reference of JavaCard using 'best of breed' Gemplus and IBM implementation

Business Wire, Nov 11, 1999

GEMENOS, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 10, 1999--

Gemplus(R), the world's leading provider of smart card based solutions, announced today delivery of 20,000 Gemplus smart cards to Citibank customers in Hong Kong. This is the first fully operational banking card system using the JavaCard Open Operating System.

"This first operational implementation of JavaCard only three months after the announcement of GemXpresso 210, demonstrates the maturity of this technology and how fast applications can be developed using it," said Sami Baghdadi, vice-president, multi application solution integration groups. "Gemplus has invested in this technology for several years, launching the first JavaCard pilot ever with Standard Chartered Bank in 1998. Now, with Citibank's roll out of a fully operational JavaCard system, the dream of the Java Open Operating system for multi-application cards has arrived. The Citibank system confirms the GemXpresso 210 as the industry's leading product."

The application launched by Citibank in Hong-Kong, in association with SHKP (Sun Hung Kai Properties), is based on banking cards with contactless application for access control to buildings, and a contact application including VisaCash Purse and loyalty.

"The card provides flexibility and a cost-effective way to respond quickly to customers' needs," said Dan Chan, Citibank vice president, new development marketing. "The innovative, convenient and value added payment services were made possible through timely deployment of 'best of breed' Gemplus and IBM Java Card technology."

As a result of a cooperation agreement between Gemplus and IBM, IBM Javacard technology merged with Gemplus Javacard technology to produce the "best of breed" Javacard implementation: the Gemplus GemXpresso (TM) 210 range. The smart card used in the Citibank project is GemXpresso 210 PK featuring public key cryptography. Moreover, the VisaCash applet has been provided by IBM Research and certified by Visa.

"We are proud to see the IBM Research JavaCard technology and applications being used in this major JavaCard rollout "said Dave McQueeney, director of IBM's Zurich Research laboratory, the birthplace of the IBM JavaCard. IBM research is committed to the success of the JavaCard technology."

In their advanced business models, issuers want to run different applications on their smart card. These applications can be developed and integrated by various parties, added, deleted or modified during the whole card life cycle. Based on the JavaCard specification, GemXpresso cards make it easy and secure.

About Gemplus:

Gemplus S.C.A. (www.gemplus.com) is the world's leading provider of plastic and smart card-based solutions (by units sold, source: Dataquest 1998). Gemplus sells magnetic stripe cards, memory and microprocessor-based smart cards, smart contactless cards, electronic tags and smart objects. The company designs and markets software, development tools and readers. Gemplus also provides consulting, training and personalization services to deliver the industry's most comprehensive and flexible card-based solutions to its developers, distributors, partners, and customers.

With sales of over $US648 million in 1998, Gemplus employs more than 4,300 people in 10 manufacturing facilities, 5 R&D centers and 41 sales and marketing offices located in 27 countries around the world. Founded in 1988, Gemplus has successfully implemented portable and secure smart card-based solutions to simplify applications such as public and wireless communications, financial transactions, loyalty, transportation, education, healthcare, identity, physical access control, pay TV, electronic commerce, Internet security, logical access control and information technology.

Note to Editors: Gemplus is a registered trademark. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.