Payment cards have become an essential tool for conducting secure transactions in today’s digital age. As the global demand for payment cards continues to rise, it’s crucial to have an efficient and flexible card personalization process that can adapt to the evolving needs of the industry.
An open EMV card personalization platform that’s hardware agnostic—and open to all card personalization machine brands and chip vendors—plays a pivotal role in ensuring seamless operations and mitigating potential disruptions.
Einars Leps, X Infotech sales director and a member of the International Card Manufacturers Association (ICMA), reveals how an open EMV card personalization platform meets the unique needs of card issuers and personalization bureaus, along with the advantages of unlocking its potential.
Meeting the Unique Needs
An open EMV card personalization platform enables the personalization of EMV (Europay, Mastercard and Visa) chip cards while maintaining security and compliance with industry standards. This is critical for guaranteeing the security and integrity of payment transactions performed using these cards.
Card issuers and personalization bureaus can customize EMV chip cards to meet their unique needs with this platform. In addition to printing individualized information, like account numbers and cardholder names on the actual card, this process involves embedding cardholder data, cryptographic keys and other information onto the chip.
Unlocking the Potential
An EMV card personalization platform has significant potential for organizations including:
1. Enhanced Flexibility and Interoperability
An open EMV card personalization platform, such as an X Infotech card personalization solution, allows businesses to choose from a wide range of card personalization machine brands and chip vendors. This flexibility enables organizations to select the best-suited equipment and chip technology that aligns with their specific requirements. With interoperability at the core, an X Infotech platform ensures smooth integration and seamless communication between various hardware and software components, eliminating the challenges associated with proprietary systems.
2. Future-Proofing and Innovation
By adopting an open platform, organizations can future-proof their operations against technological advancements and market shifts. As the payments landscape continues to evolve, new chip technologies and personalization techniques emerge. An open platform enables businesses to easily adapt to these changes without being locked into a single system. It fosters an environment of innovation, encouraging collaboration between different vendors, chip manufacturers and technology providers to develop cutting-edge solutions that meet the needs of a dynamic market.
3. Mitigating Disruptions Amid Global Chip Shortages
The recent global chip shortages have presented significant challenges to the card production industry. The limited availability of chips has led to delays, increased costs and even halted production lines. An open EMV card personalization platform can help mitigate these disruptions by offering a diverse range of chip vendors. Organizations can choose the best hardware and chip technologies to meet their unique requirements because of this flexibility.
4. Cost Optimization and Competitive Advantage
An open platform fosters healthy competition among card personalization machine brands and chip vendors. With multiple options available, organizations have the opportunity to negotiate better pricing and terms. This competitive environment encourages vendors to enhance their offerings, driving innovation and ultimately leading to cost optimization. Organizations can leverage this advantage to produce cards more efficiently, reduce expenses and gain a competitive edge in the market.
In closing, from what we can now observe, digital technologies are developing toward openness—open AI for citizens, open API for businesses, open data and open source for the general public. By embracing openness, collaboration and innovation, organizations can unlock the true potential of their card personalization processes and contribute to a more dynamic and resilient industry.
Obtaining More Insights on Card Trends
For more than 30 years, ICMA has represented the interests of the card manufacturing industry—which includes manufacturers, personalizers, issuers and suppliers—as its leading global association.
Throughout the year, ICMA members have the opportunity to share insights and knowledge by giving presentations during ICMA webcasts and events. The association’s main event is its annual Card Manufacturing & Personalization EXPO. The 2024 EXPO will take place from May 13-16 in Orlando, Florida.
ICMA offers regular educational opportunities, including ACE-Manufacturing, ACE-Personalization and ACE-Advanced Technologies training and exams at the ICMA EXPO. ICMA also offers ACE-Commercial training, which provides sales, marketing, customer service and other key personnel at ICMA member companies with the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of card manufacturing.
Learn more about the benefits of ICMA membership.