AUSTRIACARD Achieves Key Card Chip Profile Certification, Expands into Saudi Market  

AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS has secured Card Chip Profile certification (Certificate No. CV071) from the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) for Saudi Arabia’s mada debit card scheme, validating its compliance with stringent chip-card quality and technology standards and strengthening its expansion into the Kingdom. Company leaders say the approval enables AUSTRIACARD to offer its full portfolio of payment card solutions to KSA banks and financial institutions and support the region’s digital transformation efforts tied to Vision 2030.   

For more information, visit austriacard.com. 

EMV Training in London to Deliver Practical, Expert-Led Instruction This October  

Payment professionals looking to strengthen their expertise in EMV card and mobile payment solutions will have the opportunity to do so this October at Barnes EMV Training in London, UK. The 3.5-day program features interactive sessions led by an EMV expert and is designed to give attendees the knowledge and confidence to support successful EMV rollouts for their organizations and customers. The training will cover a range of essential topics, including an overview of EMV, transaction flow, Visa and Mastercard contact and contactless card applications, EMV cryptography and key management, card personalization, and card personalization testing. Barnes International has trained hundreds of payment professionals around the world through its public and in-house courses, making this program a valuable opportunity for those seeking both foundational knowledge and practical insight. The course will take place Monday, October 5, through Thursday, October 8, in London, England. 

For more information, visit barnes-international.com/en/. 

Capital One Begins Originating Select Credit Cards on Discover Network  

Capital One has started issuing select new branded credit cards, including Venture, Savor and Quicksilver products, on the Discover Network as part of its integration with Discover. Existing cardholders likely will not see changes until renewal, while premium, business and most partner cards appear to remain on Visa or Mastercard for now. 

For more information, visit capitalone.com. 

Cardel Invests in the Future 

Cardel recently made significant investments in new capital equipment, strengthening its production capacity and expanding what it can deliver. The latest additions include: a high-precision laser cutter, advanced belt grinding technology, a new slitting machine, and enhanced surface processing and coating equipment. Together, these upgrades dramatically enhance the company’s manufacturing capability, improving accuracy, consistency, throughput and finish across its operations. While these investments further strengthen the company’s core product ranges for the card manufacturing industry, they also expand its ability to support customers in the PCB and woodworking sectors. From tighter tolerances and improved surface quality to faster turnaround times and greater flexibility, this new equipment allows the company to meet more demanding specifications with confidence: greater production capacity to support growing demand; improved quality and reliability; faster, more reliable lead times; and a broader range of manufacturing solutions from a trusted partner. This is more than new machinery. It’s about delivering better outcomes, building long-term partnerships and ensuring Cardel Ltd. continues to support your success as your requirements evolve. 

For more information, visit cardel.co.uk. 

Postal Savings Bank Selects Key Partner to Supply Bank Card and Hard Wallet Project  

Eastcompeace was selected by the Postal Savings Bank of China to manufacture bank cards and digital currency hard wallet cards, marking a major milestone in its partnerships with state-owned banks. The project highlights advanced card features such as secure chip encryption and dual offline payments, strengthening security and usability in China’s evolving digital payments ecosystem. 

Fiserv Forms Agentic Commerce Pacts with Visa and Mastercard  

Fiserv has launched agentic commerce–focused partnerships with ICMA member Mastercard and Visa to help merchants safely adopt AI-driven transactions at scale. With Visa, Fiserv is integrating Visa Intelligent Commerce and deploying the Trusted Agent Protocol across its acceptance ecosystem to authenticate agent-led transactions and distinguish trusted agents from malicious bots, embedding trust and security as commerce becomes more automated. In parallel, Fiserv is becoming one of the first major processors to implement Mastercard’s Agent Pay Acceptance Framework at scale, integrating Secure Card on File and acting as a network token requestor to enable AI agents to transact securely on customers’ behalf. Executives from both networks emphasized that agentic commerce builds on familiar checkout behaviors but requires continuous validation and human oversight to maintain trust as payments move toward more seamless, potentially buttonless experiences. 

For more information, visit fiserv.com. 

Graph-Tech USA and Digimarc Partner to Reduce Gift Card Fraud  

Graph-Tech USA (GTUS) and Digimarc have formed a strategic partnership to fight rising gift card fraud by embedding secure, POS-readable digital watermarks directly onto cards during production. As fraud rings increasingly defeat sealed packaging—leaving 23% of U.S. consumers having given or received empty gift cards—Digimarc’s tamper-resistant solution uses government-grade, two-dimensional digital watermarks that POS scanners can automatically verify at checkout, preventing activation of compromised cards while allowing legitimate ones to activate instantly. Graph-Tech USA enables this capability through its eZ-Inkjet industrial printers and controllers, allowing authorized Digimarc watermarks to be printed without changing existing checkout workflows or requiring new POS hardware. The partners position the solution as a practical, scalable breakthrough that automates fraud detection, reduces packaging waste and costs and restores trust for consumers, retailers and brands. 

For more information, visit graphtech.com. 

IDEMIA and DeCard Launch Premium Metal Card for Crypto Users  

IDEMIA Secure Transactions has partnered with DeCard to launch the 22-gram DeCard Luminaries metal card, a premium stablecoin-enabled payment card aimed at high-value Web3 customers. Priced at a $388 annual fee, the card combines luxury design and personalization with benefits such as higher spending limits, cashback, airport lounge access and insurance coverage. 

For more information, visit idemia.com. 

Linxens Unveils Hint to Detect Chip-Tampered ID Documents  

Linxens has introduced a new card-level security feature called Hint that strengthens electronic identity cards and passports by detecting deliberate attempts to damage or disable embedded chips, a growing form of document fraud. As criminals increasingly target chips to force border systems to rely on weaker visual checks, Hint is embedded within the card’s inlay to monitor magnetic, electrical and physical interference and signal tampering during inspection. The technology makes chip-enabled cards more resilient without changing existing production processes, allowing authorities to identify compromised identity documents earlier across automated gates, manual border checks and administrative verification for eIDs, passports, residence permits and driver’s licenses. 

For more information, visit linxens.com. 

Mastercard, Visa Jockey to Set Agentic Standards  

(Originally appeared in PaymentsDive)  

Mastercard and Visa are collaborating with Stripe and Google to help establish standards for agentic shopping and payments, even as they compete to shape how AI-driven transactions will work. Their efforts focus on making autonomous commerce more secure, standardized and scalable through tokenization, shared protocols and clearer consumer authorization. 

For more information, visit mastercard.com. 

Monadnock Paper Mills Earns TÜV OK Home Compost Certification 
for Paper-Based Durable Card Solution 

Monadnock Paper Mills announced that its paper-based Compostable Card has earned TÜV OK Home Compost certification, confirming it can safely decompose in home composting conditions and offering brands a viable alternative to single-use plastics. Made from bright white engineered board using 100% post-consumer recycled fiber and FDA food-contact-compliant materials, the product is designed to deliver durability, humidity resistance, and temperature stability for applications such as bakery bag closures, paper gift and loyalty cards, and durable signage—helping reduce plastic waste (including billions of plastic bakery clips produced annually). The certification adds to Monadnock’s broader sustainability credentials, including back-to-back EcoVadis Platinum ratings, Mastercard CEC certification for gift card products, ISO 14001 environmental management, FSC certification, carbon-neutral manufacturing via verified emission reductions, and use of 100% renewable electricity. 

For more information, visit mpm.com.