Gemalto gets MasterCard approval for NFC mobile payment solution

The digital security giant has become the first company to receive certification from the payments network, paving the way for the commercial deployment of mobile payments based on MasterCard’s PayPass technology.

Gemalto
GEMALTO: First NFC offering certified by Mastercard

Gemalto has become the first company to have its NFC mobile application certified by Mastercard, paving the way for a global roll-out of the digital security firm’s contactless payment solution.

Gemalto’s UICC-embedded software application is compliant with Mastercard’s mobile PayPass M/Chip 4, the new payment specification designed for mobile NFC. The application and the UICC have both achieved Mastercard’s compliance assessment and security testing certification.

“This new certification from Mastercard makes Gemalto the first on the market for this mobile product and will enable banks and wireless operators to offer a secure, innovative and convenient payment means to their entire customer base,” says Jean-Claude Deturche, senior vice president of mobile financial solutions at Gemalto.

Gemalto’s software application is embedded in the SIM and incorporates the trusted service management interface for Paypass, enabling over-the-air account provisioning and management.

It can be configured to offer debit, credit and prepaid functions, and in the latter case the application enables consumers to top-up their account directly from their mobile phone.

Mastercard’s James Anderson says the collaboration will help to “add ease” to the fast-paced lifetsyles of consumers around the world.

“We are pleased to collaborate with Gemalto to broadly expand the use of mobile payment services,” he says. “Leveraging the interoperability of Mastercard PayPass, Gemalto’s effort will enable cross-border mobile NFC payment, adding ease to the fast-paced lifestyles of more and more consumers across the world.”

The move comes after last December’s announcement that DeviceFidelity‘s In2Pay microSD NFC solution had been certified by Visa for commercial usage.

The collaboration was described at the time as a “historic milestone for Visa and its clients”.

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