ORLEANS, France, March 3 /PRNewswire/ --

- Branch Issued Chip and PIN Cards can be Produced in as Little as One
Minute

Datacard Group, the world leader in secure ID and card
personalization solutions, today announced that they are working with Monext,
a key player in the electronic payment market in Europe, to offer clients an
innovative and secure equipment and software solution for the instant
issuance of EMV(R) compliant payment cards.

The two companies offer complementary areas of expertise that
help to speed cards into the hands of consumers. Issuers know that instantly
issued cards get activated more quickly and are used more frequently than
cards that are distributed from a central location. Users tend to be more
loyal to these cards as well.

The Monext platform manages card data on behalf of the issuer,
and interfaces directly with an instant card issuance system specifically
developed by Datacard Group. The combined solution, which complies with
MasterCard and Visa security standards & guidelines, can encode, emboss and
deliver a live chip and pin card in as little as one minute.

Sylvain AuchÚre, Head of Solutions for Datacard Group's
European operations, comments, "By combining our extensive card
personalization experience, with Monext's expertise in real-time management
of confidential data, we were able to deliver an instant issuance solution
that was fast, secure and helps to drive more revenue for issuers while
optimizing their customer acquisition cost."

Philippe David, Director of the Banks and Payment Solutions
business unit, adds: "Monext, market leader in the management of payment
cards on behalf of issuers, is an expert in real-time management of
confidential data. Clients benefit from this experience, coupled with
Datacard Group's personalization solutions, allowing for cards to be
delivered securely in less than a minute." We also offer our clients
value-added services that can be added to the instant card issuing service,
such as PIN code selection or a choice of visuals."

Datacard Group offers the world's best-selling secure ID and
card personalization solutions. The company's portfolio includes systems for
high-volume card issuance, card delivery and fulfillment, secure ID issuance
and passport production, plus extensive service and supply offerings.
Datacard Group serves customers in more than 120 countries 
(http://www.datacard.com).

Monext has 400 staff managing more than 2 million bank cards,
3 million transport cards and 3 million private-label (petrol and retail)
cards on a day-to-day basis, and handles more than 550 million transactions
per year, making it a major player in the French electronic payment market.
Its aim is to facilitate secure, reliable and immediate electronic payment
transactions, with or without a card, at the point of sale, online or via
mobile phones (http://www.monext.fr).

Contact presse : Solange Stricker Finincom

    Christina Bel
    +33-1-40-71-32-74
    c.bel@f2scom.com

    Romain Sulpice
    +33-1-40-71-32-75
    r.sulpice@f2scom.com