COLOMBES, France. - Wednesday, March 26th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE) Oberthur Technologies (OT), a world leader in digital security solutions for the mobility space and Network International, the leading payment solutions provider in the Middle East, today announced a strategic partnership which brings together a complete portfolio of payment solutions including card personalisation, EMV and related payment security services to clients across the Middle East and Africa. OT is also pleased to announce the inauguration of the largest service centre within the MEA region, located in Dubai.

The partnership leverages on OT’s expertise in the smartcard industry and on its Common Personalisation System (CPS). With the opening of its state of the art service centre located in Dubai, OT will provide personalisation and fulfilment services to its customers across Middle East and Africa. It is fully certified by both MasterCard and Visa, measures 800 m² and has a capacity to issue 15Mu cards annually.The new service centre consolidates OT’s acquisition of Cupola Plastic Cards in 2012 and Obernet in 2013 to create a centre of excellence in this region.

Network International’s strong customer base and relationships across the Middle East make them an ideal partner for OT, in order to introduce advanced solutions in personalisation, mobile payments, NFC and authentication. Their decision to use OT’s technologies is proof of how the company is transforming itself to accelerate its development and capture new market opportunities.

“We are pleased to announce this partnership with Network International which has certainly played a vital role in transforming the UAE’s payment service industry. The continued cooperation between both companies and especially this new agreement enables us to increase the scale of our local business and offer an array of new valuable services in the country” said Eric Duforest, Managing Director of the Payment Business Unit at OT. “We are also pleased to have inaugurated our service centre in Dubai, which is the largest in the MEA region.”

Bhairav Trivedi, Chief Executive Officer, Network International, said: “With cards becoming an object of prestige and value beyond their payment capability, card personalization is becoming increasingly important today. Financial institutions view their payment cards as primary drivers in strengthening cardholder relationships, and are often on the lookout for innovation and security focused features that can add considerable value. Network International is confident that this partnership with OT will enable us to offer clients tailored solutions that will exceed their expectations.”

ABOUT OBERTHUR TECHNOLOGIES

OT is a world leader in digital security solutions for the mobility space. OT has always been at the heart of mobility, from the first smart cards to the latest contactless payment technologies which equip millions of smartphones. Present in the Payment, Telecommunications and Identity markets, OT offers end-to-end solutions in the Smart Transactions, Mobile Financial Services, Machine-to-Machine, Digital Identity and Transport & Access Control fields. OT employs over 6 000 employees worldwide, including 600 R&D people. With more than 50 sales offices across 5 continents and 10 facilities, OT’s international network serves clients in 140 countries. For more information: www.oberthur.com

ABOUT NETWORK INTERNATIONAL

Established in 1994, Network International LLC is the largest acquirer, and one of the leading payment solutions providers in the Middle East, geared to meet the needs of banks, financial institutions and large and individual retailers. It is a Principal Member of Visa International and MasterCard International for the UAE, offering customers the most comprehensive range of payment products and services for both the Issuing and Acquiring segment of the card payment industry. Offerings include credit and debit card processing services, ATM management and monitoring, merchant acquiring plus consumer finance applications. Network International provides consultancy services ranging from planning and designing, to developing of new card and consumer finance products and services.

Network International is the first independent vendor certified by both Visa & MasterCard for card payments in the Middle East. It is the UAE's largest payment acquirer for Credit & Debit Cards and the largest third-party processing vendor offering complete EMV certified solutions as institutions migrate to EMV Smart Card technology.

Contacts

MEDIA CONTACTS
Oberthur Technologies
Audrey Besnardeau, Tel : +33 1 78 14 76 75
a.besnardeau@oberthur.com

FTI Consulting Strategic Communication
Yannick Duvergé, Tel : +33 1 47 03 68 65 / +33 6 74 91 48 05
yannick.duverge@fticonsulting.com

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