Sagem Orga expands EMV service in the Middle East

Strategic partnership with ARAB FINANCIAL SERVICE COMPANY in Bahrain

Paderborn/ Dubai/ Kingdom of Bahrain, 1st August, 2006

Sagem Orga continues to expand its banking business in the Middle East. After providing the first PayPass Dual Interface card on EMV basis to the region, the company has now signed a strategic partnership with Arab Financial Service Company (AFS) in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Through its partner AFS, Sagem Orga now enables banks in the Middle East with EMV personalization and EMV migration consulting.

EMV migration has picked up speed in the Middle East. Much like in Asia Pacific, banks in the region are increasingly looking for sophisticated EMV migration solutions that provide multifunctionality to let them tap new revenue potential and enable a unique customer experience. “While EMV migration itself poses a challenge to the IT departments and Risk Management teams of a bank, the call for a flexible but highly secure card product such as Sagem Orga EMV Lite, Plus or Pro, including local EMV personalization, underscores the modern approach taken by banks in the Arab world,” says Silvio Stockmann, Head of Business Unit Banking at Sagem Orga.

To strengthen its footprint in the region, Sagem Orga chose AFS as its strategic partner for the Middle East. This partnership joins the EMV personalization capabilities of AFS and Sagem Orga’s proven track record in EMV migration both in European markets and overseas. The result is a sophisticated and reliable service bureau available locally to banks in the region. Sales, customer support and training will continue to be provided by Sagem Orga‘s regional banking center in Dubai.

“We are proud to partner with Sagem Orga. Their expertise in EMV migration will enhance our personalization service with system integration and more in-depth customer services related to EMV. This will be a real benefit to the region and will enable us to provide a complete solutions to our customers” explains Rasool Hujair, CEO, of Arab Financial Service Company.