By the end of June 2005, Gemplus delivered 500,000 cards to Setefi, Intesa Group’s service centre, where the personalisation process is carried out. The cards are intended for credit and debit payment applications, as well as for Intesa Group’s specific payment application, Moneta. In 2004, many European banks made the necessary preparations in readiness for the roll out of EMV in 2005. They continue their strategy to combat card fraud with the objective that greater security will boost usage and strengthen their relationship with their customers. The migration progress will be of key significance in Italy during the second half of 2005. The cards will be produced at Gemplus’ specialised European PVC manufacturing facility in Havant, UK. steve.lacourt@gemplus.com www.gemplus.com