Dutch digital security company Gemalto has been selected by French banking organisation Crédit Agricole for the deployment of contactless EMV banking cards in France.

Under the terms of the agreement, Gemalto is set to provide the French market with its Optelio contactless EMV banking card with optimised EMV risk management features. As a result, Crédit Agricole cardholders will be able to pay for purchases under EUR 20 by tapping their card in front of a contactless reader at the point-of-sale. For larger transactions a PIN confirmation will be required. Additionally, the card features several protections which ensure security capabilities.

Gemalto delivers electronic passports and identity cards, two-factor authentication devices for online protection, smart credit/debit and contactless payment cards, as well as subscriber identification modules (SIM) and universal integrated circuit cards (UICC) in mobile phones.