CardInk

SmartCards feature secure storage, data processing and cryptographic operations providing security and added value to the users. Therefore SmartCards are now expanding fast in the banking industry to replace magnetic stripe cards.
In order to reduce card fraud, the international payment networks (MasterCard International and VISA) and the banking community have decided in parallel to improve the security of cash withdrawal processing, as well as payments and electronic payments, by defining and enforcing EMV specifications.
But enforcing these new technologies face banks with additional challenges when it comes to the process of preparing and issuing SmartCards implementing the new technologies.

Bull has chosen to distribute CardInk (a product of Cryptomathic) as a personalization preparation system, used for issuing single- and multi-application SmartCards. Based on an input file which contains information on cardholders,
CardInk generates the application data to be stored on the card, including cryptographic data.
CardInk fully complies with the EMV and CEPS Global Platform and Common Personalization standards and covers the applications of MasterCard International and VISA.

Architecture

CardInk is a client/server system. Production can be controlled either through the client or by using an automated interface, which enables daily production to proceed without operator intervention. Secure administrators ensure users with privileges; e.g. the privilege of managing the system remotely via network.

Benefits

• Solid products, proven with some of the largest issuers in the world.
  
  
• High degree of flexibility in choosing the issuing strategy for each bank. The bank can decide on
  · type of card to use (e.g. SDA or DDA);
  · card vendor and card supplier;
  · applications to be put on the card;
  · parameters for each application.
  · For greater flexibility the bank has the option of installing on-site data preparation facilities and defining card applications and parameters themselves.
  
  
• Banks' data is handled in complete security. At all processing stages data is always protected with Hardware Security Module-based cryptography.
  
  
• Scalability. The solution can scale from small EMV pilots for 1,000 cards up to high-volume non-stop personalization with references reaching performance of more than 10,000 DDA cards per hour20,000,000 cards per year.
  
  
• Straightforward approach to banks' migration. It is not required for a bank's back-offices to be able to handle EMV card data. Each bank prepares cardholder data in the same way as was done for magnetic stripe issuing. EMV card data and keys are managed by the Bull solution.
  

Cryptomathic and Bull joint references

• The largest French bank, Crédit Agricole SA.
• Crédit Mutuel de Bretagne.