IDEMIA, G+D and NXP Launch WLA to Offer Smart Card and Online Payment Firms an Independent Contactless Payment Standard

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The White Label Alliance (WLA) was formed in response to increasing global demand for next-generation, independent payment solutions. WLA consolidates and sets independent standards for contact and contactless cards, mobile and other form factors and payment terminal acceptance. WLA has also signed a strategic licensing agreement with JCB.

Following a 2019 announcement, IDEMIA, G+D and NXP® Semiconductors have launched the White Label Alliance (WLA), which responds to growing global demand for next-generation, independent payment solutions for domestic and private-label payment brands.

WLA sets and updates an open and comprehensive payment standard that enables ready-to-deploy dual interface payment solutions covering contact and contactless payment cards, mobile devices and payment terminal acceptance. Building on the EMV standard, WLA facilitates migration to contactless solutions and ensures interoperability across various system providers.

As a member-driven association, WLA is committed to evolve with any future developments as required by its members. WLA members are free to use this technology and its certification framework to boost contactless payment take-up.

With an aim to accelerate technology adoption and shorten time-to-market, WLA has signed a license deal with JCB, a leading global payment scheme. Under this deal, WLA members benefit from use of the JCB Contactless specification and kernel that most acceptance terminals support. WLA members can thus draw on existing and widely deployed JCB-approved terminal devices.

WLA President Jacques Doucerain said:

“I would like to warmly welcome JCB to WLA on behalf of our founding members G+D, IDEMIA and NXP. We all work together to create a truly independent solution, based on tried and tested technology, with rapid time to market for domestic payment networks, transport operators, private schemes and retailers. Our agreement with JCB will boost our appeal and this unprecedented payment industry initiative. It furthers our original goal to bring about a global independent standard.

Masaki Yokawa, EVP, Brand Business at JCB said:

“As momentum toward contactless payments is gathering on a global scale, it is becoming critical that the interoperable contactless capability is more accessible so that a wider audience can benefit from the enhanced convenience and security. By offering our technology to WLA, we are delighted to work with banks, local networks and vendors to enable contactless implementation with less efforts and shorter time-to-market."

Disclaimer for WLA and logo trademarks.

About WLA
Headquartered in Munich, the White Label Alliance (WLA) is a member-driven organization committed to extensive adoption of independent payment solutions for smart card and digital firms based on WLA payment standards that enable ready-to-deploy and interoperable payment solutions.
Find out more at wla-payment.org.

About Giesecke+Devrient
Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) is a global security technology group headquartered in Munich, Germany. Innovations from G+D make the lives of billions of people in the digital and physical world more secure. With its products and solutions, G+D is one of the market and technology leaders in the areas of payment, connectivity, identities and digital infrastructure. For more information, visit www.gi-de.com

About IDEMIA
IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, provides a trusted environment enabling citizens and consumers alike to perform their daily critical activities (such as pay, connect and travel), in the physical as well as digital space. Securing our identity has become mission critical in the world we live in today. By standing for Augmented Identity, an identity that ensures privacy and trust and guarantees secure, authenticated and verifiable transactions, we reinvent the way we think, produce, use and protect one of our greatest assets – our identity – whether for individuals or for objects, whenever and wherever security matters. We provide Augmented Identity for international clients from Financial, Telecom, Identity, Public Security and IoT sectors. With close to 15,000 employees around the world, IDEMIA serves clients in 180 countries. For more information, visit www.idemia.com / Follow @IDEMIAGroup on Twitter

About NXP
NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ: NXPI) enables secure connections for a smarter world, advancing solutions that make lives easier, better, and safer. As the world leader in secure connectivity solutions for embedded applications, NXP is driving innovation in the automotive, industrial & IoT, mobile, and communication infrastructure markets. Built on more than 60 years of combined experience and expertise, the company has approximately 29,000 employees in more than 30 countries and posted revenue of $8.61 billion in 2020. Find out more at www.nxp.com.

About JCB
JCB is a leading global payment scheme with its global acceptance footprint at about 35 million merchants in the world. JCB cards are now issued in over 20 countries and territories with more than 140 million cardmembers. As part of its international growth strategy, JCB has formed alliances with hundreds of leading banks and financial institutions globally to increase merchant coverage and cardmember base. For more information, visit www.global.jcb/en

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