MasterCard International Joins GlobalPlatform Group

PURCHASE, N.Y. — MasterCard International has joined GlobalPlatform, the consortium formed in 1999 to set standards for multiple-application smart cards.

Visa International is a member of GlobalPlatform and holds a seat on the organization’s board. All Visa smart cards issued in the United States operate on the GlobalPlatform Open Platform security system.

Citigroup Inc., which is MasterCard’s biggest issuer and also holds a GlobalPlatform board seat, is said to be preparing for its own U.S. smart card launch toward yearend.

“MasterCard is dedicated to creating a universal platform and infrastructure that will make it easier and less expensive to deploy multi-application smart cards on a global basis,” said Art Kranzley, its chief e-business officer. “MasterCard is now in a position to help guide the future direction of GlobalPlatform’s operational framework and to look for ways to expand the functionality of this specification to support Multos,” MasterCard’s smart card operating system.

In a press release, GlobalPlatform’s chairman, Steve Brown, said GlobalPlatform “intends to rename these specifications to better reflect” the inclusion of the Multos system in the GlobalPlatform consortium.