Smart Bits: German Test for SET Internet Protocol

Commerzbank, the department store Karstadt, and Europay International have announced a trial of the Secure Electronic Transactions protocol.

It is the first in Germany, involving 1,500 of Commerzbank's Eurocard- MasterCard customers, and one of a string of SET pilots across Europe.

The companies said Germany has four million Internet users and is growing faster by that measure than other countries in Europe. Its participation in the market for secure bank card payments is expected to boost cross-border volume.

Besides a big Internet market, Germany is "advanced in terms of payment systems," said Louis-Noel Joly, chief executive officer of Europay International, MasterCard's Belgium-based affiliate. "With more and more SET pilots taking off around Europe, we are confident cross-border transactions on the Internet will become commonplace in the near future."

Holger Pleines, pilot project leader at Karstadt, the largest department store chain in Europe, said it joined the effort because SET enables customers "to go on-line shopping in our Internet mall, My World, in complete security."

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