Aconite Buys Datacard's Affina Enterprise Smart Card Management System

Datacard Group, a supplier of secure ID and card personalization
solutions, and Aconite, a provider of EMV and smart card software
solutions and professional services, jointly announced that Aconite
will acquire Affina Enterprise Smart Card Management System from
Datacard.
     Under the terms of the agreement, it was reported, Datacard transfers
intellectual property rights, support and development staff for Affina
Enterprise to Aconite in return for an equity stake in Aconite and
future royalties. Affina Issuance will remain a Datacard solution and
part of Datacard Group's intellectual property; however Aconite will
become an authorized distributor of the issuance side of the Affina
solutions. Additionally, Datacard Group will become a global
non-exclusive reseller for Aconite solutions including EMV Transaction
Enabler, EMV Script Processor, Contactless PrePaid solutions as well as
the Affina Enterprise Smart Card Management System.
     Best known for its portfolio of card personalization and fulfillment
equipment, Datacard Group's Affina Enterprise Smart Card Management
System allows issuers to manage their entire portfolio of smart chip
enabled cards, down to the individual cardholder level. Affina
Enterprise manages multi-application smart cards by acting as the
database and system of record to track changes and overall status of
issued cards. In a single application card environment, Affina
Enterprise is very well suited to allow issuers to manage and track
changes made to the transactional characteristics of a card, the
company said.
     "The deal represents a significant development in Aconite's strategy to
expand its product portfolio and international reach. It not only
strengthens our expertise and offerings in the smart card payment arena
but extends our portfolio to provide smart card management solutions
such as data preparation, personalization and card lifecycle management
to customers in finance, government, transport and other sectors" said
Mike Woods, Aconite's CEO.
     Datacard's CEO, Todd Wilkinson said "The combination of Affina
Enterprise and Aconite's specialized EMV capabilities will result in
the world's first end-to-end EMV management system. A partnership like
this will help bank and government issuers streamline card lifecycle
deployments and allow both Datacard and Aconite to focus on their
respective segments of this exciting marketplace".
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