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France-based smart card vendor Gemalto NV has launched a portable reader that consumers can use to authenticate themselves when using online-banking sites. The Ezio Thin Reader weighs about 22 grams and can fit into a wallet, a Gemalto spokesperson tells CardLine Global. The reader conforms to specifications from Visa and MasterCard and can accept smart cards that follow the EMV antifraud standard. Gemalto hopes to sell 2 million readers within a year, the spokesperson says. Consumers insert their cards and PINs into the device, which generates one-time passwords for authentication. The spokesperson says the launch of the device puts Gemalto into greater competition with such European companies as Xiring and Vasco, which sell similar readers, including to banks in the United Kingdom.
