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TransCash Corp. will roll out a prepaid funds-transfer card in France in the third quarter, according to a statement Monday from Total System Services Inc., the United States-based transaction processor known as TSYS that will take part in the launch. Consumers can buy the Visa-branded cards through Midi France Telecom, which sells prepaid phone cards. Supermarkets, including those that are part of the Auchan SA chain, will distribute the cards in packs of two, the processor says. Consumers can load value onto the first card and send the second to relatives outside France. The firms expect demand for the card initially to come from consumers with ties to Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. United States-based TransCash is the first client for TSYS in France. "To coincide with the agreement, TSYS has opened a new office in Paris to support the company's expansion into France," the firm says. Last week, TSYS said it had landed a processing deal for the launch of Visa-branded prepaid cards in Japan (CardLine Global, 15 May).
