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Swisscard AECS AG, one of Switzerland's largest credit card companies, plans to launch a trial of contactless mobile-payment using Near Field Communication-enabled mobile phones, CardLine Global sister publication Cards&Payments has learned. The trial could be announced before the end of the month, a source says. A Swisscard spokesperson, however, declines comment. The company, a joint venture of Swiss bank Credit Suisse Group and United States-based American Express Co. formed in 1998, has about 1 million credit cards in circulation in Switzerland. It issues the cards on behalf of Credit Suisse and is the only company in Switzerland to offer credit cards branded by either Visa, MasterCard or American Express. Swisscard also serves as AmEx merchant acquirer in Switzerland. Slightly fewer than 70% of the company's credit cards were branded MasterCard as of the end of 2007, according to Swisscard. Despite that and the part ownership by AmEx, the trial could involve Visa's payWave contactless application. A Visa Europe executive recently disclosed the card company plans to participate in a mobile-payment test in Switzerland in coming months, although the executive declined to elaborate. Swisscard competitor Aduno Group launched a contactless-payment card trial in Switzerland in spring 2007 using MasterCard's PayPass application.
