At its annual General Assembly in Brussels, Eurosmart, the Voice of the Smart Security Industry, released the 2013 figures as well as the 2014 forecast for the worldwide smart secure devices shipments and the smart secure contactless markets.
“Our figures and market evaluations provide solid information, as Eurosmart consolidates the data provided by its member companies which comprise all major players in the industry”, said Oyvind Rastad, Eurosmart’s reelected chairman. “While we had a slight drop in the SIM card market in 2013, mostly due to regulations in Asia requiring stricter proof of identity, the SIM card market is back to growth, with a forecast of 5.1 billion units to be shipped. The deployment of the mobile ultra-broadband internet access and the continued migration to LTE and 4G networks worldwide will attract new broadband services and strengthen the use of multiple connected devices, including smart phones and tablets, to be equipped with a secure high-end SIM card. With the shipments of more than 250 million NFC Secure Elements in 2013, NFC shows strong growth which is expected to continue in 2014.”
For payment, the migration to EMV cards -cards equipped with a chip- drove growth in 2013: “In order to make digital transactions much more secure, we have been pushing hard for cards with magnetic stripes to be replaced by the much safer chip cards”, stated Rastad. “Recent breaches of cyber security all over the world, including the attack on the third-largest U.S. retailer, which affected 40 million payment cards, clearly demonstrate the need for stronger payment security. The latest ‘Third Report on Card Fraud’ from February 2014 by the European Central Bank confirms a correlation between the use of a chip and the decline of fraud.”
“Another growth driver is the increasing digitalization of government services and the corresponding legislation, e.g. electronic passports, electronic vehicle registration card and electronic driving licences, electronic health cards and electronic ID cards. The nascent needs for these e-credentials in areas with a fast-growing population – typically Asia – will ensure a steady growth in the coming years”.
“The Smart Security Industry still regards the security and protection of data and privacy as its foremost goal and offers products, solutions and services for secure electronic authentication and signature”, said the Eurosmart Chairman. “Eurosmart will keep urging European decision-makers to anchor the protection of privacy in the European regulation. Only secure and convenient identification and authentication in mobile telecommunications, payment, identity, healthcare or transport will foster citizens’ trust in the digital world. Another key driver for EMV migration is the convenience brought by speedy contactless transactions as evident by the 2014 forecast according to which dual interface cards amounts to over 40% of all cards shipped in 2014. ”
During its General Assembly, Eurosmart elected a new Board, which now consists of:
Oyvind Rastad (Gemalto): Chairman
Dr. Jochen Schöllmann (Giesecke & Devrient): Vice Chairman
Nicolas Raffin (Oberthur Technologies): Vice Chairman
Boris Reis (Infineon Technologies): Treasurer
Didier Sallé was appointed General Secretary of the Association, replacing Bruno Dupont who had held this position since Eurosmart’s creation in 1995.
The General Assembly also welcomed three new members to the association:
· Imprimerie Nationale, one of the foremost operators in secure physical and digital identity and trust.
· Linxens, the world’s leading supplier of Flexible Etched Circuits (FEC) for smart card applications and a reference supplier for customized products for IC substrates and antenna applications.
· Athena Smartcard Solutions, a leading company within the ID industry through unique smart card technologies, software security techniques and embedded systems expertise.
About Eurosmart
Eurosmart is an international non-profit association located in Brussels and representing the Smart Security Industry for multisector applications. Founded in 1995, the association is committed to expanding the world’s Smart Secure Devices market, developing Smart Security standards and continuously improving the quality of security applications.
Members are manufacturers of smart cards, semiconductors, terminals, equipment for smart cards system integrators, application developers and issuers who work in dedicated working groups (security, electronic identity, communication, marketing).
Members are largely involved in research and development projects at the European and international levels.
