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Gemplus to Supply World's First Proton Prisma Multi-Application Cards Gemplus, first card vendor chosen by Proton World, launches the new generation of multi-application Proton smart cards



Luxembourg - Brussels 26 February 2001 ˇV Proton World and Gemplus announced today that the first Proton Prisma multiple-application smart cards will then be supplied by Gemplus.

The new Gemplus card is called GemProton Prisma. It uses JavaCard㤠technology and is the first smart card to integrate CALC, Proton World's spearhead implementation of the forthcoming Open Platform 2.1 specifications. It will enable issuers in the banking sector to migrate to the new global standards such as EMV (debit/credit) and CEPS (e-purse) which will enable international interoperability. It will also be possible to load and remove applications remotely and in a highly secure manner after the cards have been issued.

The first batch of GemProton Prisma cards will be supplied to Banksys in Belgium and Interpay in the Netherlands for use in the pilot implementation of internationally-interoperable CEPS-compliant e-purses in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Spain that was announced at the Proton World Forum in Ghent on 12 September 2000.

Proton Prisma offers a multiple-application smart card platform, with applications such as: domestic e-purse, interoperable CEPS-based e-purse, EMV-compliant credit/debit, PKI-based authentication and m- & e-commerce payment.

In line with its overall open product strategy, Proton World has made the Proton Prisma specifications available to other existing certified Proton third-party manufacturers, and expects other card vendors to follow the lead of Gemplus.

Mr. Gilles Michel, Executive Vice-President, Financial Services Business Unit at Gemplus, said: "Gemplus is delighted to position itself on the multi-applications market with a major player like Proton World, and its innovative Proton Prisma solution. The development of the GemProton Prisma completes our JavaCard range with a new generation of multiple-application smart cards. These cards will facilitate migration to international interoperability standards and will allow banks to differentiate themselves from their competitors by offering customized products to their customers."

Armand Linkens, CEO at Proton World, said " We very much appreciate the support of Gemplus in this key development for our product strategy. We are confident that the CEPS pilot will demonstrate the robustness of CEPS-based systems. Our existing licensees are also committed to migrate to the Proton Prisma technology and so we are certain that a significant market will develop for Proton Prisma-associated products of all sorts."
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Notes for Editors
JavaCard is a registered trademark of Sun Microsystems and provides a secure, vendor-independent Java platform for smart cards and other memory-constrained devices. It opens up the smart card marketplace to third party application development, and enables programmers to develop smart card applications for a wide range of products from different vendors.

CEPS (Common Electronic Purse Specifications) define the requirements for globally interoperable, fully accountable and auditable electronic purse programs. The specifications are available from CEPSCO at http://www.cepsco.org

EMV (Europay, MasterCard, Visa) is a set of specifications for cards, terminals and applications to facilitate global smart-card based credit and debit transactions.

PROTON WORLD develops licenses and delivers smart card solutions based on the market-leading Proton technology. There are Proton licensees in 25 countries: together they have so far installed over 290,000 terminals, where their 34.5 million cardholders have performed over 226 million purchase transactions.
Building on the solid foundations of its expertise in the banking and finance sector as providers of the world's most frequently-used electronic purse technology, Proton World has developed Proton Prisma, a family of products that provides an infrastructure for secure multiple-application smart card programs, that offers issuers a wide choice of certified hardware vendors, simplified mass personalization, dynamically-downloadable applications and multi-vendor card sourcing.
Proton World is owned by American Express, Banksys, ERG Group, Interpay Nederland and Visa International. Its headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium, with Regional Offices in Redwood City, California, USA and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Proton World is a leading proponent of international smart card standards, such as CEPS, EMV and Open Platform and is an active member of international organizations such as CEPSCo, GlobalPlatform, MOBeY Forum and the Smart Card Alliance.

For more information, please visit the Proton World website at http://www.protonworld.com


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About Gemplus
GEMPLUS: the world's leading smart card solutions provider

Since its creation in 1988, Gemplus International S.A.(Euronext: Sicovam 5768 and NASDAQ:GEMP) has driven the global marketing and deployment of smart card-based applications for telecommunications, financial services and e-business security.

Gemplus is instrumental throughout the value chain - chip design, card management systems, software development, and consulting - delivering integrated custom-made solutions for the security, personalization and privacy management needs of clients and partners worldwide.

Gemplus technology has played a defining role in the development of wireless telephony since the introduction of SIM cards into the GSM standard in 1990. For more than a decade, Gemplus has pioneered applications that enable network operators around the world to answer the changing needs of their customers. Gemplus was first to market with a 3G card and supplies a product range compliant with new and emerging transmission standards - 2.5G, 3G.

In 2000, revenue was 1.205 BE, up 57% from the previous year's 767ME. Net income was 99 ME. Gemplus employs more than 7800 people in 37 countries worldwide.

Since 11 December 2000, Gemplus shares have been trading on Euronext Paris S.A. First Market and on Nasdaq in the form of ADSs.


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Contacts
Gemplus Corporate, Marielle Bricman
tel: 33 4 42 36 55 96
email: marielle.bricman@gemplus.com

Gemplus Financial Services, Katarina Wiberg
tel: 33 4 42 36 30 63
email: Katarina.wiberg@gemplus.com

Proton World, Dominique Hautain
tel: 32 2 724 5111
email: info@protonworld.com


©2001 Gemplus All rights reserved. Gemplus, the Gemplus logo and GemSense are trademarks and service marks of Gemplus S.A. and are registered in certain countries. All other trademarks and service marks, whether registered or not in specific countries, are the property of their respective owners.