Gemplus launches the “Plastic Fantastic” range of Innovative Card Bodies

Gemplus wins ICMA¹ award for Best Financial Card Design two years running

LUXEMBURG – 12 January 2006 – Gemplus International S.A. (Euronext: LU0121706294 – GEM and NASDAQ: GEMP), the world’s leading provider of smart card solutions, launches its new range of innovative card bodies, “Plastic Fantastic” for the financial services sector. This follows the unprecedented win of the ICMA award for the second year running.

This launch is in recognition of an industry trend in which card issuers are changing the way they address the market. With intense competition coming from new areas, such as supermarkets and other traditionally non-banking organizations, financial institutions have to join in the race for greater brand visibility and differentiate their service offering in order to attract new markets and generate customer loyalty.

Card issuers are recognizing that the key piece of their relationship with their customer is the card itself, which they carry in their wallet and use on average 3-4 times a day. This gives an enormous potential for differentiation, brand visibility and in providing a unique, tailored service. By using the card as a marketing support, they can target their image to specific market segments, such as the 12-25 age bracket, women, young professionals, and more.

The “Plastic Fantastic” range from Gemplus shows the possibilities that the card can offer, from transparent and perfumed cards, tactile cards, 3D and holographic effect cards, thermochromic, glow in the dark and even unusually shaped cards.

Philippe David, Vice President, Business Development, Financial Services, Gemplus, explained, ”There is now so much competition in the industry that card issuers such as banks, credit card issuers and retailers are continually looking for ways to set themselves apart. They need to have dedicated offers that appeal to different target audiences and one of the most visual ways to manifest this is through innovative card bodies. This is a trend that Gemplus is well equipped to meet, with its own creative team, plenty of good ideas and some healthy credentials to prove it.”

The ICMA 2005 Award: Gemplus won the ICMA Award for the Best Financial Card Design for the second year running. The YAN OI TONG VISA card, created for ICBC Hong Kong, showed water drops on the image of a leaf. This was created using texture varnish, giving height to the artwork.

For more on the Plastic Fantastic range, please visit www.gemplus.com

To download a picture of the award winning card, please visit http://www.gemplus.com/press/photo_library/Products.html

¹ International Card Manufacturer’s Association

About Gemplus
Gemplus International S.A. (Euronext: LU0121706294 - GEM and NASDAQ: GEMP) is the world's leading player in the smart card industry in both revenue and total shipments (source: Gartner-Dataquest (2005), Frost & Sullivan, Datamonitor.). It has sold over 5 billion smart cards.

With security at its core, and 2400 patents and patent applications produced by its innovative R&D team, Gemplus delivers a wide range of portable, personalized solutions in areas including Identity, Mobile Telecommunications, Public Telephony, Banking, Retail, Transport, Healthcare, WLAN, Pay-TV, e-government, and access control.

Gemplus' revenue in 2004 was 865 million Euros.
www.gemplus.com

For more information:
Jane Strachey
Gemplus
Tel: +33 (0)442364661
Email: jane.strachey@gemplus.com
 

Sian Gaskill
Edelman PR Agency
Tel: +44 (0)20 7344 1253
Email: sian.gaskill@edelman.com
 

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