4 February 2014 – Placard Pty Ltd, Australia’s leading supplier of card production and personalisation services, has selected Bell ID's trusted service manager (TSM) software solutions to enable it to provision and manage mobile near field communication (NFC)-based applications for its customer base.

Placard can now assume the role of a TSM, using Bell ID’s software platform to support mobile network operators (MNOs) and service providers such as banks and transit operators to deploy mobile NFC services. Through its TSM services, Placard provides the personalisation of NFC secure elements and the secure provisioning of applications – such as payment, loyalty and transit – ‘over the air’ to an NFC enabled mobile handset pre- and post-issuance.

“Bell ID's software solutions enable Placard to offer services and support to the emerging NFC industry. We recognised a need within the region for services of this nature and have extended our personalisation capabilities to include NFC-enabled mobile devices. Additionally, having the facilities to offer traditional TSM services combined with support for all form factors of secure element, including Secure Element in the Cloud, has put Placard at the forefront of the NFC ecosystem,” said Chris Nunis, CEO of Placard.

Pat Curran, Executive Chairman of Bell ID, adds: "2014 is the year when value added NFC services will come to consumer devices. We are already seeing services launching to consumers in markets such as Canada so it is pleasing to see Placard taking the initiative in Australia and using our technology to capitalise on the mobile NFC opportunity."

-ENDS-

About Placard

Placard was acquired by Australian Private Equity firm RMB Capital Partners in 2012 via a leverage buyout with Chris Nunis, joining the newly formed management team as Director and CEO, at the time of the transaction. Placard holds leading positions across a diverse range of card markets including financial services, identification & licenses, healthcare and transport. The company was founded in 1987 and produces over 90 million cards annually. Placard provides a one-stop-shop offering comprising card design, manufacture, personalisation and fulfilment. On the back of positive industry trends and solid management execution, the business has doubled revenues over the last three years. Today the company operates the only Australian-based production facility that is accredited by all four major payment schemes and services a wide range of blue chip customers under multi-year contracts.

For more information please visit www.placard.com.au or contact Steve Carlin – National Technical Manager (steve.carlin@placard .com.au)

About Bell ID

Bell ID (www.bellid.com) is a global provider of smart chip management solutions. Its proven technology manages the lifecycles of applications and cryptographic keys.

Whether you are a mobile network operator delivering mobile services, financial institution migrating to EMV, or government issuing body rolling out e-identity cards, Bell ID has the software solution to meet your specific token management needs.

For more information please visit www.bellid.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.