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Smart Card Alliance Latin America in Costa Rica

The Smart Card Alliance Latin America Chapter (SCALA) today announced its 2008 and 2009 executive committee to lead the organization's advisory board. SCALA, an affiliation of the Smart Card Alliance, focuses on building awareness and adoption of smart card technology in Latin America. Its membership includes more than twenty leading commercial and government organizations located across the region, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Venezuela.

"The Latin American smart card market has progressed dramatically, with government and commercial secure identification initiatives, and the migration to EMV in banking and GSM in mobile telecommunications," said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance. "The new executive committee will help drive this progress by expanding smart card knowledge and awareness in a market that has a diversity of cultures, experience and adoption levels."

In recent months, SCALA has successfully run a smart card industry conference in Mexico City and has delivered numerous Educational Institute training programs at industry events across the region. The organization launched a new Web site containing Latin American industry news, white papers and articles, as well as products and services profiles to educate potential smart card users about available technologies on the market.

"Since forming the Latin America chapter in 2005, leading smart card companies have eagerly participated in raising the awareness of smart cards and their usage in the region, particularly in the payments and security industries," said Edgar Betts, associate director for Latin America, Smart Card Alliance. "The new advisory board, elected from this group of dedicated industry leaders, is highly qualified to guide the organization to further successes in 2008 and beyond."


About the Smart Card Alliance Latin America (SCALA)
The primary mission of the Smart Card Alliance Latin American chapter is in line with the overall goal of the Alliance: to stimulate the understanding, adoption, use and widespread application of smart cards. The Alliance plans to use specific projects such as bilingual education programs, market research, advocacy, industry relations and open forums to keep Latin American chapter organization members connected to industry leaders and innovative thought.

About the Smart Card Alliance

The Smart Card Alliance is a not-for-profit, multi-industry association working to stimulate the understanding, adoption, use and widespread application of smart card technology.

Through specific projects such as education programs, market research, advocacy, industry relations and open forums, the Alliance keeps its members connected to industry leaders and innovative thought. The Alliance is the single industry voice for smart cards, leading industry discussion on the impact and value of smart cards in the U.S. and Latin America.

Media Contact: Deb Montner, Montner & Associates
203-226-9290, dmontner@montner.com
 
Media Contact Brazil: Roger Hayas, PressTexto
55-11-6694-1142, roger@presstexto.com.br

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