Leading bank in South Africa implements plug-and-play identification solution for secure e-banking services

Amsterdam, The Netherlands, February 26, 2007–Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO), a world leader in digital security, today announces it enables Nedbank, a leading bank in South Africa, to provide its clients with high-end personal devices for secure online transactions. A key differentiator of the Gemalto solution is the ease of installation, as the USB (Universal Serial Bus) token embeds the software that automatically sets up once the user connects the device to their PC. Gemalto also supplies training services to support Nedbank in putting the solution into use and ensures its maintenance. Commercial rollout has already started and Nedbank corporate clients have been benefiting from secure access to financial services through the “Netbank Business” Internet channel since end 2006. Deployment of all 80,000 tokens will be completed over the first half of 2007.

With a view to addressing the security weakness of online transactions systems based on password only, Nedbank is deploying a strong authentication solution that will increase its clients’ confidence in using e-banking applications. While regular authentication solutions require users to install software and call for costly technical support, the Gemalto package performs immediate configuration of the PC and makes it very simple and convenient for users to securely log-on to the bank website. The certificates implemented in the token allow Nedbank clients to digitally sign transactions and in the future, electronic signing of documents will be available as well.

As part of the contract, Gemalto is delivering personal secure devices that implement market standards and their latest evolutions, which makes the solution highly flexible. In addition, the token features additional memory, which Nedbank clients may use to store personal data.

“Our primary goal was to provide our clients with convenient, world-class products to protect themselves from possible identity theft and fraud,” said Adriaan du Plessis, divisional director of Nedbank transactional banking. “The Gemalto solution enables us to eliminate the vulnerabilities of passwords and create a trusted on-line banking environment.”

“This new contract illustrates Gemalto’s opportunity in digital security: making personal interactions secure and easy, particularly for online financial services,” added Xavier Chanay, president CISMEA at Gemalto. “We’re confident Nedbank clients will enjoy safe and simple e-banking with their personal token.”

About Gemalto

Gemalto (Euronext NL 0000400653 GTO) is a leader in digital security with pro forma 2006 annual revenues of €1.7 billion, operations in about 100 countries and over 10,000 employees including 1,500 R&D engineers. In a world where the digital revolution is increasingly transforming our lives, Gemalto’s solutions are designed to make personal digital interactions more convenient, secure and enjoyable. Gemalto provides end-to-end digital security solutions, from the development of software applications through design and production of secure personal devices such as smart cards, SIMs, e-passports, and tokens to the management of deployment services for its customers. More than a billion people worldwide use the company’s products and services for telecommunications, financial services, e-government, identity management, multimedia content, digital rights management, IT security, mass transit and many other applications.

As the use of Gemalto’s software and secure devices increases with the number of people interacting in the digital and wireless world, the company is poised to thrive over the coming years. Gemalto was formed in June 2006 by the combination of Axalto and Gemplus. For more information please visit http://www.gemalto.com.

Gemalto

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