EMV® Level 1 software libraries

EMV® Level 1 software protocol stacks for contact and contactless payment card readers

What is EMV Level 1 ?

EMV® Level 1 software, either contact or contactless, is the initial layer to be implemented into a payment reader platform for seamless and interoperable card and mobile acceptance everywhere in the world.

When EMV contact, often referred as Chip and PIN, is concerned, the card has to be inserted in the reader, in order to be connected physically to the smartcard connector and able to send APDU data to the reader, whereas contactless or Tap to Pay technology, does not require card insertion, but only wave at a sufficient proximity of the terminal to start the communication between the card and the device.

To comply with EMV level 1, acceptance devices must endeavour to pass series of tests covering electrical, analog and protocol domains.

Alcinéo’s EMV level 1 is focused on protocol layer, which implements the low level routines to initiate the data exchanges with the EMV card, contact and contactless or a mobile wallet.

Pre-requisite for acceptance device deployment

The EMV Level 1 software libraries, contact and contactless, are a pre-requisite implementation for the certification of smartcard payment terminals supporting contact and contactless card payments. It is mandatory before perfoming functional Level 2 type approval and Level 3 certification, validating the compliance of the terminal with card brand applications.

EMV Contact L1 technical highlights

Alcinéo's EMV contact L1 is a software protocol stack for smartcard readers. It implements the reader side of ISO 7816-3 and EMV 4.3 (Book 1) specifications. The lightweight, highly portable software library enables a smartcard reader to process low level EMV transactions, driving the physical and electrical characteristics and the transmission protocol.

Main features

EMV Contactless L1 technical highlights

Alcinéo's EMV contactless L1 is a protocol stack for contactless terminals. It implements the reader side of ISO 14443 A&B and the most up-to-date EMV contactless interface specification.

Main features

Alcinéo is part of ST partner program

Our team is involved in the development of secure platforms ready to support EMV payment software.

STMicroelectronics is a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, collaborating with technology partners to speed customer development efforts.

Optimize the conception of compliant EMV card readers

At Alcinéo we help you to dive deeper into the conception of compliant EMV card readers, accelerate the development phase of your products and optimize the certification leadtime.