Category Archives: News & Events

Join us at Trustech 2019

Alcinéo will be exhibiting in Cannes, during Trustech event, 26-28 November 2019.

Join us to share visions of the upcoming challenges facing the digital payment transformation.

Alcinéo is specialized in the development of EMV embedded software, integrating all type of payment terminals.

We also provide logical security modules, compliant with up-to-date PCI PTS requirements.

Our extended range of logical payment and security solutions fit all targeted markets : transit, retail, vending and kiosks, gas dispensers.

Feel free to visit us at our booth J 009, and keep in touch at : info@alcineo.com

We hope to meet you soon on the French Riviera.

Interac Flash v1.6

Interac Flash v1.6 for all contactless terminals

A few months ago, Interac had released a specification update for the certification of payment terminals applicable in the transit sector only.

Interac has published earlier this month the relevant documentation such as ICS or product registration form in v1.6.

From now on, all type of contactless capable terminals submitted to type approval with Interac Flash shall integrate the IF Level 2 kernel version 1.6.

Feel free to contact us for further information at : info@alcineo.com.

EMV® Contact updates

Several documents have been released by EMVCo to announce changes and updates regarding the approval process of contact terminals.

During Level 1 renewal, electrical tests and protocol tests are mandatory, whereas mechanical tests are not. The protocol test cases have been updated, and some of them are applicable depending on the ICS. EMVCo has released a new version of ICS v4.3c reflecting these test cases updates.

EMVCo has also released a Specification Bulletin introducing a change for terminal clock signal frequency.

Starting January 2022, new terminals submitted to type approval shall have a minimum of 4.7 and maximum of 5 MHz clock signal frequency.

Products submitted to renewal from January 2022 shall have a minimum of 3.1 and maximum of 5 MHz clock signal frequency.

All the type approval and specification bulletins are available on EMVCo website.

Go to our EMV Contact suite web page to find more information related to our EMV contact libraries.

Feel free to contact your Alcinéo representative, or send a request to : info@alcineo.com.

JCB contactless 1.4 certification starting in September

JCB has announced the specification update of their contactless kernel from 1.3 to 1.4 and issued a set of documentation and bulletins to prepare the kernel update (Including bulletin 007).

Starting next September, contactless terminal providers will have the ability to certify their readers against JCB v1.4 at accredited laboratories.

Both versions 1.3 and 1.4 will be accepted for type approval until sunset of version 1.3 in August 2020.

For further information on payment software and security solutions, do not hesitate to contact your Alcinéo representative or request information at : info@alcineo.com

EMV® Contact and Contactless Specifications

EMVCo has recently published new specification bulletins related to EMV® Level 2 contact kernel and Contactless Specifications for Payment Systems.

SB220 defines the data that the level 2 kernel shall be capable of outputting to the acquirer system. Alcinéo CT2 solution supports the recommended data outputs listed in the bulletin.

SB221 defines a new final outcome –Request Online PIN– that shall be instructed by the kernel to the POS application after online request during a low-value transaction with NO CVM.

For further information, feel free to contact us at : info@alcineo.com

EMV® is a registered trademark in the U.S. and other countries and an unregistered trademark elsewhere. The EMV trademark is owned by EMVCo, LLC.

Expresspay v4.0.2 certification is available

American Express has recently released an update of Expresspay contactless kernel.

Starting May 27th 2019, payment terminal providers can submit their products supporting ExpressPay v.4.0.2 to Level 2 certification at accredited laboratories.

Vendors can choose to certify their product against either version, as both are accepted by American Express, with no sunset date established for v3.1 at the moment.

To have more information on our software and services including support with certification processes, please contact your Alcinéo representative or keep in touch at : info@alcineo.com

EMV® contactless specifications update v2.8

EMVCo has released an update of the contactless specifications. Book A (Architecture and general requirements), Book B (Entry point), and all Books C (contactless kernels) have been updated to version 2.8, and are available on EMVCo website.

The changes are related to Request Online PIN and pre-processing to enable zero value transaction (check Book A and Entry Point).

Feel free to contact your Alcinéo representive for more information.

EMV® is a registered trademark in the U.S. and other countries and an unregistered trademark elsewhere. The EMV trademark is owned by EMVCo, LLC.

VCAS validation tool update v1.1.1

Visa released last week an update of the VCAS validation tool v1.1.1. The latest version brings improvements and corrections to minor issues. The validation tool checks that VCAS is correctly implemented and works properly.

VCAS is a tool that terminal manufacturers must deliver to the laboratory to perform Cross tests automatically, as part of PayWave type approval process. This automated testing process shortens the duration of testing sessions. To obtain more details on VCAS, have a look HERE, at our post released last year and dedicated to this subject.

The validation tool v1.1.1 can be used to validate either VCAS version 1.5 or 1.6. As of 15^th June 2019, only v1.6 will be accepted by laboratories to perform Visa Cross tests.

Feel free to contact your Alcinéo representative to have more information, or keep in touch with us at : info@alcineo.com.

Come meet us at UITP Summit, Stockholm, June 9-12

Join us in Stockholm, June 9th to 12th, at UITP Summit and share our vision of the future of contactless payments in transport.

The UITP summit, occuring every two years in a different place in the world, is the ideal place to meet all stakeholders involved in this ecosystem, and share innovation and ideas to constantly improve travellers’ journeys experience.

Our software solution for transit, based on EMV contactless payments and security, is fully compliant with international payment standards requirements.

We will be happy to welcome you !

The specification for Visa contactless payments in transit

Visa released a specification (Visa Contactless Transit Kernel Specification v1.0) to define the functionalities applying to contactless kernels implemented in the transit payment ecosystem.

Payment terminals operating in the transit network must support the mandatory requirements of Visa Contactless Payment Specification but some functions are not applicable in a transport environment.

Therefore, to help terminal vendors to easily identify the differences between transit and retail transaction processing, the VCTKS lists all the features that must be supported or must not be supported in a transit payment environment.

VCTKS replaces VOQOS, hence when the approval testing of VCTKS will become available at labs (by the end of the year, according to the announcement), VOQOS won’t be tested anymore.

As the expansion of contactless payments in transit continues to rise worldwide, the challenge for transit terminal providers is to develop innovative solutions, offering rapidity, convenience and security. Alcinéo develops contactless software solutions customized and fully compatible with the constraints of the transit fare collection systems, and with the VCTKS v1.0 specification.

Require more information at : info@alcineo.com.