Trial Program Will Issue Oberthur VersaFOBs with MasterCard PayPass–A New Fob Concept

LOS ANGELES, December 19, 2006–Bank of America has chosen Oberthur Card Systems to provide Contactless payment Fobs as part of a trial to test radio frequency contactless payment companion devices.

As contactless cards continue to grow in issuance, Bank of America is testing consumer interest in companion devices for contactless payment, and plans to issue Oberthur Card Systems VersaFOBs with MasterCard PayPass–a first in the U.S. marketplace.

The Bank of America user acceptance trial program will distribute Oberthur’s VersaFOBs with MasterCard PayPass as companion devices to its traditional credit cards. VersaFOB is a contactless payment sub-card that snaps out of a full-size payment card and is inserted in a key-chain casing. Oberthur will supply the cards and fob casings, while Bank of America will handle personalization and fulfillment in-house. MasterCard has certified the Bank of America VersaFOB trial program.

“Research indicates that the issuance of alternative form factors, such as FOBs will further the adoption of contactless payments,” said Philippe Tartavull, president of Oberthur Card Systems of America. “Following the initial contactless pilots back in 2003, it became clear that the industry should not limit itself to the traditional card form factors.”

Using a regular size payment card throughout the production process allows the use of standard industry card manufacturing and personalization equipment regardless of the final shape of the contactless fob. The key advantage of VersaFOB is that it allows fobs to be cost effectively produced and it meets ISO standards.

“Oberthur’s VersaFOB is the ideal contactless fob, it was designed to be produced in volume using standard manufacturing and personalization equipment,” said John Suchanec, Senior Vice President of Bank of America. “That allows financial institutions, such as Bank of America, to issue fobs at reasonable costs. Our long-standing relationship with Oberthur and their expertise in the smart-card space make them an ideal partner for this trial.”

“MasterCard has worked closely with Oberthur to create a solution that lets our customers develop non-card contactless payment devices with minimized incremental costs,” said Richard Fletcher, Group Head, Mobile/Wireless Center of Excellence, MasterCard Worldwide. “Issuers such as Bank of America now have the ‘best of both worlds.’ They can use their traditional card-based manufacturing and issuance systems to bring new three dimensional cardholder devices to market.”

VersaFOB is patented, and Oberthur is open to licensing the manufacturing and personalization of VersaFOB products to card manufacturers and commercial personalization bureaus.

During the first half of 2006, Oberthur shipped several million contactless cards and is uniquely positioned to lead the market with its end-to-end offering that includes product development, manufacturing, personalization and fulfillment.

About Oberthur Card Systems

With sales of 500.8 million Euros in 2005, Oberthur Card Systems is one of the world’s leading providers of card-based solutions, software and applications including SIM and multi-application smart cards as well as services ranging from consulting to personalization.

Innovative products, security expertise and high quality services ensure Oberthur Card Systems’ strong positioning in its main target markets:

• Payment & Services: 53% of 2005 revenues. World leader and number one supplier of Visa and MasterCard payment cards

• Mobile Communications: 32% of 2005 revenues, with open and interoperable solutions based on Java™ technology.

• Identity: strong positions in ID projects throughout the world

• Multimedia: leading position in the Pay-TV market with an end-to-end expertise in the value chain: software development, manufacturing and personalization

• Transit: focus in the high-end segment with a microprocessor-based offer

Close to its customers, the company benefits from an industrial and commercial presence across all five continents. Listed on the Euronext Stock Exchange (ISIN: FR0000124133) since July 2000, Oberthur Card Systems is a subsidiary of the François-Charles Oberthur Group.

For more information, visit http://www.oberthurcs.com.