Innovations in the use of smart cards in banking transactions are now a passé; yet innovations are still very much the agenda. It is now being directed at different segments, using technologies other than integrated circuits, like RFID and biometrics, and using substrates other than polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Another trend is to integrate smart cards with handheld devices like mobile phones, making the idea of the card itself redundant.

So, SmartCards Expo 2014 had an eclectic mix of exhibitors, including machine manufactures like Cardmatix, Narsingh Dass & Co, Omni-Id, and Zebra Technologies, Evolis and Oasys, and solution providers like ID-Tech Solutions, Kare Smartech, Madras Security Printers, Atlantic Zesier, Bitel, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Oberthur Technologies, Viva Graphic, Versatile Card Technology, Smartrac, FoxBase Technologies, AdvanIDe, Rosmerta, Bowe Systec, Dupont, NXP, NBS technologies, and Smart Card IT Solutions.

For starters, a smart card (also called chip card, or integrated circuit card) is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits, made of polyvinyl chloride, but sometimes polyethylene terephthalate based polyesters, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene or polycarbonate. The cards can provide identification, authentication, data storage and application processing.

Among the new trends visible at the exhibition was the extensive use of radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology. And rightly so, as according to estimates, the RFID world market will surpass $20 billion by the end of this year. The other concerns were biometric technologies, data security and anti-counterfeiting.

“India has seen a promising growth in all these technology applications during last few years,” said S Swarn, chief executive officer, Electronics Today, organisers of the event. “Smart card applications, in conjunction with mobile communications, biometrics, RFID and payments technologies, are being implemented by the Central and state governments for several socio-economic projects worth trillion of rupees.”

Some of these projects include driving license, vehicle registration, e-passport, e-governance projects like NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), RSBY (Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana), Public Distribution System (PDS), Metro Rail projects, ex-servicemen contributory health scheme, unique identification numbers, and so on.

Other areas include banking and financial applications, e-payments, mobile payments, loyalty, medical records, transit, e-ticketing, toll collection and automatic fare collection. Thus, it was no surprise that the exhibition was accompanied by five ancillary shows, namely, e-Security Expo 2014, RFidIndia Expo 2014, BiometricsIndia Expo 2014, e-PaymentsIndia Expo 2014 and India Mobile Forum 2014.

We cannot really talk about innovations without a mention of China, which was the partner country in SmartCards Expo 2014. Including the participants from China, such as Xinye, WenLin and JinGuan Tech, there were more than 110 exhibitors, showcasing new technologies and solutions, in fields as diverse as manufacturing, embedding of smartcards, chip cards, magnetic stripe cards, laser cards, barcode, contactless cards, integrators /developers, information technology, both software and hardware, solutions for banking, financial / healthcare, loyalty, and printing, customising, embossing.