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A tale of two countries: we were delighted to receive delegations of visitors from United Arab Emirates and South Korea this week.

Watchdata Technologies launches its first wearable payment device, Sharkey, this week at CARTES SECURE CONNEXIONS. The new watch and wristband offers users a smart wearable device that supports an NFC payment feature. “Once Sharkey has been connected with an android or iOS phone’s mobile terminal via Bluetooth, it can be used for contactless payment, including public transport fares, supermarket shopping and micropayments,” says Watchdata’s international business vice president Jack Pan.

s smart devices and e-transactions proliferate in the Internet of Things (IoT) era, newly-merged business Entrust Datacard is uniquely placed to secure the connections between them, says its CEO Todd Wilkinson. The company, formed from Datacard Group and Entrust and formally united at CARTES SECURE CONNEXIONS this week, combines broad and deep expertise in hardware and software together with the know-how to combine them.

Retail technology business Powa Technologies has signed up more than 950 retailers and brands worldwide to its PowaTag solution and is set to become a dominant mobile retail sales platform, says the company’s founder.

Evikey has launched a secure USB drive solution controlled from an NFC-enabled device. Self-powered and battery-free, it has an intelligent diagnostic system that enables administrators to define and track how and when the devices can be used and by whom.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that only 60% of donations made to developing nations actually reach the people they are supposed to help. But UK company Transaxiom presented at CARTES SECURE CONNEXIONS a method that aims to eliminate this loss. “The moment you hand over the cash, you have no idea what’s happening to it,” says Ram Banerjee, (right) co-founder and director of Transaxiom.

Dates for your diary: 2015

The Internet of Things (IoT) will deliver a new form of commerce in the next few years, says Edward Simonet, M2M director, Oberthur Technologies. The B2B and B2C business models will converge and become B2B2C. Someone buying a fitness monitor, for example, is actually buying access to a service that will store and analyse data, says Simonet: “The device is just the tip of the iceberg.”

We have to learn the lessons of the past if we are to make the future Internet of Things (IoT) a safe environment, according to a leading voice in the field. “The new reality of the world is that the post-password era is with us,” Jason Hart, director and CEO of Identiv, told the CARTES SECURE CONNEXIONS conference. Too often in the past, security has been a late consideration when products or services are designed, he says – but in future, it will “have to be built into the fabric of IoT” because “a connec

Cities in France are pressing ahead with ‘citizen cards’designed to give residents access to a wide range of services. The card is an NFC device that acts as a portal to areas such as transport services, libraries, sports facilities and residential parking schemes.

London-based truRating has won the coveted €10,000 prize in the first CARTES SECURE CONNEXIONS Startup Challenge. Georgina Nelson, founder and CEO of the London-based firm, said: “Itís amazing: 10,000 Euro is a huge amount for a start-up.

Inrix and Intel Corporation have announced a strategic collaboration focused on developing next generation smart cities analytics platforms and applications. As part of their collaboration, Intel’s global investment organisation, Intel Capital, is investing US$10 million in Inrix. The two companies recently demonstrated a smart cities application at the White House in Washington, DC. Powered by Inrix real-time traffic information, the application is designed to help the city of San Jose more cost-effect

Evolis is using CARTES SECURE CONNEXIONS 2014 to launch Core, the companyís first printer to offer laser engraving using new technology. Developed in partnership with Italian firm Ixla, Core is a solution for encoding, printing, laser engraving and secured lamination in a single pass.

The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Region I took part in the European Parliament’s Transport Committee recent open hearing on road user charging, speaking on behalf of Europe’s motorists. The hearing was held to debate road user charging and how it can be tackled on an EU-wide basis. The FIA highlighted the amount that drivers and motorcyclists already pay in taxes and offered viable alternative solutions to road pricing, such as strict targets for emissions thresholds, park and ride sta

The International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) has responded to the US mid-term election results when Republicans seized control of the Senate; Patrick D. Jones, executive director and CEO said: “The transportation ballot initiatives in Maryland, Massachusetts, Texas and Wisconsin are strong evidence that states are not waiting for the federal government to act. "Reflecting ongoing concerns over the future of the federal surface transportation reauthorisation, state and local governme