The new organization was announced at the start of the Americas Security Expo, in Miami Beach, Fla., where thousands of security industry leaders from Latin America, the Caribbean and the U.S. southeast gathered for the annual conference.

“The Latin American smart card market is now emerging and could develop more rapidly than other markets by effectively learning from similar smart card initiatives and by forming business partnerships that can quickly deliver successful implementations,” said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance.

The main mission of the Smart Card Alliance Latin American chapter is in line with the overall goal of the Alliance: to stimulate the understanding, adoption, use and widespread application of smart cards. The Alliance plans to use specific projects such as bi-lingual education programs, market research, advocacy, industry relations and open forums to keep Latin American chapter organization members connected to industry leaders and innovative thought.

“The Smart Card Alliance has played a valuable role in developing the U.S. market in both the public and private sector. Our organization provides an educational and collaborative forum in which all of the stakeholders—manufacturers, issuers and end users—can work together to develop the cross-industry real-world solutions needed to deploy smart card systems. Our organization is uniquely positioned to bring a collective energy and focus to this technology in Latin America,” said Vanderhoof.

In order to recognize new members who are initial founding members of the Latin American chapter, the Smart Card Alliance has created a Foundation Membership Program. This program is open to any organization that joins the Latin American chapter at the Leadership Council level. Foundation Members will receive a discounted membership rate for the first two years and will be eligible to have a leadership role in determining the scope and direction of the Latin American chapter. The Smart Card Alliance is making ten Foundation Memberships available on a first come, first served basis until October 1, 2005.

To promote the formation of the Latin American chapter, the Smart Card Alliance is participating in the Americas Security Expo in Miami from today, July 19 through July 21, 2005. In addition to having an information booth (#1305) on the exhibit floor, the Alliance will deliver educational seminars on the use of smart cards in the security industry to the largely Latin American attendees of the event.