LAS VEGAS–Datacard Group has strengthened its commitment to the instant issuance market by announcing a contactless smart card coupler option for the Datacard® 150i desktop card personalization system.

The new option enables banks, credit unions and other financial institutions to give consumers immediate access to contactless payment cards — one of the fastest growing trends in the industry. Datacard Group expects the contactless smart card coupler to benefit the many solution providers serving this market segment, including Dynamic Card Solutions (DCS), a leading instant issuance solution provider and developer of DCS CardWizard® software, a Datacard Group preferred software solution.

“We are seeing high demand for payment cards that incorporate contactless smart card technology,” said Ron Zanotti, vice president of sales and marketing for DCS. “Contactless payment cards offer unprecedented convenience for consumers, who can use them to pay for virtually any purchase — especially small amounts — quickly and easily. Contactless cards are also great for banks because they increase card usage, improve customer retention levels and create product differentiation. And retailers like them because they speed transactions and minimize cash handling.”

“With the new contactless smart card coupler for the 150i system, we will be able to offer an attractive instant issuance solution and expand our market share as contactless cards continue to increase in popularity,” Zanotti said.

For Datacard Group, the ability to instantly issue contactless smart cards from the desktop fills an important role in the company’s solutions portfolio.

“Financial institutions can issue these cards instantly, which gives consumers immediate purchasing power, expedites activation and eliminates the delays of sending cards through the mail,” Connell Smith, vice president of desktop solutions for Datacard Group. “Later, when these cards expire, they can be reissued with our proven high-volume systems. We look forward to supporting the instant issuance market for years to come.”

Datacard Group offers the world’s best-selling secure ID and card personalization solutions. The company’s portfolio includes systems for high-volume card issuance, card delivery, secure ID issuance and passport production, plus extensive service and supply offerings. Datacard Group serves customers in more than 120 countries (www.datacard.com).