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NFC Times Exclusive: Following the recent announcement of a nationwide launch by BNP Paribas, at least three other major French banks plan commercial launches of NFC mobile payments in coming months, along with the expected launch of NFC payments by the banking arm of a major French retailer.

The banks will put their applications on NFC SIM cards issued by such major mobile operators as Orange and SFR, along with some of the banks’ own mobile virtual network operators, or MVNOs. In addition, Orange plans to launch its co-branded prepaid Orange Cash service nationally in October. 

The French banks will pay SIM-rental fees to the telcos to put their Visa payWave or MasterCard PayPass compliant applets on the SIMs. 

While interested in host-card emulation, which would enable them to avoid using SIMs, banks don’t consider the technology and the security attached mature enough yet. Moreover, the banks and telcos have been working on SIM-based NFC technology for years and have much time and money invested in it. 

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Graphics: 

• Table: French banks planning to launch NFC payments commercially, including launch dates, brands supported and TSMs 
• Chart: French infrastructure–NFC phones, contactless cards, POS terminals and transactions 

Among Topics Covered: 

• Major banks planning to launch NFC-payments this year in France 
• Plans by a major French retailer to launch NFC 
• Banks’ plans to tap their MVNO customer bases  
• Historical perspective on French NFC ecosystem 
• Co-branded payments services from French telcos 
• NFC transit ticketing slow to get rolling in France 
• Views of French banks: HCE not yet ready 

Among companies and organizations mentioned:

BNP Paribas
Orange
Crédit Mutuel-CIC
La Banque Postale
Société Générale
SFR
NRJ Mobile
Carrefour 

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