Fact Finder - History

Fact
The Credit Card Chip (EMV)
Category
History
Subcategory
Inventions
Country
France
Description
Roland Moreno invented the 'smart card'—a plastic card with an embedded integrated circuit (chip). Unlike the magnetic stripe, which stores static data that can be easily 'skimmed,' the chip is a tiny computer that generates a unique code for every transaction. This invention drastically reduced credit card fraud worldwide. It is now the global standard (EMV) for secure payments, and the same technology is used in SIM cards for mobile phones and electronic passports.