Fime is proud to announce that it is the first to offer testing services in line with the EMV®* C-8 Contactless Kernel Specification**. This new approach is set to significantly streamline the development, testing and launch of new contactless payment terminals for vendors, merchants and solution providers.

The new EMV Contactless Kernel specification aims to simplify contactless payment acceptance. By moving away from implementing and maintaining multiple scheme-specific kernels it will remove cost and complexity from the ecosystem. It also integrates state-of-the-art cryptography to enhance security while enabling faster transaction speeds.

Importantly, the new kernel can run on current point-of-sale terminals to avoid costly terminal replacements. The supporting approval process aims to reduce the development cycle, increase test efficiency and speed up testing with automation.

Sherif Samy, SVP Strategy Product & Technology Solutions at Fime, comments: “The new C-8 Kernel promises to revolutionize contactless acceptance. Migration will take some time and adoption plans should be carefully considered. As an EMVCo Associate, we welcomed the opportunity to play a role in developing the testing process and contribute to the evolution of contactless payments.”

Ingenico is the first partner to use these new services provided by Fime, and was able to obtain the world’s first EMVCo C-8 Kernel approval on the AXIUM DX8000 payment device. Vincent Fillaud, Head of Accept Solutions at Ingenico comments: “As a leader in payment acceptance, Ingenico supports the EMVCo initiative of a contactless kernel incorporating enhanced security features. The mutual collaboration between Ingenico and Fime has ensured that the testing and subsequent EMVCo approval of our terminal was both quick and efficient. Ingenico is proud to be the first to receive EMVCo approval of the C-8 contactless kernel, demonstrating that the AXIUM platform is future-proof, helping merchants to deliver simple and secure contactless payment solutions.”

Fime’s cloud-based test tool and test suite have been qualified, and its labs have been accredited, by EMVCo to perform Terminal Type Approval testing. The Eval+ cloud-based test tool used to run the test suite is powered by Fime Test Factory, enabling automation, digitalization and customization throughout the terminal testing process. Learn more about how Fime can accelerate the launch of contact and contactless payment acceptance solutions here.