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Global smart card market grew to record levels in 2010
13 Jan 2011

The global smart card market grew to record levels in 2010, according to new research.

ABI Research has published the results of its latest study which show that a total of 5.9 billion smart cards were shipped during the past 12 months, including around four billion SIM cards.

Contactless technology was a driving force behind the surge in production, with just over ten per cent of all shipped smart cards featuring the interface.

John Devlin, practice director at ABI Research, expressed his belief that contactless technology will grow further once it has been incorporated into SIM cards.

He said: "One might expect contactless to account for a higher percentage, but we must remember that SIM cards, which have not yet seen any significant contactless rollout, account for the majority of shipments."

Smart card shipments in the payment and banking sector increased by 15 per cent compared to 2009 and are expected to account for an even greater share of the market in 2011.