SATIM gets Visa and Mastercard approval to personalise cards locally

The Interbank Transactions Automation and Electronic Payment Company (SATIM) has obtained approval from Visa and Mastercard to personalise international cards in Algeria.

DNAlgerie reported that Algerian banks had relied partly on providers abroad, notably in Tunisia, to personalise their international cards.

Visa and Mastercard have recognised SATIM's card centre, allowing it to do the work in Algeria. The work must meet the technical and security rules set by both networks.

Toufik Chikaoui, project director for international card networks at SATIM, gave these details on 27 October on Channel 3 of Radio Algérienne.

Mr Chikaoui said that doing these operations on national territory is a question of sovereignty.

Personalisation involves adding the information a card needs to work and handling sensitive banking data.

How long will cards take?

Customers expect shorter delivery times, one of the changes they are waiting for.

In some banks, getting an international card can take two to three weeks. SATIM aims to cut the time for making and personalising a card to about 48 hours.

This is an announced target, not a time already guaranteed to all account holders.

The Popular Credit of Algeria (CPA) says its average wait is about two weeks, against three weeks before. It hopes to cut this to 48 hours once the local system is fully working.

Which banks are taking part?

The system is still at pilot stage, and several banks are taking part in its gradual rollout. Customers of these banks are affected by the change, but no date for wider use has been given.

The CPA is linked to the Visa network, while the Local Development Bank (BDL) works with Mastercard. Each bank has completed the certification steps for its own network.

Other public banks are also preparing their tests. They include the Foreign Bank of Algeria (BEA), the National Bank of Algeria (BNA) and the Agricultural and Rural Development Bank (BADR).

Tests in real conditions covered cash machines, contactless payment terminals and online payment platforms.

SATIM reports conclusive results from these tests.

What the BEA does differently

The BEA has its own personalisation centre and says a card takes about five days to prepare.

Handling the secret code remains an extra constraint, as the code is sent from Tunisia and can take 10 to 15 days to arrive.

The BNA and BADR are also preparing their tests, and wider use must still follow the steps planned by the banks concerned.