Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (hereafter Toppan Printing; head office: Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo; President & CEO: Naoki Adachi) has launched "TOPPAN ACIS - DG" a service that handles and centrally manages the master keys needed by financial institutions for IC card manufacture. Specifically, using the master key received from a financial institution, the important data needed for the manufacture of IC cash cards and IC credit cards are generated in bulk and distributed to the card manufacturing companies. By using this service it will be possible to centrally manage data that require high security management at financial institutions and reduce costs for management and maintenance. Sales will be launched from November 27, 2009, targeting financial institutions such as banks and credit card companies throughout Japan that are looking to introduce IC cash cards and IC credit cards or to increase their use.

Background
IC cash cards are being introduced at many city and regional banks and with factors such as a target for 80% of credit cards to be IC cards in 2 years time, the switch to IC for cash and credit cards is progressing.
Coinciding with the increase in the number of IC cards issued, an increasing number of financial institutions are dividing IC card manufacturing operations between multiple manufacturing companies in order to minimize damages and loss that could arise from situations such as accidents or disasters. To generate the necessary data for IC card manufacture, a high-security encoded key (master key), which is held by the IC card issuer such as financial institution, is used. In order to carry out the data generation at the financial institution, a significant initial investment is required.
Due to these factors, many financial institutions entrust master keys to multiple IC card manufacturers that have data generation environments and consign the task to them. However, financial institutions incur the costs and workload of management and maintenance because the master key is different for each IC card manufacturing company.
By introducing this service, financial institutions will be able to reduce costs for management and maintenance, and carry out effective IC card issuance since it is not necessary to generate multiple master keys needed for data generation.


Features of "TOPPAN ACIS - DG"
- Reduction of data generation workload
It has been necessary for financial institutions to send data such as personal information needed for card issuance to each IC card manufacturer. With this service, financial institutions can reduce their workload since the data only need to be sent to Toppan Printing.
- Reduction of management cost
Master keys used for encrypting data related to credit and cash cards require stringent security management because of their importance. By introducing this service, the management cost can be reduced because master keys that existed at each IC card manufacturing company are consolidated as a single master key.
- Lineup of related solutions
In order to enhance security, the Japanese Bankers Association is promoting a shift to a "basic type" where authentication of IC cash card personal information is performed on a financial institution’s host server. This service can be offered by Toppan Printing, as can an instant IC card issuance service and various other "TOPPAN ACIS(*)" services.


Overview of the service

Copyright 2009 TOPPAN PRINTING CO., LTD.

Price
Initial cost (network construction etc.): from 5 million yen
Operating cost (data generation, distribution, maintenance etc.): from 500,000 yen per month
- The above prices are for reference only. Price varies depending on factors such as number of locations where issuance is performed.


Sales target
Toppan Printing is aiming for introduction at 5 companies by the end of 2010.


* TOPPAN ACIS This is a one-stop ID management service that performs integrated management, use and analysis of "ID" and "customer data" under high security conditions at Toppan Printing. "ID" and "customer data" are unique codes such as credit numbers and account numbers that derive from various areas of business.