EMVCo’s Mission and Focus: What it Does and How it Does it

EMVCo enables card-based payments to work seamlessly and securely worldwide. It delivers on this mission through the ongoing development and management of technical specifications and supporting testing, certification and marks programmes.

Businesses and consumers around the world rely on payment cards that work anywhere they want to use them – whether in a store, via a smart device, at home or traveling. The payment process is familiar, convenient and reliable. EMVCo plays an important part in making this possible.

As the technical body that works behind the scenes to advance seamless and secure card-based payments globally, EMVCo provides specifications and supporting testing, certification and marks programmes for products that enable the delivery of consistent and convenient payments for merchants, businesses and consumers worldwide.

Key to EMVCo’s work is close collaboration with the payments industry to adapt and evolve these specifications to continue to support technology innovations, the needs of different marketplaces and changes in consumer behaviours.

EMVCo was specifically set up and structured to achieve this through a working model that is led by the companies that own and manage the payment networks which facilitate card-based payments around the world. Collectively, they recognise a shared responsibility for the reliability and security of card-based payment transactions and the technology infrastructure that makes them possible.

As equal owners, American Express, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, UnionPay and Visa work together with hundreds of organisations and technical bodies around the world to develop EMV^® Specifications.

Specifications

Supporting security, flexibility and innovation

EMVCo collaborates with the global payments industry to develop technical specifications that provide foundational requirements for card-based payment products to work seamlessly and securely around the world:

• EMV Specifications provide a common foundation for adopting technologies that are proven to increase security and fight fraud.
• EMV Specifications support innovation and are flexible to accommodate the unique needs of different marketplaces.
• EMV Specifications are widely used to create payment products and services that deliver trusted and convenient payments for merchants and consumers around the world.

While EMVCo develops and manages EMV Specifications it does not implement them or mandate their use. Payment systems and networks around the world choose to adopt and implement EMV Specifications as they wish.

Testing and Certification

Providing trust and confidence to the payments ecosystem

EMVCo provides testing processes and certification of products:

• EMVCo brings confidence to the payments ecosystem through the testing and certification of card-based payment products that are compatible and secure in accordance with EMV Specifications.
• This enables product providers to have their products tested and certified as meeting EMV Specifications.
• Users of card-based payment products can then verify that a product has been evaluated and approved as meeting EMV Specifications before deploying in the field.

Marks

Bringing trust, familiarity and consistency to the payments experience

EMVCo manages marks that demonstrate compliance to EMV Specifications:

• Payments industry stakeholders use EMVCo marks to demonstrate to their customers that their products are compliant with EMV Specifications for compatibility and security.
• EMVCo marks provide assurance to users of card-based payment products that they meet EMV Specifications and will function accordingly.
• Easy-to-recognise visual symbols for point of payments provide consistency and familiarity to the payment experience and inspire consumer confidence and trust in the technology at merchant checkout.

Industry Engagement

Shaping the future of EMV Specifications

EMVCo engages and collaborates with the payments industry to develop EMV Specifications that support innovation and meet marketplace needs:

• Active engagement and collaboration with the payments industry is key to EMVCo’s proven model for creating, evolving and promoting globally adopted specifications that support innovation and address marketplace needs.
• Hundreds of banks, merchants, technology providers and other payments system stakeholders participate as EMVCo Associates and Subscribers to provide expertise and input to the development of EMV Specifications.
• Regional and global technical bodies, and industry associations, collaborate with EMVCo on its specifications and initiatives that improve security and payment experiences around the world to ensure there are no conflicting requirements or gaps that would limit implementation.