Support for the Baltic Sea Protection Program of a Leading Finnish Bank

Gemalto, a global leader in digital security, is supporting The Baltic Sea Project by supplying its biometric Optelio EMV payment card.

The Baltic Sea Project is a major environmental initiative led by Bank of Åland, a pioneering bank in Scandinavia. Bank of Åland has selected the Optelio card, made from corn-derived PLA, as its preferred product.

This card is EMV-certified and features highly creative artwork and a front design symbolizing the Baltic Sea Project. Card account information and the company logo are printed on the back. Gemalto is responsible for card production and personalization under a multi-year partnership agreement with the bank.

The Optelio card, which emphasizes the importance of the environment, will also support the bank's proprietary "Aland-index." This calculates the carbon footprint of all card transactions, digitally reporting it to customers monthly and offering CO2 offset methods. This card will be issued to customers who open a new account application or whose existing card has expired.

Peter Wiklof, CEO of Bank of Orand, said: “Gemalto was the first company to offer a groundbreaking biometric payment card and has a proven track record of successful card deployments. Our new partnership with Gemalto, which actively supports the Baltic Sea project, will further expand the range of companies participating in our green initiative.”

“The Baltic Sea project is a vitally important initiative that raises awareness of the environmental threats at the heart of the Bank of Orand community,” said Philip Cambriel, President, Europe, Mediterranean and CIS at Gemalto. “Gemalto’s extensive green banking portfolio offers significant potential to build on the Optelio card’s carbon footprint reduction.”