Introducing EMVCo C-8 Kernel
The EMV Contactless payments environment is swiftly evolving, with more consumers embracing the convenience of tap-to-pay transactions. However, this surge in popularity underscores the necessity for standardized and secure processing methods to ensure smooth transactions and safeguard sensitive financial data.
In October 2022, EMVCo published the EMV Contactless Kernel Specification (C-8), introducing an advancement set to transform the processing of contactless transactions, eliminating the need for terminal vendors and acquirers to rely on scheme-specific kernels, thus reducing costs and complexity.
This kernel will be deployed over the years with the acceptance of the following schemes:
- Mastercard Contactless (C-2)
- Visa Contactless (C-3)
- American Express (C-4)
- JCB (C-5)
- Discover Contactless (C-6)
- Union Pay (C-7)
Objectives and benefits of C-8 Kernel
C-8 aims to provide a unified and standardized solution to assist terminal vendors, acquirers, issuers, and payment processors with the following objectives:
- Interoperability: ensures compatibility across different cards and terminals,
- Security: enhances transaction security and protects cardholder data,
- Performance optimization: improves transaction speed and efficiency,
- Compliance with EMV Specifications: aligns with global EMV payment standards,
- Support for Multiple Payment Schemes: supports various card brands and networks,
- Extensibility and Upgradability: allows easy updates for future enhancements.
Therefore, integrating C-8 will bring the following main benefits to stakeholders:
- Reduced complexity: simplifying the testing, certification, and renewal process for devices,
- Enhanced Security: for consumers, merchants and issuers, with the adoption of elliptic curve cryptography to secure communication between cards and terminals, without penalizing transaction times,
- Faster go-to-market: with a unique kernel to cover the international schemes that follow the C-8 specifications.
Feel free to reach out to our team to have more information : contact@amadis.ca
