CAIRO: Mediterranean Smart Cards Company (MSCC) announced that they have signed an agreement to handle smart card processing for the 11-country banking institution BSIC Group. The Bank, formally known as Banque Sahélo-Saharienne pour l'Investissement et le Commerce, is headquartered in the Libyan capital of Tripoli. It has operations in 10 other African countries, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Eritrea, Gambia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sudan, and Togo. Officials from both companies met on MSCC's premises on Dec. 21, 2006 to sign the contract establishing MSCC as BSIC's smart card processing company. Signing on behalf of MSCC was Hoda Shoukry, managing director and on behalf of BSIC was Mohamed Zubair, deputy general manager. MSCC is the first smart card processing company in Egypt and is currently exporting its high-tech skills and services to numerous markets in Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The signature of the agreement with the BSIC group allowed MSCC to expand its network. "MSCC is delighted by the opportunity that the BSIC is bringing forth, as it enables us to greatly expand our existing presence in the region, stated MSCC's Shoukry. "This in turn will reinforce Egypt's positioning as a leader in the industry. BSIC Group, established in 1999 by the Treaty of Sahélo-Saharan Community States, aims to link the countries in the Sahel region with those of North Africa. The Bank has share capital of 250 million euros, banking correspondents across the world, and a network of subsidiaries founded in the aforementioned countries. According to Chairman Alhadi Alwarfalli, BSIC presents a clear illustration of economic integration in the Sahelo-Saharan region which is evidently an accomplishment in reaching the creation of an African Union. "MSCC is committed to continue exporting modern and up-to-date smart processing services across the region. In addition to providing the mission-critical smart card processing that our clients need to drive their businesses, our expertise also enables us to support the ongoing efforts of the Egyptian government as well as contribute to the growth of the local economy, stated Shoukry. With Agencies
