Ingenico, a provider of payment solutions, has partnered together with financial service provider Crédit Agricole to launch one of the first contactless payment projects in Portugal.

Having already incorporated the technology into its cards, the bank is renewing its payment terminals. Ingenico’s iWl251 terminal will enable contactless payment, in addition to several other payment methods, including reading chip cards, magnetic strips and by signature capture.

Part of the iWL 200 series, these wireless terminals are some of the lightest and most compact available on t, equipped with 3G connectivity and a battery. The terminals offer a full set of secure payment solutions that have designed to comply with security norms such as EMV and PCI PTS 3.x.

Some 200,000 contactless cards have already been issued and 1,500 Ingenico payment terminals have been installed as part of the project. Holders of the cards will be able to perform small transactions under 20 Euros by simply holding the card up close to the payment terminal; no PIN or signature required.

With this project, the bank hopes to reach 600,000 contactless cards and 5,500 terminals by the end of the first quarter 2013.