Gemalto is providing Banco Santander, a Spain-based financial institution, with cards that offer EMV payment and multiple applications for identity, including digital signature, authentication and secure contactless access to facilities for the bank’s university identity card program.

Gemalto is supplying the institution with its Optelio cards. The systems will implemented and supported by Acotec, a Gemalto value added reseller in Spain. University Politecnica Catalunya in Catalonia is the first to roll out the new cards.

As part of the program, students use their card as a Banco Santander EMV debit card. The contactless features on the card enables secure access to buildings such as libraries, dormitories and gymnasiums. Students also use the card for secure access to the campus electronic networks, to pay in cafeterias, check out books from the library, store grades and personal documents, pay for laundry and photocopies and for other student expenses.

The university card is also used for students to gain access to public transportation in the cities of Burgos, Lerida, Malaga and Santander. The digital signature functionality enables students and professors to sign documents electronically, while at the same time helping universities comply with new laws.

In addition to Spain, Banco Santander is currently running its university identity card program in Latin America, Morocco, Portugal and the United Kingdom. Santander manages several million cards that are used at 200 universities, 48 of which are in Spain.