Barnes International and FIME, two EMV chip testing providers, have announced that their jointly developed personalization validation tool has achieved official qualification against MasterCard’s latest requirements, version 8.1, according to a press release. 

The test tool is intended to help international issuers, card manufacturers and personalization bureaus to speed up certification and launch of their contact and contactless EMV card and NFC payments projects, according to the announcement.

The companies said the tool will be of particular interest to the U.S.-based payment community, as it prepares its existing systems for the adoption of EMV technology by October 2015.  

"Verifying the personalization of EMV cards and mobile payment applications is essential," said Vincent Poty, head of strategy and corporate development at FIME. "The ecosystem is evolving with new payment channels, security technologies and fraud prevention mechanisms. On top of this, market demand for quicker, more convenient and more secure payments is driving innovation. Up-to-date test tools are therefore essential for swift, affordable and smooth product launches."

The tool can be used to validate the personalization of contact, contactless and dual interface EMV chip cards, according to the announcement. Additionally, NFC mobiles and any contactless-enabled devices such as fobs and wristbands that support the MasterCard PayPass payment application can be evaluated.