Commonwealth Bank has launched its wireless Android-powered ‘Albert’ console onto the Australian market, and expects to ship ‘tens of thousands’ of units to merchants across the country. The innovative EFTPOS tablet – developed in Wincor Nixdorf and IDEO – is a WiFi and 3G-enabled device, which is pre-loaded with a payment app and other apps created by the bank. The bank claimed Albert is the world’s first touch-screen, open platform terminal that meets EMV and PCI-compliance standards. EMV, ‘Europay, MasterCard and Visa’, is a global standard for interoperation of integrated circuit cards, POS and ATM terminals, and authenticating credit and debit card transactions. CBA has 800 registered developers lined up to create apps specifically for the terminal. The device was first flagged to be released in the second quarter of 2013 as part of the bank’s ‘Pi’ initiative. Last October, CommBank’s CIO, David Whiteing said security concerns had delayed its release. At a launch in Sydney on Tuesday, CommBank’s managing director, payments and cash, Gary Roach, said it was a complex challenge to build a secure piece of hardware with a secure OS and payments app. “You need to solve all three concurrently, which is complex, and then you need to get all of that through the quite challenging industry certifications that are required,” he said. “We’ve built to quality and it will be very difficult for people to emulate what we’ve done.” Roach said the terminal revolutionises the way Australians pay. Last year, 50 per cent of MasterCard payments in Australia were ‘tap and go’, and 60 per cent of access to the CommBank was via its mobile app, he said. Dwayen Bonner, technical director at Albert user, Earthling Investments, said the device runs an internal app used by its fuel business – Mogas Group – which has streamlined compliance processes and improved efficiency. He said the company had been looking for a device like Albert for 10 years – one with an integrated printer and card reader that also links to its ERP system. “It’s important for our [truck] drivers are not having to call us up on a satellite phone to say ‘hey the printer is not linked up to the tablet device,” he said. It also provides the organisation with a second point of data capture from drivers who often spend up to three weeks in the Australian outback, he said. “We have the truck tracking device there that doesn’t let us know if the driver is ok. If there are tapping away on a device, we know that they are alive and safe,” he said. The device is also used by merchants who offer fuel discounts through Earthling’s EasyFuel business. “Albert is exciting for us there because the bank [CBA] has opened up their customer base to us,” he said. Merchants using an Albert device can download an app and be up and running in five minutes with the fuel discount package. Previously, it would take two to three weeks to get a merchant signed up, paperwork completed, and terminal shipped to their premises, he said. “It’s unchartered territory because it’s very unusual for a bank to allow you to take control of a payments application and make it seamless to use.” Follow CIO Australia on Twitter and Like us on Facebook… Twitter: @CIO_Australia, Facebook: CIO Australia, or take part in the CIO conversation on LinkedIn: CIO Australia Follow Byron Connolly on Twitter:@ByronConnolly Related content News Amazon to lay off 9,000 more workers, including some at AWS The latest round of Amazon layoffs will impact AWS, Twitch, advertising and PXT, CEO Andy Jassy said. By Jon Gold Mar 20, 2023 3 mins Technology Industry Cloud Computing BrandPost What’s next for network operations Broadcom: 2023 Tech Trends That Transform IT By Serge Lucio, Vice President and General Manager, Agile Operations Division Mar 20, 2023 8 mins IT Leadership Networking BrandPost Digital transformation obstacles: Stubborn challenges, what to do about them Value Stream Management is an increasingly essential approach to strategic transformation initiatives. To help teams more fully capitalize on the opportunities it presents, Broadcom is holding its third annual VSM Summit. By Marla Schimke, Head of Product and Growth Marketing, Broadcom's Enterprise Software Division Mar 20, 2023 3 mins Devops Software Development Feature CEO directives: Top 5 initiatives for IT leaders As organizations change course with economic gyrations, collaboration between IT and business becomes priority No. 1 for CEOs. By Stacy Collett Mar 20, 2023 7 mins IT Leadership Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe