NovaCard’s History

In 2007, NovaCard received certification to manufacture the American Express Blue Box card. Less than a year later, the company was granted the right to produce the entire line of American Express chip products - Centurion, Gold, and Platinum - a privilege held by only a limited number of manufacturers in Europe at the time.

In 2008, NovaCard certified its SIMART™ WIB 1.3 with Java SIM card (128K class) with SmartTrust, the developer of the WIB microbrowser standard adopted by leading global and Russian mobile operators for delivering services based on dynamic SIM Toolkit technology.

In 2008, the Volga-Vyatka branch of Sberbank of Russia became the first regional branch to outsource bank-card personalization. NovaCard successfully passed a comprehensive audit of its security and quality systems, meeting all of Sberbank’s requirements for the protection of customers’ personal data.

In 2010, NovaCard became the first company in Europe to obtain certification for the production of Visa ProMotion® 3D cards - bank cards featuring three-dimensional and motion-image effects. This design, which creates the impression of a “living” image and adds visual depth, also serves as an additional security feature.

In 2012, NovaCard became the first company in Russia to produce NFC SIM cards with the MasterCard PayPass payment application for MTS and MTS Bank. This milestone marked a new chapter for the company: having previously focused on card manufacturing and personalization, NovaCard began to emerge as a developer of payment solutions.

Also in 2012, NovaCard became the first company in Russia to undergo and pass GSMA’s security audit for SIM-card manufacturing (SAS - Security Accreditation Scheme standard). SAS certification is voluntary and reflects a very high level of production security.

In 2012, NovaCard successfully completed Visa and MasterCard certification for the production of contactless bank cards using Visa payWave and MasterCard PayPass technologies on micro­modules supplied by Oberthur Technologies, a global leader in secure solutions.

In 2013, ahead of the Summer Universiade, Kazan launched an innovative project enabling cashless fare payment on public transportation. NovaCard produced third-generation NFC SIM cards with the Mobile Ticket service for Russia’s “Big Four” mobile operators.

In 2015, NovaCard received certification from UnionPay International for the production of China UnionPay microprocessor cards, followed by certification for the personalization of magnetic-stripe and chip-based bank cards, including dual-interface cards. This expanded the company’s service offerings for card issuers.

In 2015, NovaCard produced NFC SIM cards featuring the Mobile Ticket application for Russia’s “Big Three” mobile operators. These cards enabled cashless fare payments via smartphone across Moscow’s public transportation network - including the metro, the Moscow Central Circle (MCC), and buses, trolleybuses, and trams operated by Mosgortrans.

In 2015, NovaCard was approved as a manufacturer of Mir cards for the National Payment Card System (NSPK). NSPK experts reviewed the company’s sample cards and production documentation and concluded that NovaCard was eligible to manufacture Mir cards.

In 2016, NovaCard received certification for the production and personalization of all card types of the international payment system JCB (Japan), once again confirming the company’s compliance with the highest standards of international payment systems.

In 2016, NovaCard certified its SP TSM (Trusted Service Manager) platform - an online payment-application management system. This hardware-software complex ensures secure information exchange between service providers (SPs) and mobile network operators.

In 2020, NovaCard’s production facilities and security systems were audited by independent experts from the GSM Association (GSMA) and certified as compliant with the SAS (Security Accreditation Scheme) standard for the eSIM project - the issuance of digital SIM cards that allow subscribers to access mobile services without a physical SIM card.

Thus, 2023 marked new opportunities in the field of contactless payments.

Since 2024, NovaCard has been manufacturing SIM cards based on its proprietary Russian operating system, SIMART. SIMART supports both international and Russian authentication algorithms and is used by millions of subscribers. 

In 2024, the company introduced new form factors: M2M SIM chips and thermo SIM cards designed for operation in extreme weather conditions and harsh environments. M2M SIM chips enhance the security of data-transmission devices, while thermo SIM cards use a corrosion-resistant chip with an extended service life.

These products enable reliable monitoring of assets and remote management through a dedicated subscription-management solution.⁠

In 2025, NovaCard introduced the advanced BNBS product—a payment solution for banks and telecom operators that combines NFC and BLE technologies.
BNBS is an innovative SIM card with an embedded payment chip enabling secure contactless payments without being tied to traditional bank cards, stickers, or mobile applications.

Key advantages:
• Production in Russia: а full industrial cycle ensures independence and quality control.
• Universal compatibility: Supports a wide range of phone models.
• Maximum simplicity: After one-time personalization of the banking and telecom profiles, no additional setup is required. Simply hold the phone to the terminal.

The product is ideal for users who value independence, convenience, and security, as well as for businesses seeking to offer customers simple and technological solutions.

For more detailed information about the product, please refer to the presentation.