NXP, Gemalto and Ingenico have topped an ABI Research survey that assessed vendors on the basis of market share as well as specific vendor matrices focused on secure ICs, smart cards and point-of-sale/mobile card reader vendors. The three scored above average on measures of global presence, breadth of services, partnerships, influence and standards compliance. Each is either first or second in their individual product categories.

Individually, in terms of innovation, ABI praised Gemalto’s contactless readiness and NFC development. It has participated in over 45 NFC trials and has a range of contactless payments cards already deployed in a number of markets. Leading NFC chip vendor NXP has established dominance within transportation and ticketing as well as access control markets. The company can leverage its existing large-scale client base to give it added value and making it a potential beneficiary of any market convergence. Ingenico scored well because of its broad contactless availability, as well as its mobile POS solution and strategic partnerships with major payment networks, including PayPal.