The SD Association has announced a new specification for memory cards that gives them the ability to support near-field communications.
The SD Association achieved this by adding the Single Wire Protocol (SWP) to the SD card spec, which provides the Secure Element needed to handle NFC for identification and authorization of payments. According to the SD Association, the smartSD spec can be added to the microSD form factor in SD, SDHC, and SDXC capacities.
The SD Association envisions that financial institutions, retailers, transportation companies and others will issue smartSD cards that can be used with NFC-equipped smartphones to enable cashless transactions.
