UK businesses should soon be able to conduct trade
electronically with their counterparts in Macedonia and with other
states that have until now been deemed too great an e-commerce
risk, thanks to an initiative between security techology firm
VeriSign and the US Agency for International
Development.
Banks in Macedonia, part of the former Yugoslavia, are poised to
issue their customers with two-factor authentication devices to
turn around the country's reputation as a risky trading partner for
e-commerce.
Until now, the country has in effect been blacklisted by major
e-commerce sites such as eBay and PayPal, stifling the ability of
Macedonian firms to trade online.
The US Agency for International Development has partnered with
VeriSign to provide Macedonia's banks with the smart tokens that
will allow the country's citizens and businesses to trade securely
online.
"The blacklisting has had crippling effects on Macedonia, which
is a fairly new country. There are a number of industries that
Macedonia is looking to develop, including wine and cheese exports
and textiles," said Ryan Kalember, VeriSign's regional technical
manager for EMEA. "Without access to e-commerce sites, they do not
have any way to conduct e-commerce."
Commercialna Banka in the country's capital, Skopje, is the
first Macedonian bank to take up the technology, and will roll out
tokens to 10,000 internet banking customers by the end of the
year.
The tokens, part of VeriSign's Identity Protection (VIP)
service, will allow account holders to conduct their banking online
securely and provide them with secure access to a network of
VIP-compatible e-commerce sites, including eBay, PayPal and
Yahoo.
Although online trading with Macedonia is regarded as risky,
studies have shown that the problem is more one of perception,
rather than any significant problem with online fraud.
VeriSign is in discussions with a second bank in Macedonia to
roll out the technology. It is also looking at a similar scheme for
Romania, which has more serious problems with e-crime.
A range of suppliers are planning to produce VIP-compatible
tokens and software, including Yahoo, Motorola and Symantec.
www.usaid.gov
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