Case study – Government

Chinese bank instantly issues social security cards.

Social security cards instantly issued by 150 bank branches.

The challenge: Provide a social security card to all citizens

In China, it can be difficult for people living in remote areas to request a social security number and card. The Chinese province Yunnan has over 45 million inhabitants of which the rural population accounts for 63.2%. In the past, traveling to big towns – where social security authorities are based was the only way to obtain the card and apply for the social services associated with it.

In 2018, the Chinese government, in collaboration with commercial banks, deployed an innovative social security card project.

The solution: A customized instant card printing system from Evolis

In the province of Yunnan the social security department and the Agricultural Bank of China joined forces to issue a combined financial social security card, aimed at providing convenient and better access to social services for all its citizens. As banks have high security measures and the issuance of payment cards is their traditional business, it was a logical step for the government to entrust them with the issuance of the multi-functional card.

In February 2018, Boya Wuzhou Technology Co. Ltd., the Evolis partner for the banking and government market in China,  deployed 150 card personalization systems developed  by Evolis on demand use.

The result: Social security cards instantly issued by 150 bank branches

All 150 branches of the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) spread across the Yunnan province are able to issue a multi-application card within a few minutes that offers:

  • medical insurance
  • pension insurance
  • banking-related functions such as cash withdrawal or money transfer

In addition to personalized color printing on the surface of the cards, BY-W3 also encodes personal information into the social security card’s IC chip, thereby providing additional security. Each citizen’s printed financial/social security card contains personal social security information, such as:

  • name
  • photo
  • ID number
  • gender
  • ethnicity
  • social security number
  • card expiration date
The Evolis printer is an aesthetically designed product. Its dimensions are perfect for use in a bank branch, and the overall printing quality perfectly meets card issuance requirements. The real-time utilization rate of the devices at each bank branch exceeds 86%.
M. Lin, Yunnan Branch, Agricultural Bank of China