European payment card to be introduced by Shell

NEWS The Royal Dutch/Shell Group is moving into the ebusiness market with plans for a European payment card with credit facilities and ecommerce functionality. The system will be based on Shell's existing Euro-Shell payment card, used by haulage and distribution firms. The company has hinted that plans for the new card may include credit facilities, leasing finance for trucks and procurement facilities. The oil giant is reluctant to give details, but a spokeswoman confirmed to Silicon.com the project is still in its planning stage. According to a report in the Financial Times, Mike Treanor, CEO of Shell's financial services unit, said: "It's also a fabulous ecommerce platform." The plans form part of Anglo-Dutch group's push into financial and ecommerce services. Last week subsidiary Shell Europe Oil Products launched a free Internet access service - 12move.com - in partnership with World Online. According to Heather Stark, analyst at Ovum, the project could develop a number of different ways. "There is a lot of interest in multi-application schemes at the moment - where you take a corporate credit card and use smartcard technology to bundle other card-related services," she said. Shell believes that as one of Europe's most popular oil brands it is in an excellent position to extend Internet services, both to businesses and consumers. Stark agreed that as an active player in the loyalty market, the company could also be looking at consumer schemes - including using petrol station forecourts as Internet home delivery platforms. According to Stark: "They are looking at the skills they have got - logistics and neighbourhood penetration."