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Chief Commercial Officer Chatchai Chatchaiganan, said that the company has launched the digital cash card service in Thailand since 2006.

"We have today 18 retail partners joining our digital card network with two million card holders totally so far," he said.

Chatchai, who is also Thai Smart Card's chief operating officer, said that the company yesterday launched its latest partner Café Deoro, which is the first local coffee house joined into the Smart Purse digital cash card network.

Under the partnership, Cafe Deoro expects to issue 10,000 "Deoro Smart Purse" at the price of Bt500 each.

The card however will offer Bt170 additional cash value plus discount coupons worth Bt1,000 offered by other partners participated in the campaign.

Chatchai said that in the initial period, the Smart Purse terminals will be installed at 44 Cafe Deoro coffee houses in Bangkok and outskirts.

Cafe Deoro currently operates 77 coffee houses in the Kingdom. The company has about 20,000 regular customers.

"Since we (Thai Smart Card) have launched our Smart Purse digital cash card system in 2006, about six partners entered our network in that year.

Four new partners also joined our network in 2007 and eight new partners entering our system so far this year including Green Bus, JIA Tutoring Center, SF Cinema City, Sripathum University, Tisco Bank, Jam-Sai Publisher, Ayudhya Allianz CP, and St John's University," said Chatchai.

He said that another seven partners are entering the Smart Purse network by the end of this year, including Chillo Ice ice-cream shop, Metro Bus, Five Star Maco Movie City , St Gabriel's College, and Panyapiwat Institute of Technology.

"We have invested a lot of money in machines and software to create the digital cash card system, which allows our partners to do many loyalty programs and activities, such as electronic coupon and ticketing, at cheap price," said Chatchai.