The presentation ceremony of the Smart Student Card was held at Baku Engineering University (BEU) on February 21.

The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Education Idris Isayev, First Deputy Governor of the Central Bank Alim Guliyev, BEU Rector Havar Mammadov, Vice President of Mastercard Turkey and Country Manager for Azerbaijan Erdem Chakar, Chief Corporate and SME Sales Officer Farid Hidayatzada, officials from partner institutions, students and staff of the University and media representatives.

In his opening speech, BEU Rector Havar Mammadov noted that ICT was applied in many areas at the University. He said that the application of the "University Electronic Information System" ensured transparency, accuracy, speed and accountability in management. Modern computer equipment and electronic resources are used in the teaching process. As a continuation of the measures taken, the rector expressed confidence that the presented smart student cards would further strengthen the e-university system and thanked all the partners of the project.

Deputy Minister of Education Idris Isayev stressed that the development of smart student cards was part of the implementation of the actions specified in the ‘State program on expansion of digital payments in the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2018-2020’ approved by the Decree No.508 of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated 26 September 2018. The Deputy Minister added that in this regard, a new single standard was set for current student cards in higher educational institutions under the project and student cards with payment functionalities were developed and presented to students on its basis.

First Deputy Governor of the Central Bank Alim Guliyev noted that this project would play an important role in bringing up a new generation with state-of-art payment culture and stimulation of the development of a digital ecosystem in the country. He stressed that by allowing young people to enter the payment market, it was possible to increase the application of modern payment solutions in the country and take another step towards the formation of a "cashless society". Involvement of university students in this project will create new opportunities for close cooperation between education and the banking system as a whole.

Speaking at the event, Erdem Chakar, MasterCard Country Manager for Azerbaijan, said that he was proud to be involved in the implementation of such a project in Azerbaijan and spoke about the benefits of the product for students.

 Farid Hidayatzada, Kapital Bank's Chief Corporate and SME Sales Officer informed the participants on student smart card functionality and payment options. 

At the end, a presentation on the smart student card was made and they were presented to the top 20 students.

A presentation about the smart student cards informed the participants on the fact that students would receive their scholarships and make any payments via the cards both inside and outside the country. Parents living in regions will be able to easily send money to their children and students will access the university, library and reading rooms.  Student smart card coverage is planned to be further expanded, to be used in public transport and other services.

It should be noted that the project is implemented with the support of the Ministry of Education, the Central Bank, Mastercard and Kapital Bank.