Proton is an electronic purse application for debit cards in Belgium. The system was introduced in February 1995 with the goal to replace cash primarily for small transactions around the 15 EUR. For security, the card is limited to storing 125 EUR of available electronic cash (originally 5000 BEF).
The card is used for small payments without a pin code or signature, and runs the same risk as with ordinary cash in that if the card is lost the cash value allocated to the card is also lost.
The advantage to merchants is that they can accept payments without the necessity for a bank terminal to be connected to a centralised system for approving the transaction (the transaction is approved by the card itself), and the transaction is very quick.
Proton has seen limited success in Belgium, despite being available on commonplace on parking meters, pay phones, and within convenience stores; possibly due to a poor understanding of the system. Despite this, the system has also been implemented in other countries such as Chipknip in the Netherlands, and has been considered for other markets such as Australia.[1]