After the successful introduction of its Premier and Classic Master Card Chip and PIN credit cards, HSBC Bank Malta is to issue Visa Classic and Visa Gold Chip and PIN cards.

"After months of hard work and rigorous testing, HSBC was the first bank to launch Chip and PIN cards to customers in Malta, issuing Master Card Chip and PIN cards last June," chief operating officer Sally Robson said.

"Following final tests and certification we are now in a position to issue our customers with Chip and PIN enabled Visa Classic and Visa Gold cards. HSBC Bank Malta is the only local bank to have its EPOS terminals certified by all card schemes to accept Chip and PIN cards.

All our new credit card customers will now receive Chip and PIN credit cards and a roll-out plan is in place to replace all existing cards in a short period.

A 'Chip' credit card bears an embedded security microchip, which makes it more secure than one with only a magnetic stripe. The chip makes it more difficult to fraudulently copy card details.

At point of sale, customers will now be required to enter their unique personal identification number to authorise transactions. This procedure will replace the current practice of customers having to sign a receipt.