1. The document discusses u-commerce and smart cards, with smart cards seen as enabling technologies for u-commerce payments anywhere, anytime through any device. 2. Smart cards, also known as chip cards, contain an embedded computer chip that stores and protects payment information, increasing security and combating fraud compared to traditional magnetic stripe cards. 3. Visa has been a leader in developing EMV smart card specifications internationally, with the number of countries and cards using the technology growing rapidly since the 1990s. Visa aims for chip-based transactions to account for 42% of its volume by 2006.