MasterCard partners for fingerprint-reading contactless card launch in 2015
Following a live pilot with Norway’s Sparebanken, MasterCard has confirmed a partnership with Zwipe to launch a contactless payment card featuring an integrated fingerprint sensor.
The Zwipe MasterCard payment card is thought to be the first payment card to combine contactless NFC technology with biometrics. It includes an integrated sensor and authentication technology that holds the cardholder’s biometric data as well as an EMV certified secure element and MasterCard’s contactless application.
Cardholder fingerprint data is stored directly on the card, not in an external database and can be used to make contactless payments without using a PIN.
Currently the card is only in prototype form and Zwipe is working a version in a standard format that will work with all payment terminals for release in 2015. This new card will do away with the need for an on-card battery by harvesting energy from the payment terminals.
Morten Danielsen, business development director at Sparebanken, said: “We will offer biometric authentication and contactless communication for all our cards since it combines convenience and security for both our cardholders and merchants.”
