NEXT Biometrics makes initial sale of fingerprint readers for India’s Aadhaar

NEXT Biometrics has received initial orders for its Scallop fingerprint readers for use with India’s Aadhaar program, and is expanding its operations in the world’s most populous country to support its increased activity there.

India’s Standardization Testing and Quality Certification (STQC) Directorate certified NEXT’s technology in June, and the company stated at the time that it would likely see revenues in the Q4 2018. The fingerprint readers are sold through distributor AqTronics Technologies.

NEXT has been working toward serving new global markets, including the potentially enormous Indian market, for some time. The company recently added biometrics industry veteran William Yu as VP of Asia Pacific Sales and China General Manager, and announced the addition of an integrated sales organization with representatives in key markets, including India, when former IDEMIA executive Alain Faburel was introduced as NEXT Biometrics’ new chief sales and marketing officer.

“NEXT Biometrics is moving forward quickly to provide its fingerprint sensor technology for use in India,” said Faburel. “We’re firmly committed to growing our business in India and are taking a number of important steps to enhance our presence in the country in order to best serve our customers there.”

The sale of Scallop fingerprint readers is part of NEXT’s product plan to initially provide sensors and modules for use in equipment like POS terminals and tablets for applications such as pension service Jeevan Pramaan, Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System, Aadhaar-based eKYC, financial inclusion initiatives, and the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System. NEXT CEO Ritu Favre said in a conference call after it was Aadhaar-certified that the Scallop provides significantly different technology from the smart card sensors that have been among its flagship products, with a large optical sensor.

The plan will continue with NEXT establishing a subsidiary, headquartered in Begaluru, which will allow the company to respond rapidly to customer needs and address new market opportunities. The subsidiary will recruit local talent and develop product features specifically for India, according to the announcement. NEXT’s team in India is led by Crossmatch, Safran Morpho and Gemalto veteran Ameya Bhagwat, and also includes Sanjith Sundaram, who spent five years with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

Article Topics

Aadhaar  |  biometrics  |  fingerprint readers  |  India  |  Next Biometrics  |  UIDAI