NEXT Biometrics and Infineon develop reference design for fingerprint payment cards

NEXT Biometrics and Infineon Technologies have jointly developed a reference design for biometric payment cards, incorporating all elements necessary to develop and manufacture a smart card with an embedded fingerprint sensor to help card makers simplify their production processes and speed up time-to-market.

The reference design includes a biometric module, a secure element, an operating system with biometric and payment applets, and a recommended pre-lamination and lamination method for card manufacturing. The complete system can enable biometric smart card payments with false rejection rates below one percent, according to the announcement.

“Infineon is committed to enable a secure and convenient payment experience enhanced by fingerprint authentication,” says Bjoern Scharfen, Head of the Payment & Wearables product line at Infineon. “As a turnkey solution, the reference platform that Infineon jointly developed with NEXT will drive biometric innovations in the smart card industry and help make digital transactions easier and safer.”

The companies tout the use of biometrics as the second factor for authentication as “the next big thing in payment card innovation,” and say it will reduce fraud, particularly when used for personal social security payments.

“By listening to our customers and focusing on their requirements, we’ve made it a priority to deliver the tools they need to speed the implementation and deployment of biometric smart card technology,” adds NEXT Biometrics CEO Ritu Favre. “With our leadership in large-area, flexible fingerprint sensor technology and Infineon’s semiconductor expertise we’re delivering a complete solution that can be used by smart card makers to add further innovation. By simplifying development, Infineon and NEXT are leading the way toward making the use of biometric smart cards pervasive worldwide.”

The reference design will be demonstrated by the companies at the upcoming APSCA Digital Payments South Asia conference in Mumbai, India, November 13 and 14.

NEXT recently announced three new biometric payment card pilots featuring its fingerprint sensors, and its fingerprint sensor technology was found to deliver leading biometric performance in a study by Carlos III University of Madrid amid a flurry of announcements.

Article Topics

biometric cards  |  biometric payments  |  biometrics  |  fingerprint sensor  |  Infineon  |  Next Biometrics  |  secure element