Unikeys launches presale of flagship crypto wallet powered by IDEMIA biometrics

Fintech startup Unikeys is launching the global presale of its flagship UKey card, which is a hardware wallet for crypto assets, secured with biometric fingerprint authentication. The biometric smart card is manufactured in partnership with IDEMIA.

Hong Kong-based Unikeys says the new product is the first hardware wallet to feature biometric security as part of three-factor authentication. Through the IDEMIA partnership, UKey includes a high-quality fingerprint sensor, and stores the user’s biometric data on the card’s secure element, according to the announcement. Unikeys believes IDEMIA’s position as a market leader in biometric augmented identity, its production track record and partnerships will provide unparalleled data security and provide new opportunities for the company.

“When conceptualizing the UKey card, security and user experiences are our top priorities,” says Unikeys CEO and Co-founder Alexandre Tabbakh. “We believe the mass adoption of cryptocurrencies will happen only if it’s made easy to transact and can be stored securely: that’s when ‘biometry’ came to mind. We are confident our game-changing sleek design, together with the most advanced biometric sensor, makes an all-round solution for end-users transacting with crypto-assets.”

The biometric wallet has the form factor of a standard ISO/IEC 7810 credit card, is compatible with Android phones and tablets via NFC, supports Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Litecoin, and Bitcoin Cash, with ERC 20 tokens available in the near future. The UKey’s secure element is certified to the Common Criteria EAL6+ standard.

The pre-sale period opens May 10 and will last for 3 months, during which the UKey will cost $89, with worldwide delivery starting in September.

Article Topics

biometric cards  |  biometrics  |  cryptocurrency  |  fingerprint authentication  |  IDEMIA  |  secure element