Zwipe plans biometric payment card launches in two regions, signs manufacturing deal in a third

Zwipe has reached new deals with partners in Mexico, Lebanon and India to manufacture and pilot biometric payment cards, the company has revealed with a series of announcements.

Easy Pay is planning a pilot of fingerprint biometrics-enabled payment cards in India ahead of commercial launches planned for the summer of 2022, in collaboration with Zwipe and its Indian manufacturing partner, KL Hi-Tech. Easy Pay is a fast-growing payment services company currently used by more than 2 million retailers.

“We see many use cases for biometrics beyond payments, for example access cards for use in hotel chains, as well as high-end real-estate and smart city projects where we have long term contracts and a demanding client base,” states Easy Pay Founder and CEO Nilay Patel. “Following internal tests and external pilots we aim for commercial launches of biometric payment cards during summer of 2022.”

The pilot is the first confirmed for Zwipe in India.

A medium-sized bank in the Levant region, meanwhile, has chosen to pilot a biometric payment card enabled with Zwipe Pay ONE in the first half of 2022, through the biometrics provider’s partnership with areeba.

The bank specializes in wealth management, and serves thousands of high-net worth and affluent customers, the partners say.

“We are confident that the pilot will show how biometric payment cards can help the bank to attract new customers, uplift customer loyalty and ensure excellent returns from their payment portfolio,” comments Ramzi Saboury, general manager of Zwipe in MENA Region. “Zwipe will be supporting the bank through all stages of the pilot journey, ensuring smooth pilots with strong end user focus.”

Zwipe and areeba have already announced joint pilot projects in Lebanon and Iraq, and areeba has been working on pilots of biometric cards in the region since 2018.

Zwipe is also working with INC in Iraq, with a pilot coming soon.

New manufacturer partnership

Forzacard is Mexico’s leading domestic card manufacturer, according to a separate announcement, and will develop and launch biometric cards powered by Zwipe, under a new agreement.

The card-maker delivers more than 25 million payment cards per year to customers across multiple countries. It is certified for Visa, Mastercard and Carnet cards.

The new cards will start with payments, and feature Zwipe Pay ONE.

“Mexico is leading the way in the adoption of biometric payment cards in Central and North America,” explains Zwipe CEO André Løvestam. “Partnering with Forzacard in Mexico will enable us to respond to a strong and growing demand for biometric payment cards from banks and payment service providers in that region.”

The company is also looking into the opportunity to launch biometrics payment cards in North America with a partner.

Article Topics

banking  |  biometric cards  |  biometric payments  |  biometrics  |  India  |  Mexico  |  Zwipe  |  Zwipe Pay