Sudden CEO swap at Zwipe as new biometric payment card pilot unveiled

A new CEO and President has been appointed by Zwipe, Robert Puskaric, who replaces outgoing André Løvestam effective immediately.

Puskaric rose through the ranks at Ericsson group to be executive vice president of ST-Ericsson, and has served as president and CEO of digital marketing firm Eniro AB.

Løvestam will support the company through a transition period before pursuing other opportunities, according to the announcement.

“After several years of development of Zwipe Pay and Zwipe Access, Zwipe’s main products for biometric payment and access cards, the company is now entering into a new phase of engaging with our customers to bring biometric cards to consumers for commercial launch,” says Zwipe Board of Directors Chairman Jörgen Lantto. “We are confident that Robert’s successful history of managing complex commercial relations will be a perfect fit as the company enters this phase.”

“I am looking forward to working with my new colleagues and the board, partners and customers, in bringing biometric cards to consumers for commercial launch,” states Puskaric.

Payment card pilot in Germany, Wisecard partnership expands

To that same end, German digital financial services provider Fidor Bank is planning to launch biometric payment cards based on the Zwipe Pay platform for a pilot during the second half of this year.

The card launch aligns with Fidor’s strategy for secure digital banking access and payment services, and delivers a touchless, PIN-free experience.

“Next generation payment cards powered by on-card fingerprint authentication will greatly help to differentiate our payment offerings with respect to a seamless checkout experience and uplifted transaction security,” says Fidor Bank CEO Boris Joseph. “We are aiming for a commercial launch in the second half of 2022.”

Fidor Bank has been recognized as a leader in banking and one of the world’s best by Forbes Magazine for three years in a row.

“We are grateful for Fidor Bank’s confidence in joining forces with Zwipe to bring biometric payment cards to Germany, one of the largest payment markets in Europe,” comments outgoing Zwipe CEO André Løvestam. “Fidor Bank’s position as a leading digital bank and Zwipe’s disruptive technology in biometric payments lay the foundation for a mutually rewarding collaboration. We are fully committed to ensure a successful pilot and market launch in Germany.”

Zwipe will provide support to increase engagement and awareness of biometric payment cards, in addition to the core platform.

Zwipe’s partnership with China-based Wisecard has also been renewed, with an agreement on joint sales and marketing initiatives, and pre-built personalization scripts for Zwipe Pay delivered by Wisecard.

The intention is to accelerate the adoption of biometric payment cards in the Asia Pacific (APAC) Region.

Wisecard is one of the largest suppliers of card personalization solutions in the world, the partners say, serving more than 150 financial institutions in more than 60 countries.

“Partnering with Wisecard greatly strengthens the global delivery and implementation ecosystem of biometric payment cards built on our platform, across the APAC region and also beyond,” says Zwipe VP of APAC Sales and Business Development Claus Hansen. “Together we will bring next generation biometric payment cards to card personalization bureaus, smart card manufacturers, payment processors and issuers.”

Article Topics

appointments  |  biometric cards  |  biometrics  |  pilot project  |  stocks  |  Zwipe