IrisGuard expands biometric humanitarian cash assistance in Jordan

IrisGuard has announced the extension of its six-year partnership with Jordan Post to facilitate the transfer of humanitarian cash assistance to mobile wallets through its iris biometrics payment platform, the EyePay Network, in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

According to IrisGuard, this initiative aims to benefit the unbanked and underbanked refugees and migrants. The payment distribution network comprises approved cash-out financial service providers such as post offices, banks, money exchangers, and supermarkets, the company says.

Simon Reed, deputy director at IrisGuard, says in the announcement that the EyePay Network has already been deployed in more than 120 locations across Jordan, where UNHCR counts some 730,000 refugees from neighboring conflict zones. “This not just transforms the way transactions are processed but also empowers individuals and communities, enabling easy access to financial services,” Reed added.

As part of this implementation, IrisGuard’s EyePay Network has been integrated with UWallet, a digital financial service and mobile wallet application, to ensure the security of financial transactions through iris biometrics.

“These partnerships represent a significant leap forward in the landscape of financial technology, ensuring a trusted and transparent method of utilizing mobile wallets for cash transfers, triggering transactions with 100% accuracy thanks to the iris system,” says Sami Al-Dawood, chairman of Jordan Post.

Over 2 million individuals in Jordan, especially migrant workers, have leveraged the Sanad citizen services app, powered by IrisGuard’s biometric platform, to access their salaries. This initiative is the result of a partnership between the Jordanian Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship (MODEE) and Cairo Amman Bank.

The company states the importance of improving financial inclusivity for vulnerable populations, including refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and migrants. Last year, the company expanded its payment network to aid over 280,000 refugees in Iraq for receiving cash assistance.

In Yemen, the Yemen National Payments Company has incorporated the EyePay Network into its platform, granting beneficiaries access to food, goods, and health services through the use of iris scans for verification. Meanwhile, IrisGuard has deployed its payment distribution network to Ethiopia, allowing users to access government-to-citizen (G2C) payments in African markets.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital wallets  |  humanitarian  |  iris biometrics  |  IrisGuard  |  Jordan  |  UNHCR