Biometric payment cards from FPC and Infineon ready for mass production

Fingerprint Cards and Infineon Technologies have officially unveiled the complete package of biometric payment card technologies that Infineon previewed in a Biometric Update guest post last month.

SECORA Pay Bio is billed as an all-in-one solution that simplifies the production of biometric smart cards compliant with Visa and Mastercard specifications, making them as efficient to produce as standard dual-interface payment cards. It includes Infineon’s enhanced SLC39B system-on-chip (SoC) secure element and the FPC1323 sensor from Fingerprint Cards. They are integrated with the Infineon Biometric Coil on Module (BCoM) package, which makes use of inductive coupling, leading to simpler manufacturing, according to the announcement.

The inductive coupling reduces manufacturing complexity by making a wire connection between the BCoM module and the card antenna unnecessary. The partners say it also makes the cards more robust and reliable.

Further, only minor operational changes are necessary to make SECORA Pay Bio cards using normal dual interface card manufacturing equipment.

Biometric enrollment to SECORA Pay Bio can be performed through enrollment devices, smartphone apps or “in-field enrollment.” The latter option does not require any additional effort or device, according to the announcement, but collects data for the fingerprint template with each payment transaction, improving the user experience with continued use.

“SECORA Pay Bio enables easy-to-implement and scalable production of robust and reliable biometric payment cards with high throughput and a smooth consumer experience,” says Tolgahan Yildiz, head of the Trusted Mobile Connectivity and Transactions Product Line at Infineon.

Infineon and Fingerprint Cards have a lengthy history of working together on biometric payment cards, capped by a development and commercialization agreement signed in late-2022. The partners had already chosen the components that would be involved, and the SECORA Pay Bio product name.

“We are very happy that the SECORA Pay Bio now is compliant with two of the world’s biggest schemes,” says Adam Philpott, CEO of Fingerprint Cards. “As we shift away from PINs and passwords, our collaboration with Infineon Technologies marks a significant step as we empower consumers with the convenience of biometric security in their everyday lives. The solution enables card manufacturers to use already existing card manufacturing equipment to produce biometric payment cards and enables scalable and efficient volume production.”

SECORA Pay Bio has already been through pilots, and is available for mass production with a full design-in package.

83% would pay extra for biometric cards: Idemia survey

FPC formerly supplied its T-Shape sensor module for Idemia’s F.CODE biometric payment cards, and recent survey results from Idemia hold good news for all producers of biometric cards.

Digital payment cards are gaining traction around the world, according to a survey from Idemia Secure Transactions, but biometric payment cards have also come to consumers’ attention, ANI reports.

Almost three-quarters of consumers are aware of biometric payment cards, 77 percent say they value the enhanced security they provide, and 55 percent appreciate their convenience benefits. Even if they have to pay extra, 83 percent would like biometric payment cards, according to Idemia’s Global Survey on Consumer Payment Card Behavior.

This post was updated at 10:45am Eastern on September 20, 2024 to clarify the relationship between Fingerprint Cards and Idemia.

Article Topics

biometric cards  |  biometric payments  |  biometrics  |  Fingerprint Cards  |  fingerprint sensors  |  IDEMIA  |  Infineon  |  SECORA Pay Bio