Next supplies sensors for Chinese partner’s biometric POS terminals in Nigeria

A Chinese customer has placed a 1.7 million Norwegian kroner (approximately US$160,000) order for FAP 20 fingerprint biometric sensors from Next Biometrics for use in POS terminals in Nigeria.

The POS terminals will be used for authentication in a financial inclusion initiative, according to the announcement. The sensor order is based on a design win announced by Next in 2022. The same customer anticipates a further NOK 10-17 million ($0.9-1.6 million) this year.

The sensor is certified to the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) specification, Next says.

“We predict future demand for biometric solutions in Africa will be met by Chinese and Indian OEMs, many of which are already customers of Next. As a result, Next is well positioned to benefit from the developments we are now seeing in Africa,” says Digvijay Singh Kanwar, SVP and head of sales for India, the U.S., EU and Africa (IUEA). “Our technology continues to make the lives of millions of people safer and more convenient every day. And, as the market for trusted authentication in Nigeria continues to expand, we anticipate growing order volumes, not just in Nigeria but also in other MOSIP countries where the need for modular and open-source technology for national identity systems is increasing.”

Tackling unique national biometrics programs

Kanwar points out in an article reflecting on key takeaways from the recent MOSIP Connect 2025 in Manila, Philippines that a range of new biometric projects will be rolled out at the national level over the next few years, and even those that are based on MOSIP will each be unique.

“As each government has its own unique challenges, objectives, citizen demographics, socio economic nuances and much more, attendees were keen to understand how the ecosystem can collaborate to offer customized and agile solutions, working closely with teams on the ground to ensure smooth rollout and additional upkeep of any live-service systems,” he writes.

Next Biometrics CEO Ulf Ritsvall notes in an appearance on the Greenbridge podcast that the company’s active thermal sensors are tolerant of dry fingerprints, unlike optical sensors, and damp fingerprints, unlike capacitive biometric sensors. This characteristic may help with the reliability of fingerprint authentication in the Nigeria POS use case.

Ritsvall also mentioned that Next is working with a second partner on Aadhaar certification, which would give the company two partners out of what will be “six or seven” certified Indian OEMs.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital identity  |  fingerprint sensors  |  MOSIP Connect 2025  |  Next Biometrics  |  Nigeria