OVD Kinegram Mobile Chip SDK update targets faster, more reliable digital ID checks

OVD Kinegram has updated its Mobile Chip SDK, implementing technical optimizations that the Swiss firm says increases document chip verification speeds by three to four times.

This reduction in latency is designed to minimize session timeouts and user abandonment during remote onboarding and high-assurance KYC processes.

Alongside performance gains, the update introduces enhanced developer tools, including time-stamped trace and log files for detailed process monitoring and a new diagnostic mode to capture specific chip-level errors.

These features allow for more precise troubleshooting of hardware-to-software communication anomalies, such as instances where a document chip is accessible but unreadable.

OVD Kinegram is a subsidiary of Germany’s KURZ Group, best known for the holographic security features embedded in passports and ID cards used in more than 120 countries. These documents also contain RFID/NFC chips that store encrypted biometric data such as photos and official records.

To help organizations like banks and airlines securely verify identities, OVD Kinegram offers a software development kit that enables apps to read these chips by tapping a passport against a smartphone.

The company has supposedly improved its SDK to make chip reading three to four times faster. If this holds up, this matters because scanning can be slow and prone to failure, leading to user frustration and abandonment during remote onboarding. Faster performance reduces friction, improves reliability, and increases the success rate of sign-ups.

The update comes at a time when remote onboarding is surging, particularly in digital banking, where regulations require robust identity checks to combat fraud and money laundering.

Not all smartphones have strong NFC capabilities, so OVD Kinegram has also introduced diagnostic tools that help developers pinpoint whether failures stem from weak hardware, faulty chips or user error.

By making the “digital handshake” between passports and smartphones faster and more seamless, the company aims to give institutions greater confidence that the person using an app is genuinely who they claim to be.

Article Topics

document verification  |  identity document  |  microchips  |  Mobile Chip SDK  |  NFC  |  OVD Kinegram AG