Gemalto Introduces the First Biometric EMV Card

Gemalto has been chosen by Bank of Cyprus to provide the world's first and foremost EMV biometric dual interface payment card for chip and contactless payments, both.

Utilization of fingerprint recognition as an alternative to PIN code to validate the cardholder, as the card is attuned with existing payment terminals already installed in the country. When customers place their fingerprint on the sensor, a contrast is performed between the scanned fingerprint and the reference biometric data securely stored in the card.

The biometric sensor card is powered by the payment terminal and does not require an embedded battery; this means there is no limit from battery life nor on the number of transactions.

A biometric solution and enrolment process designed to ensure optimal user privacy

Gemalto's biometric sensor payment card is based on the principle that biometric data should always remain in the hands of end users. Bank of Cyprus' customers will complete the swift enrolment process at the bank's branches, using Gemalto's tablet designed for the solution.

The biometric personalization and card activation process are designed to avoid transmission of biometric data over the air to ensure that users' data privacy is protected. The fingerprint template captured during the enrolment process is stored only on the card.