Fingerprints and Tesco partner to promote contactless biometric payment cards in the Middle East

By Leandra Monteiro

Global biometrics company, Fingerprint Cards AB (Fingerprints ™) and financial and banking solution provider, Technical Equipment & Supplies Company (Tesco), are collaborating to promote and support the adoption of contactless biometric payment cards in the Middle East.

The partnership follows a strong start to the year for Fingerprints, with its biometric sensors and software platform for biometric payment cards gaining new grounds in Africa, India, and now the Middle East – a key market for the global biometrics company.

The innovative biometric payment card, initially launched by Thales, embeds Fingerprints’ second-generation T-Shape module and software platform, and will be commercialized and personalized by Tesco for the regional customers. The technology combines extensive research and development investment with key learnings from more than 20 successful market pilots and commercial rollouts. It delivers increased performance and power efficiency, enabling the most cost-effective biometric payment cards to be produced and integrated using standard manufacturing processes.

These credentials were most recently demonstrated when the solution achieved compliance with Mastercard’s new Fingerprint Sensor Evaluation Process earlier in the year.

“Tesco is a key player supporting digital financial transformation in Jordan and the Middle East,” commented Michel Roig, President Payment & Access at Fingerprints. “This partnership opens up new business opportunities for Fingerprints with Tesco’s loyal client base and enables us to support its mission to strengthen payment efficiency and security in the Middle East, improve the payment experience for consumers, and open up new revenue channels for banks.”

George Abdel-Massih, Director of IT & Banking Solution at Tesco added, “There’s an increasing demand from Middle Eastern consumers for innovative, safe and seamless ways to pay. This has led to the rapid digitization that we’re seeing, and supporting, in the region’s banking and payments sector. By working with Thales and Fingerprints, we can tap into its leading biometric technology, expertise and solutions to enable new, exciting ways for our banking and financial customers to meet this demand.”