ICPS and Zwipe partner to bring biometric payment cards in Africa and Asia

By Pavithra R

Biometric fintech company, Zwipe and ICPS, a leading international card payment processor and card personalization bureau, announced entering into a partnership to bring Zwipe Pay ONE enabled biometric payment cards to banks across Africa and Asia.

The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted the use of contactless technology and ultimately the need for consumers and businesses to make higher-value payments using contactless cards. However, the contactless limit increase for payments also posed a higher risk for users without an additional layer of security.

Through the partnership, both ICPS and Zwipe will work together to bring biometric payment cards enabled with fingerprint sensors. With an embedded fingerprint sensor in the card, consumers will benefit from an extra layer of security with no need to enter a PIN code on the POS terminal.

“As a provider of innovative payment services in the African continent, we pride ourselves in delivering future proof innovations. Together with Zwipe we will bring a new payment solution that will help financial institutions to differentiate their services, provide safer and much more secure payment solutions and uplift customer loyalty. Zwipe is a well-regarded technology brand in the biometric payment space and we are very happy to join forces with them”, said Khevin Seebah, CEO at ICPS.

Zwipe will provide the complete Zwipe Pay ONE package comprising Biometric ISO contact plate module, Passive inlay, Fingerprint sensor, OS license and enrolment sleeves. As part of this alliance, both companies will work to promote the disruptive Zwipe Pay ONE enabled biometric payment cards for ICPS’ issuers in Africa and Asia.

“We are delighted to collaborate with ICPS and bring the next generation of contactless payment cards to banks in Africa and Asia. ICPS’ strong position among financial institutions across Africa and Asia, and Zwipe’s disruptive technology and deep expertise within biometric payment cards, will create a strategic foundation for a mutually rewarding partnership,” said André Løvestam, CEO of Zwipe.

Founded in 2008, Mauritius based ICPS is a subsidiary of the HPS Group. It has a portfolio of more than 30 clients based in 22 countries in Africa and Southeast Asia. The firm provides payment processing and consultancy services for banks, FIs, and telecom operators. ICPS hosts more than 6 mn cards, drives over 600 ATMs and 11,000 POS terminals, and processes over 10 mn transactions on its platform each month.