IDEX Tech Allows For Remote Enrollment on Biometric Mastercard

Today, Mastercard unveiled a key component in its biometric payment card solution: remote enrollment. Developed in collaboration with fingerprint biometric smart card specialist IDEX – which announced a self-service enrollment technology in late 2017 — the solution allows end users of next generation biometric payment cards to register their fingerprint data on their credit card from their own homes.

Remote enrollment is a crucial factor for the mass adoption of biometric credit cards, ensuring a user can activate the card without having to visit a physical bank branch. The distribution model for the cards will therefore not require any infrastructure changes to deliver biometrics to Mastercard customers.

“Issuers and consumers are increasingly demanding biometric cards, and to successfully deploy this in volume there is a need for mass enrolment,” said Stan Swearingen, CEO, IDEX.

Furthermore, remote enrollment on biometric cards is in the spirit of convenience and security that is largely responsible for the mass adoption of biometrics in consumer-facing finance at large.

“People love the security our biometric card delivers because we put their needs first,” said Bob Reany, EVP of Identity Solutions, Mastercard. “The card draws power from the payment terminal so it can be used anywhere, we use a flexible biometric scanner so it’s more durable, and now we have a sleeve to register fingerprints so people don’t have to make a trip to a bank branch.”

Biometric payment cards are widely seen as the next mass market for fingerprint sensors. Mastercard was the first company to pilot the technology in spring of 2017, and since then the fingerprint biometrics market has become fiercely competitive as the race for commercially released fingerprint smart cards heated up in the months following.

For its part, IDEX made a strong pivot in its business model earlier this year, announcing that its primary focus as a fingerprint biometrics provider will be the smart cards market. With the implementation of its remote enrollment solution by one of the world’s largest and most visible financial institutions, it’s fair to say that strategy is paying off.

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May 1, 2018 – by Peter B. Counter