IDEX Tech Enables Biometric School ID in Kenya

Vasmobile Fintelco, in partnership with IDEX Biometrics, is launching the SkoolID, a biometric smart card designed for school students in Kenya.

The SkoolID will incorporate IDEX’s biometric technology, card operating system, and custom applets developed by Vasmobile. The innovation offers enhanced security, moving students away from cash transactions and encouraging the adoption of digital payment solutions.

The SkoolID will serve multiple purposes, including managing access to school facilities, facilitating campus payments, monitoring attendance, and providing health insurance coverage. The initiative, supported by the M-Pesa payment network, marks a significant advancement in digital and financial inclusion for students, a key demographic given that 60 percent of Africa’s population is under 25 years old.

“IDEX Biometrics has a unique and high performing end-to-end platform for biometric cards, that allows us to add our own applets in a very cost-efficient way,” said Bryan Mwangi, CEO of Vasmobile. “Our strategic and exclusive partnership will transform the access to financial wallets and education while serving as the endorsed national student identity card.”

The multi-year agreement, valued at $1.4 million, includes a first production order with deliveries set to begin in the fourth quarter of 2024. Vasmobile plans to scale the deployment across Kenya in 2025, with further expansion into other African regions by 2026.

“This commercial agreement with Vasmobile brings IDEX Biometrics to Kenya as a new market. We are excited about the biometric African School ID for Kenyan students, meeting a global need,” said Catharina Eklof, Chief Executive Officer at IDEX Biometrics. ”With a visionary partner like Vasmobile, biometric smart cards are bringing inclusive payments and ID solutions to millions of students in the Global South.”

The news follows a busy few weeks for IDEX. Just last week, the company announced that it had introduced its biometric payment cards to the Indian market, collaborating with a global payment services leader. The IDEX Pay biometric cards authenticate directly on the card without altering existing payment infrastructure, with an aim to enhancing security and privacy by keeping biometric data on the card.

That news came on the heels of IDEX revealing that it has secured Visa certification for its IDEX Pay biometric card solution, marking a significant milestone for the company. The certification, achieved on August 26, 2024, confirms that IDEX Pay meets Visa’s rigorous functional and security standards, paving the way for large-scale deployment within Visa’s global network of over 3 billion cards.

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September 3, 2024 – by Tony Bitzionis