Zwipe and areeba Initiate Biometric Card Trial for Iraqi Bank

Zwipe and areeba are continuing to grow their biometric payment card business in the Middle East. The two companies entered into a strategic partnership to market biometric cards in the region back in 2020, and went on to announce a card pilot with a mid-sized bank in the Levant region earlier this year.

They are now trying to build on that initial success with another biometric card trial. Zwipe and areeba have agreed to provide biometric payment cards for Iraq’s Al Mansour Bank, in a move that will make Al Mansour one of the first to offer a biometric card to customers in the country. Al Mansour itself is a relatively small private bank with just over 10 branches in Iraq, though the news nevertheless indicates that the interest in biometric cards is accelerating in the region.

In that regard, it is worth noting that Qatar National Bank is the majority owner of Al Mansour. The pilot is expected to kick off sometime in the next few months.

“Post pandemic, we have seen strong demand for PIN-free and touch-less payment solutions as they are safer and much more secure,” said Al Mansour Head of Retail Roger Abboud. “Biometric Payment Cards will uplift our payment portfolio and enable us to deliver excellent service quality to our customers.”

“The banking sector in Iraq is demonstrating a great appetite for innovation,” added Zwipe MENA Region GM Ramzi Saboury. “We are thrilled with our collaboration with Al Mansour Bank on biometric payment cards together with areeba, one of our key partners in the region.”

The news comes only a few short months after the Central Bank of Iraq gave Zwipe an official endorsement, and encouraged banks in the country to try the company’s technology. Zwipe itself has also partnered with the Qatar Fintech Hub in an effort to raise awareness for biometric technology in the financial sector. 

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March 18, 2022 – by Eric Weiss