Gemalto launches the first biometric EMV card for contactless payments

Gemalto has been selected by Bank of Cyprus to supply the world's first EMV biometric dual interface payment card for both chip and contactless payments. Using fingerprint recognition instead of a PIN code to authenticate the cardholder, the card is compatible with existing payment terminals already installed in the country.

When customers place their fingerprint on the sensor, a comparison is performed between the scanned fingerprint and the reference biometric data securely stored in the card.

The biometric sensor card is powered by the payment terminal and does not require an embedded battery; this means there is no limit from battery life nor on the number of transactions. ​

Gemalto's biometric sensor payment card is based on the principle that biometric data should always remain in the hands of end users. Bank of Cyprus' customers will complete the enrolment process at the bank's branches, using Gemalto's tablet designed for the solution.

The biometric personalization and card activation process is designed to avoid transmission of biometric data over the air to ensure that users' data privacy is protected. The fingerprint template captured during the enrolment process is stored only on the card.