This article on the Banking Business Review web site announces a new fingerprint activated EMV Chip for bank cards designed by SmartMetric.
“SmartMetric has designed an industry leading biometric activated payment card that is turned on using a card owner’s fingerprint, using the credit cards and ATM cards that have chips commonly called EMV chips or chip and PIN cards that are now in use around the world. Industry figures show in excess of 1.65 billion chip cards have been issued globally,” according to the article.
“SmartMetric uses a sub-micro computer it has developed that sits inside the payment card and is used with a fingerprint sensor in order to turn on the card after a user has been biometrically validated.”
This innovation clearly targets my weight problem, as it will eliminate the frequent use of slave labor to get my coffee. No longer can I send my daughter in to the store with my debit card so I can stay nice and cool in the car while listening to NPR. But then again, an announcement is not to be confused with availability.
“SmartMetric is working with a significant contract credit card manufacturer in order to produce an initial target of 50 million cards over the coming 12 to 18 months,” according to the article.
Acceptance of EMV in the US aside, it looks like my lazy habits can continue for a bit longer.
Overview by Tim Sloane, Vice-President, Payments Innovation
To read the full story, go to the Banking Business Review.