MasterCard has partnered with Norwegian firm Zwipe to launch a contactless payment card with built-in fingerprint sensor.
Cardholder fingerprint data is stored directly on the card, not in an external database. The biometric authentication replaces the PIN entry, thus enabling cardholders to make payments over and above the low-value limits typically applied to contactless transactions.
Zwipe is now working on the next generation of its card that will be the same format as a standard card and designed to work with all payment terminals for release in 2015. This new card will harvest energy from the payment terminals without the need for a battery.
The launch of the partnership with MasterCard comes after a successful live pilot with Norway’s Sparebanken DIN.
