12.24.18
Gemalto is supplying Intesa Sanpaolo, an Italian banking group, with the first Mastercard biometric contactless payment card.
The pilot promoted by Intesa Sanpaolo and Mastercard allows testing an EMV contactless biometric card for the first time in Europe. Consumers may simply tap their card to any POS terminal to pay and authorize the transaction with their fingerprint, combining a fast and convenient user experience to an advanced cardholder authentication approach. In addition, the card works without a battery as it's powered by the terminal which means that there is no limit on the number of transactions.
Fingerprint authentication sweeps away limits on the value of contactless payments, removing the need to enter a PIN or sign the receipt.
The card works with existing EMV card terminal infrastructure, so merchants can easily maximize the shopping experience delivered to their customers without the need to upgrade their current hardware or software. For issuers, the technology helps detect and prevent fraud, increase approval rates, reduce operational costs and foster customer loyalty.
Intesa Sanpaolo has 11.9 million customers and 4,400 branches in Italy. Gemalto's solution includes secure on-the-spot fingerprint enrollment at selected locations and in the future customers could even enroll for the service at home. To ensure the right to privacy, biometric data is stored on the card itself, not the bank's servers. Protection is further enhanced by the fact that personal data is encrypted and never leaves the card.
"The Intesa Sanpaolo-Mastercard pilot project, achieved with Mercury Payment System support, avails itself of Gemalto's contribution as a global operator, who provided the technology behind the new biometric cards and the tools necessary for storing the fingerprint on the chip,” said Cinzia Bruzzone, retail manager, Intesa Sanpaolo.
"Consumers are quickly recognizing the combined power of contactless and biometric technologies to take the stress and strain out of secure transactions," said Bertrand Knopf, EVP, banking and payment for Gemalto.
Intesa Sanpaolo's initial pilot will run in Turin, Milan and Rome and is scheduled to last 16 weeks.
The pilot promoted by Intesa Sanpaolo and Mastercard allows testing an EMV contactless biometric card for the first time in Europe. Consumers may simply tap their card to any POS terminal to pay and authorize the transaction with their fingerprint, combining a fast and convenient user experience to an advanced cardholder authentication approach. In addition, the card works without a battery as it's powered by the terminal which means that there is no limit on the number of transactions.
Fingerprint authentication sweeps away limits on the value of contactless payments, removing the need to enter a PIN or sign the receipt.
The card works with existing EMV card terminal infrastructure, so merchants can easily maximize the shopping experience delivered to their customers without the need to upgrade their current hardware or software. For issuers, the technology helps detect and prevent fraud, increase approval rates, reduce operational costs and foster customer loyalty.
Intesa Sanpaolo has 11.9 million customers and 4,400 branches in Italy. Gemalto's solution includes secure on-the-spot fingerprint enrollment at selected locations and in the future customers could even enroll for the service at home. To ensure the right to privacy, biometric data is stored on the card itself, not the bank's servers. Protection is further enhanced by the fact that personal data is encrypted and never leaves the card.
"The Intesa Sanpaolo-Mastercard pilot project, achieved with Mercury Payment System support, avails itself of Gemalto's contribution as a global operator, who provided the technology behind the new biometric cards and the tools necessary for storing the fingerprint on the chip,” said Cinzia Bruzzone, retail manager, Intesa Sanpaolo.
"Consumers are quickly recognizing the combined power of contactless and biometric technologies to take the stress and strain out of secure transactions," said Bertrand Knopf, EVP, banking and payment for Gemalto.
Intesa Sanpaolo's initial pilot will run in Turin, Milan and Rome and is scheduled to last 16 weeks.