Infineon Technologies SECORA™ Pay Bio Enhances Convenience and Trust in Contactless Biometric Payments

[Munich, Germany, November 1, 2024] As the payment field moves towards digitalization, protecting digital identities and transactions becomes increasingly important. In addition to standard contactless payment cards, biometric payment cards are also gaining more and more attention as a promising development direction in this field. In this context, Infineon Technologies AG, a global semiconductor leader in power systems and the Internet of Things, recently launched SECORA™ Pay Bio, an integrated biometric payment card solution that complies with Visa and Mastercard specifications. The solution integrates Infineon's enhanced SLC39B system-on-chip (SoC) security element and Fingerprint Cards AB (Fingerprints™) FPC1323 sensor into Infineon's biometric coil module (BCoM) package, giving full play to the main advantages of inductive coupling technology. The solution uses fingerprint credentials securely stored on the card as the second verification factor, enabling a convenient and trusted contactless payment experience.

SECORA™ Pay Bio payment card transactions

“With this all-in-one biometric payment card solution, Infineon is taking payment cards one step further,” said Tolgahan Yildiz, Head of the Trusted Mobile Connectivity and Transactions product line at Infineon Technologies . “With SECORA™ Pay Bio, the production of robust and reliable biometric payment cards can be easily implemented and scaled, providing high throughput and a seamless consumer experience.”

Ideally, ABI Research [ Source: ABI Research – Next-Generation Payment Card Technologies - Biometric and DCVV, (03 Oct 2023)

Source: ABI Research - Next Generation Payment Card Technologies - Biometrics and DCVV, (October 3, 2023)] The biometric card market is expected to grow to 113.3 million cards by 2028. The two main factors driving this market trend are further improvements in cost-effectiveness (including the ease of production and cost of biometric payment cards) and consumer demand for more convenient and secure biometric authentication in personal payment transactions. In addition, biometric payment cards can further protect against loss and theft fraud and password phishing fraud.

Biometric payment solutions with outstanding contactless performance

SECORA™ Pay Bio extends the Infineon SECORA™ Pay solution family. The solution integrates the Fingerprints™ sensor and Infineon’s SLC39B SoC secure element into a single dual-interface package, the innovative Infineon Biometric Coil Module (BCoM). The SLC39B secure element with integrated energy source features large memory and a wide range of peripherals, as well as excellent contactless performance. Based on innovative inductive coupling technology, there is no need for wire connection between the BCoM module and the card antenna, which greatly reduces manufacturing complexity and significantly improves the robustness and long-term reliability of the card. In addition, biometric proximity cards can now be produced on existing dual-interface card production equipment with only minor operational changes. Since the SECORA™ Pay Bio solution complies with MasterCard and Visa specifications, no additional performance testing is required using BCoM technology, allowing for flexible and fast launch of high-performance products and a hassle-free introduction process.

SECORA™ Pay Bio payment card with BCoM module

Supports two innovative fingerprint entry options

SECORA™ Pay Bio supports multiple fingerprint enrollment options, including card holders, smartphone apps, and on-site enrollment. With the innovative SECORA™ Pay Bio enrollment paper, fingerprint enrollment using a smartphone has become even simpler . In addition, SECORA™ Pay Bio is the first biometric payment solution to support on-site fingerprint enrollment. Cardholders can use biometric payment cards without any additional effort or equipment. In addition, every time these new biometric cards are used in a payment transaction, the fingerprint template can be trained, further improving the user experience.

Availability

SECORA™ Pay Bio solution supports the latest payment applications compliant with EMV specifications. Products with pilot verification and complete design-in package are available now, ready for mass production