Biometric payment cards: security and convenience in a tiny package

Biometric verification is already the standard for smart phones. Today, innovations in microchip technology are making widespread adoption of fingerprint authentication for contactless payments a reality for cardholders. Fang Lu-Ruhbach, Senior Marketing Manager at Infineon, explores how biometric and Secure Element technologies are evolving to put fast, convenient and trusted payments at consumers’ fingertips.

The science of fingerprints

Since first adopted by Scotland Yard in 1901, dactyloscopy, the science of fingerprint identification, has been used by law enforcement to identify individuals. The unique pattern of arches, loops, and whorls made by the skin on a fingertip offers a way to identify someone — and it is now bringing greater levels of convenience and trust to contactless payment card.

Globally, the trend toward cashless societies has caused more merchants to switch to contactless PoS terminals that are able to process contactless payments.  ABI Research[1] expects as an optimistic scenario up to 140 million biometric payment cards to be issued in 2025 fulfilling consumer demand for more convenient and secured biometric authentication in personal payment transactions.

Source: ABI Research - Biometric Payment Card Developments, Projects and Market Opportunities (Q2-2022)

While various features can be used to verify a person’s identity for contactless payment, fingerprint authentication is rapidly gaining popularity with both banks and customers. Today, most countries attempt to mitigate the impact of theft and fraud by setting transaction limits to contactless transactions. In France, Germany, and Spain contactless transactions are limited to smaller amounts like 50€ but fraudsters can still make multiple purchases until the card company is alerted and the card is cancelled. Contactless payment cards with fingerprint authentication can help to make such low transaction limits unnecessary while making it significantly more difficult for fraudsters to spend the funds. Contactless cards with biometric identification pave the way for even more convenient, trusted user experiences.

But the benefits don’t stop at cardholders. Merchants can accept fingerprint-authenticated card transactions without having to ‘rip and replace’ their existing infrastructure (i.e. the POS terminals already used for contactless transactions). This means that fingerprint payment cards can be rolled out to consumers and will be instantly accepted wherever they shop. Payment schemes will be able to move more payments through their network and card manufacturers should  largely be able to fall back on the production processes that are already in place, accelerating ramp up times and keeping production costs stable.

So, what will it take to make fingerprint authentication for contactless payment cards a reality?

[1] Source: ABI Research - Biometric Payment Card Developments, Projects and Market Opportunities (Q2-2022)

Integrated components for biometric innovation

Payment Trustech
Payment Trustech
Payment Trustech

Payment cards with biometric identification do exist, however current solutions require multiple components:

  1. A security controller to manage fingerprint matching, storage and payment application
  2. A fingerprint sensor for capturing the fingerprint image
  3. A microcontroller unit for extracting the fingerprint image
  4. A power source to manage the card system energy harvesting

Compared to a standard dual interface card, these card systems are usually complex with significant higher bill of material. Additionally, these cards need multiple connections between the sensor and the ISO module, making them very expensive to produce and very easy to damage or break.

To make a contactless payment card with biometric authentication as easy to produce as a standard dual interface card, the Secure Element and fingerprint sensor is combined into a single module. Innovation in fingerprint authentication for contactless payment cards starts with integration.

Convenience and trust, at your fingertips

Infineon’s SECORA™ Pay Bio solution combines  Infineon’s Secure Element and the fingerprint sensor from Fingerprints™ Cards AB in a single module, eliminating the need for a wire connection between the card antenna and the semi-conductor. Advances in system-on-chip and system-in-module technology enable the integration of all microchip functions, including power source and fingerprint sensor, into a single module.  

Woman pays with fingerprint card
Woman pays with fingerprint card
Woman pays with fingerprint card

This system integration is significantly increasing the robustness and long-term reliability of the card, for example if it were to be bent accidently in a bag or pocket. It also reduces manufacturing complexity.

The result? Cost-efficient, scalable production of a plug-and-play turnkey biometric contactless solution based on existing card production processes.

Beyond enhancing the user experience, SECORA™ Pay Bio is designed to meet the standards for EMV Level 1 compliance. The biometric performance of the card system is excellent, achieving the following:

  • A false acceptance rate (FAR, in other words the probability where someone is incorrectly recognised) of below 0.01%
  • A false rejection rate (FRR, in other words the probability where someone is wrongly rejected) of below 3%
  • Full compliance with payment schemes’ requirements
  • Average duration of payment transactions below 1 second

SECORA™ Pay Bio has the power to unlock a new level of convenience and trust for users, supporting the boom in contactless payments, while providing a high level of security and peace of mind for cardholders.

SECORA™ Pay Bio turnkey solution

Infineon and Fingerprints step into cooperation on the all-in-one solution SECORA™ Pay Bio that will bring biometric payment cards to a new level. Watch Michel Roig, President of Payment & Access at Fingerprints and Tolgahan Yildiz, Head of Payment Solutions at Infineon’s Connected Secure Systems Division introducing the new solution at TRUSTECH 2022

Introducing SECORA™ Pay Bio

Infineon´s SECORA™ Pay Bio - Allows plug & play production taking biometric payment to a new level

In-field enrollment

Supporting in-field enrollment, which is also called POS enrollment, where the cardholders perform biometric enrollments transparently during the first pre-defined number of payment transactions

Sleeve enrollment

Offering an application note for building contact-based sleeve devices, where users could enroll their fingerprints into the cards by using the sleeve devices specifically for that purpose.

Smartphone enrollment

Supporting smartphone enrollment with a reference code for generating customer’s smartphone app (iOS and Android).

SECORA™ Pay Bio with NFC enrollment

Demonstration of NFC enrollment with our SECORA™ Pay Bio demo card

Fang-Lu-Ruhbach
Fang-Lu-Ruhbach
Fang-Lu-Ruhbach

Author: Fang-Lu-Ruhbach