First European Trial of Biometric Mastercards Draws ‘Extremely Positive’ Feedback

The first European trial of Mastercard’s new biometric payment cards has concluded, with successful results continuing the program’s momentum.

The development comes after Mastercard announced the first successful trials of its biometric payment cards in Africa this spring, with the company promising further trials to come in Europe and the APAC region. The first European trial has been conducted by Bulgaria’s UniCredit Bulbank.

In a statement, IDEX, which provided biometric technology for the smart cards, said that the latest trial “received extremely positive customer feedback,” with 93 percent of participants agreeing that the biometric technology is more convenient than PIN security, and more secure than standard chip cards. Over 90 percent said they “would upgrade or probably upgrade their favorite card” with biometric authentication, given the opportunity.

IDEX has also just announced a new biometric matching algorithm designed for smart cards, anticipating substantial growth in the emerging market. And IDEX CEO Hemant Mardia says that further trials are still on the way for “Asia and other regions in the next few months.”