IDEX has announced an expansion of its partnership with IDEMIA on biometric payment cards.

The partnership first emerged a year ago, when IDEX teamed with Safran Identity & Security, which has since merged with Oberthur Technologies to form what is now IDEMIA. The companies’ technologies were used in Mastercard’s pioneering trials of biometric payment cards this year, and IDEX has highlighted its work with the global credit card company as a key partnership in its effort to position itself as a leading player in the emerging biometric payment cards market.

As to what the expansion of the IDEX-IDEMIA partnership will mean in practice, in a statement IDEX CEO Hemant Mardia suggested that the collaboration would grow “to include contactless card solutions, as well as further innovative solutions for the benefit of increased consumer convenience.” IDEMIA VP Philippe Bertiaux, meanwhile, characterized the partnership expansion “as part of our F.Code biometric card solutions”.

The announcement comes immediately on the heels of Fingerprint Cards’ announcement that it had partnered with IDEMIA to provide the fingerprint sensor module for that smart card solution, which IDEMIA is positioning as its flagship contribution to the biometric payment card market.