Mastercard’s biometric payment authentication initiatives have advanced with two significant developments: KONA I’s certification for biometric payment cards and Yuno’s launch of Payment Passkey in Latin America, marking important steps in the company’s broader push toward passwordless authentication.
South Korean smart card manufacturer KONA I has received Mastercard’s Letter of Approval for biometric plastic (PVC) payment cards using the IDEX Pay platform. The certification makes KONA I the first manufacturer to obtain Mastercard approval for both PVC and metal biometric cards, following their previous certification for metal cards in late 2024. The achievement builds on KONA I’s previous success in securing approval from major payment networks for its biometric card solutions.
Simultaneously, Colombian payment orchestration platform Yuno has introduced Mastercard Payment Passkey across Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. The service replaces traditional one-time passwords with biometric verification and tokenization, addressing transaction security and abandonment rates. The rollout represents a significant expansion of Mastercard’s digital payment security infrastructure in Latin America, where the company has been actively working to enhance authentication methods.
These advancements support Mastercard’s stated objective of eliminating passwords by 2030. The implementation of fingerprint authentication technology in both the payment cards and Payment Passkey service represents a shift away from conventional PIN-based authentication methods, reflecting the company’s commitment to more secure and user-friendly payment solutions.
“KONA I has proven its leadership as the first manufacturing partner fully approved by Mastercard for both PVC and Metal cards. These certifications allow for industrialized production and accelerated commercialization. The combined technology leadership from KONA I and IDEX Biometrics is paving the way for more secure payments, access and identity control to consumers around the world,” said Catharina Eklof, Chief Executive Officer at IDEX Biometrics. Eklof brings significant expertise to this initiative, having previously served as a senior executive at Mastercard before joining IDEX.
The biometric payment solutions rollout occurs amid broader industry developments, including Japan’s first biometric payment card launch and IDEX’s entry into the Indian market. Mastercard has also launched TRACE, an Anti-Money Laundering service in Asia Pacific, and formed partnerships with Payrails to advance digital payment transformation. These initiatives collectively demonstrate the growing momentum behind biometric payment solutions in the global financial services sector.
Sources: ID Tech , LatamList, Financial IT
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