BiometricsSmartMetric set to release new biometric smart card

In the first quarter of 2012, SmartMetric, Inc. plans to unveil its newest SmartCard, which is the size of a standard credit card but has the ability to record fingerprint biometrics to ensure the highest level of security in financial transactions.

On Monday, C. Hendrick, the president and CEO of SmartMetric, announced that the company had completed the advanced integration of an fingerprint scanner inside a SmartCard providing it with a technological platform to combine the credit card industry standard EMV application for the next generation of banking and credit cards.

EMV is a global standard for credit and debit cards that contain a surface mounted chip. EMV cards currently rely on a user’s pin number, which is the least secure aspect of the technology. To improve security, SmartMetric has replaced the pin code with fingerprint biometric technology.

As of 2010, more than 1.24 billion “chip and pin” cards, as they are referred to by the banking industry, had been issued.

SmartMetric said that its new fingerprint smart cards will be compatible with the existing 15.4 million EMV card reading terminals around the world.

The company plans on mass producing its new cards once it completes its manufacturing facility in Latin America.