The pilot promoted by Intesa Sanpaolo and Mastercard allows testing an EMV contactless biometric card for the first time in Europe. Consumers may simply tap their card to any POS terminal to pay and authorise the transaction with their fingerprint. The card works without a battery as it’s powered by the terminal, which means that there is no limit on the number of transactions.

Intesa Sanpaolo’s initiative is the latest step forward in the bank’s digital transformation strategy. Fingerprint authentication sweeps away limits on the value of contactless payments, removing the need to enter a PIN or sign the receipt.

The card works with existing EMV card terminal infrastructure, so merchants don’t need to upgrade their current hardware or software. For issuers, the technology helps detect and prevent fraud, increase approval rates, reduce operational costs and foster customer loyalty.

Gemalto’s solution includes secure on-the-spot fingerprint enrollment at selected locations and in the future, customers could even enroll for the service at home. To ensure the right to privacy, biometric data is stored on the card itself, not the bank’s servers. Protection is further enhanced by the fact that personal data is encrypted and never leaves the card.