News Roundup: Here Come The Biometric Smart Cards

Last week at FindBiometrics we kicked off Border Control & National ID Month in our featured articles section while law enforcement biometrics and smart cards with fingerprint sensors made huge headlines in the industry news. Mobile biometrics, FinTech, and physical access control rounded out our coverage in an eventful week for identity tech.

Here’s a look back on last week’s top stories:

Law Enforcement

Last week we took a look at the ekin Patrol next generation police squad car which boasts advanced detection capabilities including license plate and face recognition. Meanwhile, the FBI’s Next Generation Identification (NGI) program was in the headlines with news of an expansion and a bit of controversy—the Bureau is aiming to exempt NGI from privacy legislation, which is bringing it into conflict with civil rights organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Major New FBI Contracts Point to NGI Expansion

FBI Moves to Exempt NGI System from Privacy Legislation

ekin Patrol Police Vehicle Can Scan Plates, Speeds, and Faces

Physical Access Control

FST Biometrics announced a new UK distributor for its In Motion Identification (IMID) solution—a multimodal frictionless identity platform with physical access control applications. Speaking of physical access control, Suprema made the headlines last week announcing the its biometric solutions are now fully compatible with BioConnect’s flagship identity management platform.

FST Biometrics’ IMID Platform Gets UK Distributor

Suprema Announces BioConnect Support

Smart Cards

A major trend in 2016 has been fingerprint sensor manufacturers pursuing the smart card market, and last week brought new developments in this regard. NEXT Biometrics announced its new line of sensors aimed specifically to serve the smart card market. Meanwhile, Fingerprint Cards (FPC), which also appointed a new CEO effective this August, announced two smart card integrations for its biometric fingerprint sensors.

NEXT Biometrics’ Latest Sensors Aimed at Smart Card Market

FPC Announces Smart Card Integration

Another Smart Card Integration as FPC Pursues Market

FPC Board Appoints New CEO, Effective This August

Smartphones and Tablets

In mobile device biometrics, last week saw one of FPC’s sensors embedded on the new ZUK Z2 smartphone from Lenovo. Synaptics had a smartphone integration too, and we reported on two biometric tablets aimed at vertical markets. All of this occurred in the shadow of a new market research report from Goode Intelligence that reveals the mobile biometrics boom to be accelerating in the area of financial services.

Mobile Biometrics Boom ‘Accelerating’ in Financial Services: Report

Synaptics Tech Integrated Into Two ASUS Zenfone Models

New Rugged Tablet Features Fingerprint Sensor Module

Lenovo ZUK Z2 Smartphone Features FPC Sensor

Samsung Launches Iris Scanning Tablet For Aadhaar Use

FinTech

Staying on the topic of financial applications, Gulf Bank Kuwait enabled multimodal biometrics on its mobile app thanks to the implementation of Daon’s IdentityX platform. The major mobile wallets made the news too, with Samsung launching in Spain and eyeing Singapore, while Apple Pay won support of three more major Canadian banks. All of that and more made FinTech a major force in last week’s’ industry news.

Gulf Bank Kuwait Enables Multimodal Biometrics With Daon

Samsung Pay Officially Launches in Spain

Apple Pay Supported By BMO, Scotiabank, and TD in Canada

Neurotechnology Highlights Mobile Banking Applications for Latest MegaMatcher Upgrade

Citibank Supports Samsung Pay Ahead of Singapore Launch

Kenya’s GTBank Implements Touch ID Login

Personal Computers

Wearable security functionality is making its way to Windows Hello, and last week we saw how the vital biometrics powered Nymi Band can unlock PCs with the identifying power of your heartbeat. New Dell computers were launched with infrared cameras enabling Windows Hello facial recognition too, while a new USB dongle was launched by Synaptics which can turn computers into fingerprint authentication machines.

New Dell Devices Offer Login at a Glance Via Windows Hello

Microsoft Enables Wearables Authentication for Windows 10

Synaptics Launches Biometric USB Dongle

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Stay posted to FindBiometrics throughout the week as we continue to bring you the best in identity management news. Be sure to follow us on Twitter so you don’t miss a thing.

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June 6, 2016 – by Peter B. Counter