Annual Report 2009

Precise Match-on-Card™ - a winner

Precise Biometrics’ flagship Precise Match-on-Card™ is sold to close to 100 million licenses. The reasons are several and the fact that the company has won all procurements for national ID card specifying Match-on-Card since 2005 speaks for itself. With its user-friendly, cost-effective, an integrity-preserving qualities, Precise Match-on-Card offers great advantages.

What is Match-on-Card?

To put it simple, Precise Match-on-Card technology stores and matches fingerprints on a smart card. Since the fingerprints are matched and saved on the card, no database or network connection is required.

As the fingerprint information does not have to leave the card, the card holder’s integrity is preserved. He or she holds the card and is therefore in full control over the information.

The smart card market is growing

The smart card industry grows each year and comprises several application areas: SIM cards, national ID cards, employee ID cards for government agencies and companies, and loyalty and membership cards.

According to the trade organization Eurosmart, almost four billion smart cards are sold each year. SIM cards account for approximately 80 percent of the market and bank cards accounted for some 17 percent.

In Eurosmart’s segmentation, National ID card falls within the category Government/Health. With its 15 % in growth Government/Health was one of the most expanding segments between 2008 and 2009.

According to the publication issued by the Eurosmart entitled “Vision Paper 2020”, four billion mobile phone users are expected by 2020, along with a similar number of electronic ID documents, mostly based on smart card technology.

Increased security requirements

As the smart card industry grows to comprise ever more areas of application, so do demands for security. It is becoming increasingly important for card issuers and card users to avoid unauthorized use of cards. As PINs and passwords are weak links in a security system - they are often forgotten and written down or lent out – security requirement are increasingly important. Precise Match-on-Card meets these requirements well. As only the cardholder can use the card with his or hers fingerprint a secure verification is assured.

Flexibility saves money

Precise Match-on-Card is a flexible solution that can be used together with various applications and solutions, most fingerprint readers as well as the majority of smart cards in the market. End-customers do not associate themselves with specific suppliers – they can choose or replace various components of an ID card solution in time with changing requirements, specifications and circumstances. This saves money in large-scale projects.

Customers around the world

The extensive number of customers using Precise Match-on-Card is a strong proof of the product’s quality. As an example, Precise Biometrics has won all tenders for national ID cards that have specified Match-on-Card requirements since 2005.

Among the countries that have chosen to add Precise Match-on-Card to their national ID cards are Portugal, Thailand and Venezuela. Other Match-on-Card customers include the US Department of State, banks and many government agencies in the Middle East and the US.