London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Sep 05, 2026

Samsung and Mastercard to pilot biometric payments card in South Korea

Samsung and Mastercard to pilot biometric payments card in South Korea

The card will not require PIN or signature authorisations to make in-store transactions.
Samsung Electronics and Mastercard have partnered to pilot a biometric card that uses a built-in fingerprint sensor to authorise in-store transactions.

The partnership, confirmed through a memorandum of understanding, will see the companies develop a card using Samsung's System LSI Business' new security chipset, which Samsung claimed has integrated "key discrete chips" to improve efficiency.

"Drawing from our strong security solution background in various applications such as passports, credit cards, and mobile devices, we will work with Mastercard and Samsung Card to create an environment where consumers can use payment card services with an added peace of mind," Samsung Electronics vice president Harry Cho said.

The card will be able to be used at any Mastercard in-store payment terminal, they said.

It will not require PIN or signature authorisations when transactions are made, the companies added.

The pilot biometric card will be rolled out in South Korea later this year, with the adoption of the solution to be a gradual process, Samsung said. The rollout will first start with corporate credit cards that have more frequent international transactions.

Mastercard debuted a fingerprint sensor-embedded credit card back in 2017. Trials were initially underway in South Africa at the time, with the payments giant touting it had planned for a global rollout by the end of that year.

Credit card chips and SIM cards maker Gemalto then followed in Mastercard's footsteps the year after, launching a contactless credit card with a fingerprint reader to Bank of Cyprus customers.

Since then, Mastercard has teamed up with identity solutions firm Idemia and Singapore-based fintech MatchMove to pilot a biometric fingerprint card to authorise in-store payment transactions in Asia.

The Mastercard-Idemia pilot card, called F.Code Easy, is embedded with a sensor to allow customers to authorise a payment using their fingerprint, with the fingerprint sensor being powered by the energy from payment terminals.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Parliament Raises Concerns Over Funding Structure of £400 Million Tropical Forest Initiative
Andy Burnham Launches Number 10 North as Part of UK Devolution Push
UK Reaffirms Falkland Islands Sovereignty Amid Renewed Regional Pressure
Andy Burnham to Abstain From Assisted Dying Vote as Ministers Are Told to Remain Neutral
Kemi Badenoch Sacks Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride in Conservative Economic Strategy Shake-Up
UK Government Drops Early Prisoner Release Plan in Favor of Deportations and Wider Prison Reform
UK Farmers Warn Drought-Hit Harvests Could Push Grocery Prices Higher
UK Economy Faces Persistent Stagflation Risks Ahead of October Budget
Masked Protesters Block Port of Dover Roads, Disrupting Cross-Channel Traffic
Reform UK Suspends Senior Officials After Undercover Investigation Into Foreign Donation Plans
UK Urges Households to Keep Emergency Supplies Amid Severe El Niño Warning
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Sets Out Regional Industry and Prison Reform Agenda
Siemens Energy Wins Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactor Manufacturing Contract
UK Mortgage Costs Rise as Gilt Yields and Swap Rates Climb
Bank of England’s Huw Pill Calls for Prompt Rate Rise as Inflation Risks Persist
National Audit Office Warns UK Is Unprepared for Major Food Supply Disruptions
British Army Suspends Some Training Exercises as Budget Pressures Intensify
HMS Queen Elizabeth Deploys as NATO Allied Response Force Command Ship
Reform UK Suspends Two Senior Officials Over Alleged Foreign Donation Scheme
UK Reasserts Falkland Islands Sovereignty After Argentina Threatens Sanctions
Scottish Tech Company PureLifi Enters Administration With More Than 40 Job Losses
Scottish Government Names Alyn Smith Innovation and Education Minister
Green Party Co-Leader Zack Polanski to Contest By-Election for Keir Starmer’s Former Seat
Palestine Action Activists Appeal Terrorism-Related Prison Sentences
PwC Report Highlights Persistent Regional Spending-Power Divide Across Britain
UK Names Hundreds of Employers for Minimum Wage Violations
UK Commits £400 Million to International Tropical Forest Fund
UK Extends £2 Bus Fare Cap Across England Through 2027
UK Warns Travellers as US-Iran Tensions Disrupt Middle East Security and Shipping
Andy Burnham Faces Kemi Badenoch in First Prime Minister’s Questions
Kemi Badenoch Names Andrew Griffith Shadow Chancellor in Conservative Reshuffle
UK Treasury and Markets Focus on Fiscal Headroom Ahead of Autumn Budget
UK Government Reverses Early Release Plans for Serious Violent and Sexual Offences
UK and France Review Border Cooperation After 48,000 Small-Boat Crossings Prevented
UK Growth Outlook Weakens as Inflation and Energy Costs Rise
Breeding Tropical Mosquitoes Discovered in East London
Sadiq Khan Agrees to Search of Digital Communications in Palantir Lawsuit
Scottish Protesters Call for Moratorium on AI Data Centre Expansion
Uber Drivers Bring London Class Action Over Algorithmic Management
Reform UK Accepts £4 Million Donation From Cryptocurrency Billionaire Pardoned by Trump
Justice Secretary Tightens Early Release Scheme to Exclude Manslaughter Offenders
Kemi Badenoch Reshuffles Conservative Team as Reform UK Pressure Grows
British Mortgage Rates Rise as Global Bond Sell-Off Pushes Up Borrowing Costs
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record in 2026
UK Government Urges Households to Stock Essential Supplies Ahead of Severe El Niño Risk
UK Prepares Targeted Sanctions Over Israeli Settlements in West Bank
Reform UK Faces Electoral and Police Scrutiny Over Foreign Donation Allegations
UK and France Expand Channel Migration Cooperation as Trade Tensions Surface
UK Marks Merchant Navy Day With Tribute to Civilian Seafarers
Burnham Pays Tribute to Two Police Officers Killed on Duty in Northern England
×