IDEMIA is everywhere, and the chances that we encounter IDEMIA-powered tech at least once every day of our lives are unbelievably high. If you live in the Nordics, there’s a solid chance that one of the cards in your wallet has IDEMIA-driven tech behind it.
To put it plainly: IDEMIA operates behind the scenes as a foundational pillar underpinning an immense quantity of infrastructures that drive our modern digital world.
It’s impossible to open a bank account, get a phone subscription, or open a business today without proof of identity. In the last few years, this proof of identity has grown considerably more advanced.
IDEMIA’s identity technologies play a vital role in multiple sectors in the Nordics including government, security, telecommunications, and finance.
“We work a lot with concept development and innovation within Identity,” says Lillian Grosman, Head of Strategic Sales at IDEMIA Denmark. “The Nordics are early adopters. We’ve always called Denmark the Living Lab because consumers are tech savvy and early to try new technologies. So, you can bring a lot of cool stuff to the Nordics and test it before taking it elsewhere.”
“It’s all about bringing a branded and personalised experience for the user, and identity technology is deeply integrated with that regardless of whether the card is digital or physical,”
Lillian Grosman, Head of Strategic Sales at IDEMIA Denmark
The Nordics are also almost cashless now—Google Pay and Apple Pay make up approximately 25% of the payment volume in the region. But the Danes still like to use physical cards, says Lillian Grosman. “I don’t think users are ready to give up their physical cards yet, and there’s a certain comfort in having a card on hand in case systems go down.“
But there’s also a brand value to physical cards. It’s the one thing customers constantly have that shows a fintech’s logo. “Fintechs should leverage that by creating beautiful cards that people are willing to pay for.” Lillian Grosman tells a story of one company in Asia that created a card that lights up when users pay with it. In the US, another company has mood cards that change colour, while a third company uses phosphor in its cards so they light up in the dark.
“It’s all about bringing a branded and personalised experience for the user, and identity technology is deeply integrated with that regardless of whether the card is digital or physical,” says Lillian Grosman. “Using IDEMIA’s suite of technologies, fintechs have everything at their fingertips to create that experience across both physical and digital realms.”
Recommended: Explore the Future of Finance at Nordic Fintech Week
The special case in point is IDEMIA’s F.CODE card which uses a biometric sensor instead of a PIN. Users thumb the chip to authenticate a transaction. The card is in particular adapted to assist visually impaired users, and it comes just in time for Europe’s upcoming Accessibility Act.
But the card has an immense brand value in itself and is just waiting for the right fintech to pick it up and offer it to users. Who hasn’t forgotten their PIN at least once in the last 12 months?
Technology enabler, open standards and partnerships
IDEMIA has contributed to the launch of the White Label Alliance (WLA), in response to increasing demand for next-generation, independent solutions. WLA sets vendor-independent standards for contact and contactless cards, mobile, payment terminal acceptance, and other form factors. WLA is dedicated to developing an open, independent EMV standard that domestic payment networks and closed-loop retailers can use without any fees. The standard plugs into JCB’s licence-free kernel that already ships with payment terminals, allowing private-label brands to create cards for any use, without the burden of card fees, and that will work with existing terminals.
IDEMIA uses its technology to make the world a safer place. As a global market leader, IDEMIA works directly with Fintechs, Financial institutions, service providers, payment schemes, authorities, and any other organisations with the same focus as IDEMIA.
