ZWIPE and UNICARD partner to bring biometric cards to Saudi Arabia and in the MEA region
OSLO, NORWAY and RIYADH, SAUDI ARABiA– 16 March 2023 – Unicard, a provider of secure solutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and a subsidiary of Inkript, a digital security solutions provider in the Middle East and Africa, has partnered with Zwipe to deploy biometric payment cards in the MEA region. With this collaboration, Zwipe will strengthen its presence in one of the leading markets in the MEA region.
Unicard develops customized solutions in security printing and is a leading supplier of smartcards for the Saudi market.
Commenting on this major development of the growing and promising biometric payment card market, Riad Itani, Managing Director at Inkript Industries, said, “Our partnership with Zwipe is key in a growing market such as KSA. In the last few years, we have been witnessing an increase in digital payment usage in the Kingdom but security remains key to the growing adoption of innovative payment methods. Therefore, the demand for biometric payment cards has grown as Saudi consumers have shown an openness for new payments options. The government is also encouraging cashless transactions and promoting payment innovation with emphasis on fraud prevention. In fact, according to GlobalData’s forecast, the Saudi Arabian payments market is expected to grow at a strong compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.6% between 2022 and 2026 to reach $219.2 billion in 2026. We believe that the rapid evolution of the biometric payment card market is imminent in a country supported by a robust contactless payment infrastructure. As biometric authentication is reshaping payments, we are looking forward with Zwipe, to provide our clients in the Kingdom with the latest and most secure biometric payment technology”.
As part of this agreement, Zwipe will provide its VISA and Mastercard approved Zwipe Pay biometric payment card platform to Unicard to make biometric payment cards available in Saudi Arabia and the MEA region. Unicard will benefit from Zwipe’s biometric technology platform and expertise in biometric card manufacturing, personalization and fulfillment services.
According to Ramzi Saboury, General Manager for Zwipe in Middle East and Africa, “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a key market for Zwipe, with a high potential for biometric payment cards. We are therefore very pleased with this new partnership with Unicard. Our clients will benefit from getting our partner biometric cards based on the most advanced and certified Zwipe Pay solution.”
About Unicard
Unicard was established in 2004 in Dammam, KSA, and was acquired in 2012 by Inkript, an established digital security solutions provider in the Middle East and Africa. Unicard is a secure solutions provider supporting governments, telecom operators, financial institutions and large corporations, and mainly caters to the Saudi market with a constant expansion throughout the region. The company is specialized in smartcard production and security printing, and complies with ISO standard (ISO 7811) in cards manufacturing.
About Zwipe
Zwipe believes the inherent uniqueness of every person is the key to a safer future. We work with great passion across networks of international organizations, industries & cultures to make convenience safe & secure. We are pioneering next-generation biometric card technology for both payment and physical & logical access control and ID solutions. We promise our customers and partners deep insight and frictionless solutions, ensuring a seamless user experience with our innovative biometric products and services. Zwipe is headquartered in Oslo, Norway with a global presence. To learn more, please visit www.zwipe.com