The certification for STMicroelectronics’ STPay-Topaz-Bio confirms the security of the platform and its interoperability with payment systems
Global semiconductor leader STMicroelectronics recently announced the completion of EMVCo1 certification for its STPay-Topaz-Bio biometric payment card platform. The company said that the achievement makes STPay-Topaz-Bio and the underlying secure hardware the first one-stop-shop EMVCo-certified platform to comprise a biometric secure element and secure operating system (OS). It further indicated that Mastercard and Visa payment schemes certifications are expected by early 2023.
Notably, the certification confirms the security of the platform and its interoperability with payment systems. Through 2026, the biometric payment cards market is expected to grow at over 200% CAGR.
ST’s ST31N600 secure element IC claims to provide state-of-the-art defences for card-payment applications and sensitive processes. The official communication noted that STPay-Topaz-Bio comes co-packaged with ST’s STM32L443 ultra-low-power general-purpose microcontroller in a module compliant with EMV® specifications, and delivers a cost-effective Biometric System-on-Card (BSoC) solution. The STM32L443 handles non-sensitive aspects including managing the card’s fingerprint sensor module.
Marketing Director of the Secure Microcontroller Division of STMicroelectronics, Laurent Degauque commented, “Card issuers everywhere can now take advantage of our certified STPay platform to deliver new products to market quickly, protected by biometric authentication that is extremely robust as well as easy to use. The secure element IC that anchors this solution leverages our expertise in hardware security for computing and Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications and is built for contact and contactless transactions.”
Committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2027, STMicroelectronics is a leading semiconductor and integrated device manufacturer. ST claims to enable smarter mobility, more efficient power and energy management, and the wide-scale deployment of the Internet of Things and connectivity.
