NEXT Biometrics, the high-security fingerprint sensor technology company, secured its first mass production order for solutions that will be used in China ID products. The order for the company’s NEXT Basalt FAP 20 sensors came from an existing China-based original equipment manufacturer (OEM) distributor.
This order follows an initial purchase from the same distributor, which was announced in Q3 2024. The sensors will be integrated into China ID products specifically to support banking use cases, a move that the company says reflects a growing demand for trusted authentication in China’s financial services industry.
Supporting the Chinese banking sector
The targeted annual volume for the deal is close to NOK 0.8million, with deliveries scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2025. The continued business from the distributor highlights the performance of the Basalt FAP 20 solution in meeting the security requirements of the financial sector.
“Our technology continues to gain momentum as an enabler for China ID products, and we expect demand to increase further,” said Joshua Chiu, senior vice president and head of sales for South-East Asia at NEXT Biometrics. “The banking sector requires high security, speed, convenience and reliability. The continued trust from our customers in the sector is a testament to the performance of our Basalt FAP 20 solution.”
Active thermal technology and liveness detection
NEXT Biometrics’ sensors are powered by its proprietary Active Thermal® technology, which uses both heat from a person’s finger and 3D imaging to authenticate the user. The company states that this method provides superior authentication speed and liveness detection capabilities to combat spoofing attacks, when compared with other fingerprint authentication technologies. The product is also designed to minimise energy consumption and maintain performance in varying light and environmental conditions.
Over the last 25 years, NEXT Biometrics has shipped more than 10 million sensors globally. Its Active Thermal® technologies have received certifications from entities including Aadhaar in India, the FBI-PIV in the US, the MOSIP Compliance program, and the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS). The company’s solutions have been implemented in national ID and local programs, over 150,000 point-of-sale (POS) terminals, and in more than 25 laptop and tablet models from tier-1 OEMs.
