Biometric Fingerprint Technology

In Africa, Opportunity clients enjoy a technology that does not exist at a typical American bank: the “smart card.” With this paperless system, poor people can identify themselves using a fingerprint, which is embedded in a credit-card-sized identification card. The smart card is scanned at the local Opportunity microfinance bank or other approved locations, giving them the ability to make financial transactions and keep their money safe.

For example, a client in Mozambique can place her finger on a specially designed keypad that reads the fingerprint and automatically brings up her account information on a teller’s screen. In Malawi, farmers use their smart cards to receive payments for their sales on auction floors. Otherwise, these farmers are at the mercy of robbers in an economy that relies on cash.

By combining high-tech solutions with savings programs already in place through Trust Groups, Opportunity International clients finally have a path toward a secure identity — and a brighter future.