Mastercard and Bank of Maldives introduce Passport Card
View(s):Maldives President Abdulla Yameen has introduced the Mastercard Passport Card to the cabinet ministers at his office recently.
Top cabinet ministers and department heads such as the Minister of Economic Development, Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Defence and National Security, Minister of Finance and Treasury, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Tourism, the Attorney General, Chief of Defence Force, Commissioner General of Customs, Controller General of Maldives Immigration, the CEO of the Bank of Maldives along with Mastercard Country Manager for Sri Lanka and Maldives R.B. Santosh Kumar were present at the occasion, the global card company said in a media release.
The Maldives Passport card is a Mastercard Biometric Debit Card issued by the Bank of Maldives. It is a Dual Interface Chip card with additional features and applications. It is the first payment card in the world by a network which has Passport, National ID and Driving license of the cardholder in one plastic card. The Mastercard Passport Card can be used for a wide range of purposes/services. Primarily the Passport Card is an identity travel document complying with the ICAO data standards allowing it to be used at e-gates at the Maldives International Airport. Additionally, it can be used for identity verification by law enforcement agencies. It can also be used to provide government services such as medical services and other e-services, Mastercard said.
The card can be utilised as a special insurance card when required, for cashless health insurance services and motor insurance policy verification. The Mastercard Passport Card is the world’s first bank card which is made of polycarbonate material that can last up to 10 years. The flexibility of the Passport Card allows additional services and information to be incorporated to the card. E-services such as e-transport, academic information, medical information and many more can be included. For added security the card will contain biometric data of the cardholder such as fingerprints.