IDEMIA Secure Transactions collaborates with Qualcomm to boost secure offline CBDC payment adoption

• IDEMIA Secure Transactions is pleased to announce joint efforts with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., to enable users to securely make and receive offline CBDC payments on smartphones running on Snapdragon® 8-series Mobile Platforms¹ relying on the built-in Secure Processor Unit.
• With this paradigm shift, IDEMIA Secure Transactions, the leader in offline payment, and Qualcomm Technologies, make it possible to marry high security with frictionless deployment for end-users.

IDEMIA Secure Transactions (IST), a division of IDEMIA Group, is a leading provider of payment and connectivity solutions for financial institutions, mobile network operators and automotive manufacturers. It has established itself as a leader in secure payment solutions for Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). This work with Qualcomm Technologies confirms IST’s ambition to offer increasingly innovative payment solutions to customers around the world. IDEMIA Secure Transactions thus completes its offering, enabling them to make payments securely and seamlessly, with the device of their choice, from traditional bank cards, biometric cards, wearables to feature phones, smartphones, or connected watches.

In previous projects with central banks, IDEMIA Secure Transactions has already demonstrated offline CBDC on a variety of payment devices. With this new project, it demonstrates offline payment protocol, and the associated credentials handling, done by an integrated secure element already available in users’ phones, meaning safer and easier offline transactions for them.

An innovative strategy to facilitate the deployment of offline CBDC payments

By joining forces with Qualcomm Technologies, IST will enable OEMs to allow millions of users to make offline payments with CBDCs via their smartphones, thanks to the Qualcomm® Secure Processor Unit (SPU), a highly secure computing environment integrated into the Snapdragon 8-series. Qualcomm Technologies’ products and solutions are behind and inside the innovations that deliver significant value across multiple industries and to billions of devices.

This innovation is a real game-changer for the payment industry, as over 90% of central banks are developing digital currencies². This collaboration has the potential to revolutionize payment habits and make life easier for a huge number of consumers.

Unrivalled security for offline payments

IDEMIA Secure Transactions is recognized globally as an expert in payment security, and when it comes to offline payments, security is particularly important, as validation by a server is not possible. Therefore, a secure element must be issued specifically for that need to prevent double-spending and unauthorized money creation.

The Snapdragon 8 Mobile Platform¹ together with IST’s solution makes it possible to deploy offline CBDC on a smartphone equipped with that chip, dynamically in the field, easily and seamlessly. This happens without compromise on security, thanks to the use of the Qualcomm SPU, a highly secure zone of the phone’s application processor, designed to better resist to state-of-the-art security attacks.

True to our commitment to make secure offline CBDC work anywhere, anytime and for everyone, we are very proud to collaborate with Qualcomm Technologies, one of the world’s most innovative companies. This new payment solution underlines IDEMIA Secure Transactions’ ability to marry frictionless deployment with ever more secure technologies, with the primary aim of making users’ life easier. We are looking forward to working with central banks and the mobile OEMs to deploy these solutions all around the world.
Jerome AJDENBAUM, VP Digital Currencies at IDEMIA Secure Transactions

Leveraging the Qualcomm SPU on the Snapdragon 8-series Mobile Platforms helps to make offline CBDC payments more secure and allows for easy integration for OEMs. In fact, the smartcard certification achieved for SPU means it is resistant to attacks performed by an attacker possessing High attack potential, which is the highest level. We look forward to OEMs deploying offline CBDC and simplifying the life of users.
Asaf SHEN, Senior Director, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Qualcomm and Snapdragon branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Qualcomm and Snapdragon are trademarks or registered trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated.

¹ Ultra premium only
² Bank for International Settlements, BIS Papers No 125 Gaining momentum – Results of the 2021 BIS survey on central bank digital currencies