NEW YORK, Aug. 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SmartMetric, Inc. (OTCQB:SMME) – SmartMetric has created a fingerprint scanner that sits inside your credit card and uses your fingerprint to instantly identify you and turn on your card's payment chip without your fingerprint ever leaving your card.  Powering the powerful internal Cortex processor used to scan and match your fingerprint is a breakthrough, very thin rechargeable battery that allows the card to be recharged as it is used over the life of the card.

Now SmartMetric has been able to achieve a breakthrough in its battery by a 100% increase in the battery's heat resistance factor, allowing the card to better withstand the high temperatures.  Very high temperatures are used by credit card lamination machines where both high heat and pressure are used to fuse a top and bottom PVC laminate.  This process is used almost universally in the making of credit and debit cards. 

It is a significant breakthrough for us to now be able to use much higher temperatures in our card lamination process, allowing for a better fused lamination without harming the rechargeable battery inside the card.  Up until now, we have had to rely on advanced glues that provide the laminate bonding, using a reduced level of heat.  By us now being able to raise the temperature in laminating our cards, we are able to achieve an even stronger bond between the top and bottom PVC layers with our super thin electronics sandwiched inside, said today SmartMetric’s President and CEO, Chaya Hendrick. 

According to published industry figures, there are now 7.186 billion chip cards issued by banks globally.   This figure is based on reported figures for 2017.  Figures reported in Q4 of 2017 and represent the latest statistics from American Express, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, Union Pay, and Visa, as reported by their member institutions globally.*  It is also reported by the industry association of card manufacturers, Smart Payment Association, 2.3 Billion smart payment cards were shipped globally in 2017.**

The SmartMetric biometric credit/debit card is designed specifically for use with Chip Cards.  Inside the SmartMetric biometric card is a fully functional fingerprint scanner that uses the cardholder's pre-stored fingerprint inside the card to match and then activate the card based on the cardholder’s fingerprint biometrics.

Safer and more secure than a pin number, the cardholder's fingerprint is used to activate their enhanced secure credit card, adding increased protection from credit and debit card thieves.   Using the power of biometric technology that is built into the credit/debit card, a card user's fingerprint is used to unlock the card as it is inserted into a card reader at a retail store or an ATM.   Simply touching the card, the card holder's fingerprint is instantly scanned and matched with the prestored fingerprint inside the card.  In less than a second, the user's biometrics are scanned and matched, allowing the card to then function as it is inserted into the card reader.

“Touch your card and your fingerprint biometrics instantly unlock the card in less than a second.  Safer than a password and so much easier and quicker than entering a PIN,” SmartMetric’s President and CEO, Chaya Hendrick, said today .

The SmartMetric miniaturized biometric fingerprint scanning technology has been engineered and developed by SmartMetric. 

SmartMetric is a United States company with its head office in Las Vegas, Nevada.  It has a team of advanced engineers in Tel Aviv, Israel and has mass manufacturing capacity in various parts of the world.  The company can now manufacture 1 million cards a month and has the capacity to increase this capacity significantly based on product demand.

The SmartMetric biometric card is protected by five (5) recently “issued” patents.  Additional patents are pending.

To view a video of the SmartMetric card follow this link Using Your SmartMetric Biometric Credit Card     SmartMetric Biometric Card Video   (older card type)

To contact the representative for the SmartMetric biometric credit/security card within the USA, please contact PROTEC Secure Card, Tracey Breckenridge at traceyb@protecsecurecard.com . To view their website, www.protecsecurecard.com  

For more information concerning the new biometric secured credit and security card for South America, please contact HOGIER GARTNER CIA S.A., Alvaro Gartner Valencia at alvaro.gartner@hogier.com .  To view their website, www.hogier.com

* https://www.smartpaymentassociation.com/index...nt-figures

** figures source: https://www.emvco.com/wp-content/uploads/2018...180327.pdf

Safe Harbor Statement:  Forward-Looking Statements in this press release, which are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Also such forward-looking statements are within the meaning of that term in Section 27A   of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Our actual results, performance or achievements may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "may," "could," "expect," "intend," "plan," "seek," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "continue," "likely," "will," "would" and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by us and our management, are inherently uncertain. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among others, if we are unable to access the capital necessary to fund current operations or implement our plans for growth; changes in the competitive environment in our industry and the markets where we operate; our ability to access the capital markets; and other risks discussed in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, which filings are available from the SEC. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which are made as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to update publicly any of these forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, new information or future events, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable laws. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

Contact Information

USA REPRESENTATIVE Protec Secure Card, LLC 80 Corbett Way Eatontown, NJ 07724, USA +1-732-542-0700 Sales: Tracey Breckenridge www.protecsecurecard.com

SOUTH AMERICA REPRESENTATIVE HOGIER GARTNER & CIA. S.A. Alvaro Gartner Valencia Gerente Comercial & Financiero Carrera 65, No. 80-16 Bogota D.C. 11121, Colombia Tel: +57. (1) 4378484 alvaro.gartner@hogier.com www.hogier.com

SmartMetric, Inc.  Head Office 3960 Howard Hughes Parkway, Suite 500 Las Vegas, NV 89169 +1.702.990.3687 chaya@smartmetric.com   www.smartmetric.com

Investor Relations Steffan Dalsgard Everest Corporate Advisors, Inc. +1.702.334.7791 +1.415.250.0105