Fingerprint-based smart cards to access pension payments are to be introduced for senior citizens in Trinidad and Tobago. The scheme is part of the country’s ‘Direct Deposit’ initiative being launched by the Ministry of the People and Social Development. The biometric card scheme aims to allow senior citizens access to all their social benefits which should significantly reduce incidents of fraud, as well as provide a more secure system for the socially vulnerable. The system is scheduled to be launched in the first half of 2013, and will also allow monitoring of trends and the shopping styles of senior citizens across the Caribbean archipelago.
