Testing is soon to begin in parts of Africa for a biometric ID system that will include vaccine records, and also, notably, payment systems.
The systems are being backed by the GAVI vaccine alliance, which is largely backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates and Rockefeller Foundations.
Mastercard’s GAVI partnership is linked closely to its “World Beyond Cash” effort, a business model that is largely depended on a reduction in the use of the physical use of cash.
Retailers in the U.S. have been encouraging consumers for weeks to use digital forms of payment due to a nationwide “coin shortage.”
In early June, GAVI reported that Mastercard’s “Wellness Pass” program would be adapted in response to the Covid19 pandemic as well. About a month later Mastercard announced that Trust Stamp’s biometric identity platform would be incorporated into Wellness Pass.
Trust Stamp is capable of providing tracking by using biometric identity records in areas where there is limited internet or cellular connectivity. It also does not require traditional forms of ID tracking such as legal names.
The Wellness Program involving GAVI, Mastercard and Trust Stamp will be launched soon in West Africa and be coupled with a Covid19 vaccination program once a vaccine becomes available.