Africa to Become Testing Ground for “Trust Stamp” Vaccine Record and Payment System
A new biometric identity platform partnered with the Gates-funded GAVI vaccine alliance and Mastercard will launch in West Africa and combine COVID-19 vaccinations, cashless payments, and potential law enforcement applications.
Mastercard, in addition
to professing its commitment to promoting "centralized record keeping of
childhood immunization" also describes itself as a leader
toward a "World Beyond Cash," and its partnership with GAVI marks a novel
approach towards linking a biometric digital identity system, vaccination
records, and a payment system into a single cohesive platform. The effort,
since its launch nearly two years ago, has been funded via $3.8 million
in GAVI donor funds in addition to a matched donation of the same amount by the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.