Fingerprint recognition or fingerprint authentication refers to the automated method of verifying a match between two human fingerprints. Fingerprint recognition is one of the most popular biometrics technology which is used to identify individuals & further verify their identification details. They work by identifying the pattern of ridges on fingertips. This is the oldest biometric technology used for identification. The global fingerprint sensors market was valued at $3995.93 million in 2018 & is estimated to generate net revenue of approximately $14509.30 million by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 15.69%. The base year considered for the market study is 2018 & the estimated period is between 2019 & 2027. The growth for this market is being driven by factors such as:

• The substantial proliferation of smartphones & tablets
• Benefits offered by fingerprint authentication devices
• Growing adoption of biometrics by various governments
• Increased need for advanced security
• Widening applications of biometric systems

With the growing user acceptance for biometric-enabled smart devices, the implementation of fingerprint biometrics in smart devices, such as smartphones, laptops, & tablets, is rising, creating a positive impact on market revenue. For instance, with the introduction of Apple Pay, contactless mobile payments have become possible, where details of credit or debit cards are stored in a chip in the mobile device. Also, due to the instances of criminal attacks in the past, a number of organizations have been adopting fingerprint biometrics to prevent unauthorized access to secure premises. Furthermore, the government is also imposing regulations to ensure the use of fingerprint biometrics among end-users. An increase in the usage of mobile devices among various end-users, such as government, enterprise, healthcare, & BFSI, will increase the need for security.

In terms of application, mobile devices segment had the largest market share of 57.44% in 2018. Increasing penetration of smartphones, tablets & laptops among the middle-class population is expected to drive this growth further. Increasing disposable income around the world is leading to the high expenditure on consumer electronics which includes the purchase of smartphones, laptops & tablets. In 2017, smartphone shipments amounted to around 1.51 billion units. Shipments for smartphones are expected to reach almost 1.6 billion by 2018, a tenfold increase from the number of shipments in 2009.

Similarly, various features such as widescreen & high resolution are helping in the wide adoption of tablets by both residential & commercial users. In 2017, a worldwide number of tablet users reached to around 1.23 billion. However, the healthcare segment is expected to witness the fastest growth in the forecast period from 2019 to 2027, growing at a CAGR of XX%. The healthcare sector uses fingerprint biometrics to secure electronic health record (EHR) of patients. As more healthcare networks begin storing patient records electronically, they have become increasingly concerned with security & many are turning towards biometrics.

Due to a complex password & username authentication process, hospitals also face issues tracking their sensitive data. With the introduction of fingerprint sensors, employees can now log in with a swipe of finger & quickly have access to all the documents as per requirement with specific authorization. These sensors also provide access control in all the important places such as operation theatres, etc. For instance, the Saudi Arabia Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs has implemented M2SYS’s Right Patient biometric patient identification system to identify patients accurately. Also, the Saratoga Hospital in New York recently introduced fingerprint biometrics at its facilities to help secure patient records & increase efficiency.

With increasing adoption of fingerprint biometrics, newer challenges have been introduced in the market. Latent fingerprinting & spoofing, complexities in integrating fingerprint sensors technology into existing software, security concerns & vulnerability of fingerprint biometrics, high probability for inaccuracies are the key challenges inhibiting the market growth of fingerprint sensors. There are chances of fingerprint biometric systems being compromised by design, usage error, hardware failure, & environmental condition that make them vulnerable to damage or attack. This can be at the device level or associated equipment, user interface, or at the system level as well. Fingerprint biometric devices are vulnerable to spoofing, physical attack, & damage to cables & wires.

The report on global fingerprint sensors includes segmentation on the basis of type, application, & technology.

Market sub-segmented by Type:

• Swipe
• Touch
• Area

Market sub-segmented by Technology:

• Capacitive
• Optical
• Ultrasonic
• Thermal
• Other technologies

Market sub-segmented by Application:

• Mobile Devices
  • Smartphone
  • Tablets
  • Laptop & Notepad
• Travel
• Commercial
• Smartcards
• Residential
• Automotive
• Healthcare
• Government

Geographically, the global fingerprint sensors market has been segmented on the basis of five major regions, which includes:

• North America: the United States & Canada
• Europe: the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain & Rest of Europe
• Asia-Pacific: China, India, Japan, Australia, & Rest of Asia Pacific
• Latin America: Brazil, Mexico, Argentina & Rest of Latin America
• Middle East & Africa: Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Iraq, South Africa & Rest of Middle East & Africa

On the basis of geography, Asia Pacific dominated the global fingerprint sensors market. The Asia Pacific contributed around 40% of the market share in 2018. This region is also expected to witness the fastest growth, growing at a CAGR of XX% throughout the forecast period. The increasing usage of mobile devices & growth of fingerprint sensors in mobile devices is one of the key driving factors for the market in the region. China, Japan, South Korea, & India are the major revenue generating countries in the region. Governments of many countries are using fingerprint biometrics for various purposes, such as monitoring attendance of employees, rationing, & for border control. For instance, in India, the government has taken new initiatives by introducing the Aadhar Card issued by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for biometric attendance system in government organizations.

China has also implemented the use of electronic identification. Furthermore, countries, such as Japan, Australia, South Korea, & Indonesia, are investing in fingerprint biometrics for strengthening their national security. Thus, border control is further strenthened by integrating fingerprint biometrics into solutions such as e-gates, automated biometric identification, & mobile fingerprint systems for foreigners.

Global fingerprint sensors market has been segmented on the basis of technology, sensor type & application. The fingerprint sensor is broadly classified into area, swipe & touch sensors. The application market for fingerprint sensors has been analyzed for mobile devices, airport security, commercial, smartcards, smart locks (residential), automotive, healthcare, & government segments. Market by technology includes capacitive, optical, ultrasonic, thermal, & other technologies.

The global fingerprint sensors market is fragmented with the presence of many small regional vendors & large multinational vendors. Some of the key players involved in the market are:

• Gemalto NV
• Fingerprint Cards AB
• Crossmatch Technologies
• HID Global
• Anviz Global
• & Other companies

Market share analysis, key company analysis, key corporate strategies along with company profiles of the key companies are discussed in detail. Most of the companies look for strategies such as merger & acquisition, partnership, contracts, agreements, or new product launch to gain a competitive edge over each other. For instance, in January 2019, Fingerprint Cards & Identity Devices Sweden AB (Identity Devices) entered into a multi-year partnership to accelerate biometric adoption in Global Digital Identity, Financial Technology (FinTech), Internet of Things (IoT) & other innovative, fast-growing vertical markets.

In January 2019, BIO-key International, Inc. introduced a new line of robust biometric & Bluetooth enabled carabiner locks for bicycles, scooters & motorcycles in Las Vegas, Nevada. In November 2018, HID Global®, announced the Crescendo® Mobile smart card bring convenience to high security for accessing computer, network or cloud applications. In August 2018, NEC Corporation announced an investment in Tascent Inc., a U.S. based biometric system company, with the aim of accelerating the global expansion of its safety business.

Key Findings of the fingerprint sensors market:

• The Asia Pacific is the largest & the fastest growing market out of all other regions. It accounted for XX% of the total market share in 2018 in terms of revenue & is likely to grow further during the forecast period.
• The implementation of multimodal biometrics for controlling access to secured premises is rising in the healthcare, BFSI, transportation, automotive, & government sectors worldwide.
• Optical fingerprint sensors & capacitive fingerprint sensors are the most commonly used fingerprint sensors.
• Major automotive OEMs, like BMW, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, & Volkswagen, are aggressively investing in fingerprint technology to enhance vehicle security & driver identification.