Birmingham, AL — The Alabama International Trade Center (AITC), an SBA Resource Partner based at the University of Alabama was instrumental in joining two Birmingham Metro area small businesses – Diamond Fortress Technologies (DFT) and PAKUSA.com (PAKUSA) – to introduce an innovative biometric solution to the Pakistani banking community.
A recent national law in Pakistan requires commercial financial institutions to verify the parties associated with all financial transactions with a biometric feature. The law was implemented to reduce money laundering and other illegal financial activities and particularly those in support of subversive organizations.
PAKUSA is a partner in marketing DFT security and authorization software technology with banks, government, law enforcement and military in Pakistan. PAKUSA facilitated the initial demonstration to JS Bank of DFT’s breakthrough solution called ONYX™, a patented technology which converts standard smartphone cameras into high quality fingerprint sensors without any additional hardware.
JS Bank is considered amongst the fastest growing banks within Pakistan’s banking landscape with 307 branches in 152 cities and one international branch. JS Bank is part of JS Group, one of Pakistan’s most diversified and progressive financial services groups (http://www.jsbl.com).
Speaking on the occasion, PAKUSA’s CEO, Irfan Yousuf, stated “the business opportunity among DFT and PAKUSA is significant in helping fulfill a critical market opportunity and security need in Pakistan by assisting in the compliance with the new national security and authorization requirements”. As well, he credited the AITC, “if not for AITC’s guidance and invaluable resources that were offered by Carolyn Turner (Senior International Trade Specialist of the AITC) this opportunity would not be successful”.
About PAKUSA
PAKUSA (pakusa.com) is a privately held business consulting firm, based in Hoover, Alabama (USA). The firm provides in-person, direct marketing, sales relationships and services to American companies that are looking for direct entry into a rapidly growing and underserved marketplace of 190 million people of Pakistan. PAKUSA is continuously looking to identify unique, innovative and critically needed Made in USA (and North American) products that can be directly imported and sold in Pakistan as well as other South and Southwest Asian countries. PAKUSA staff is multilingual and are located both in the U.S. and on the ground in Pakistan.
Contact: Steve McClinton, COO
PAKUSA | 205.862.8353 | https://www.facebook.com/pakusaconsulting/
About Diamond Fortress Technologies
Diamond Fortress Technologies (DFT) is the first company to successfully develop a mobile touchless fingerprint biometrics software solution. Since DFT has adopted a strong initiative for the promotion of financial inclusion throughout the globe. DFT’s patented technology, ONYX®, utilizes only the rear-facing camera found on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets as the fingerprint collection sensor. ONYX eliminates the need for hardware peripherals or device form-factor redesign for scanner integration. ONYX brings the high security and authentication of biometrics to everyone in a cost-effective and easily adoptable way.
Contact: Chace Hatcher, CEO
Diamond Fortress Technologies | 205.282.4509 | http://www.diamondfortress.com
About Alabama International Trade Center
The Trade Center operates as a federal-state partnership program between the University of Alabama and the U.S. Small Business Administration, promoting SBA’s export financing programs in Alabama. The Trade Center is an institutional member of the Alabama Small Business Development Center Network (ASBDC), a statewide network of 10 management and technical assistance centers.
The Center is also a founding member of the Export Alabama Trade Alliance , a statewide export promotion network led by the International Trade Division of the Alabama Department of Commerce. AITC is recognized as an Associate Office of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The Alabama International Trade Center has received the US Department of Commerce’s Export Achievement Award and is recognized by the SBA as a State Model of Excellence in International Trade.
Contact: Carolyn Turner, Senior International Trade Specialist
Alabama International Trade Center | 205.918.8844 | https://aitc.ua.edu/
