At a time where consumers are becoming more aware of their digital footprint and what organizations are holding their data, protecting one’s personal privacy and securing one’s information and assets has become a top public interest. Decentralized finance and cryptocurrency have skyrocketed in popularity in recent years due to the transparency and security that distributed ledger and blockchain technologies provide.

Last month, New Jersey-based crypto security hardware company Arculus unveiled the Arculus Key card, a slim metallic cold storage device that holds cryptocurrency keys. As a biometrics-enabled key solution, the card will securely connect to mobile devices through an encrypted NFC connection with three-factor authentication security and easy-to-use functionality through the Arculus Wallet app.

Maximum Security for Crypto Safety

By leveraging NFC connection activated with a tap on the back of a smartphone, the Arculus Key card is able to successfully provide three authentication layers of security across different form factors—verifying something that you know, something that you are, and something that you have.

To verify something you know, the Arculus Wallet app requires a six-digit personal pin code in order to access the wallet. Then, to verify that you are the owner of the cryptocurrency wallet, the app has the capability to leverage both fingerprint scanning and facial recognition based on the capabilities of the mobile device’s biometric security systems. Finally, to verify something that you have, the Arculus Wallet app requires that the Arculus Key card be physically close in proximity to the device in order for transactions to occur. As the highest level of assurance and the third layer of authentication, the Arculus Key card contains an EAL 6+ embedded secure element that holds encrypted keys, securely sealing off the three-step authentication process.

The Arculus Key card must be in close proximity to the user’s mobile device in order for transactions to occur. Source: @thisisarculus on Twitter.

The Arculus Wallet App

Upon successful authentication, users are granted access to their Wallet app, which stores their cryptocurrency wallets. The app also allows users to send, receive and exchange cryptocurrency quickly and easily through the “tap to transact” authentication, which allows the user to securely authorize the transaction with the Arculus Key card.

The app supports many of the top cryptocurrencies by market, including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum, USDC, XRP and more. So, using the Arculus Wallet app and Arculus Key card, consumers can manage all their crypto assets, send funds to others, exchange fiat currency for crypto, or swap crypto-to-crypto. This is all done while maintaining true, air-gapped signing and security features.

“The growth of cryptocurrency is driving demand for a simple solution that delivers the mobility and state-of-the-art security needed to make cryptocurrency more viable for more consumers,” said Adam Lowe, Chief Innovation Officer at Arculus. “The Arculus solution will broaden cryptocurrency adoption because of the familiar behavior consumers have using their payment cards, creating an improved user experience as compared to products currently on the market.”

According to the Arculus website, the Arculus Key card will be available in the second quarter of 2021 for both consumer and business clients, while the Arculus Wallet app will be available for both iOS and Android in Q1 of 2021 for free download. In the meantime, the Arculus e-commerce website will go live in February 2021, at which consumers will be able to sign up for a waiting list for the Arculus Key card.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Serena He is a Tech Innovation Fellow from the University of Southern California who is interested in AI and the intersection of design and technology. She enjoys covering news across the digital identity and tech space.

Contact Serena He at serena@identityreview.com.

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