Silicon Valley-based Cimbal has announced the public launch of its software-based NFC payment network. The network, which the company claims is the first of its kind in the world, enables secure payment and peer-to-peer transactions using a smart phone instead of a plastic card.

The Security Industry Association (SIA), a member-based group that advocates on behalf of the security industry in the U.S., has publicly opposed a Bill in Alaska that restricts biometric technology in the state, according to a Security Info Watch article.

Ceelox has announced that it has finished development of a prototype application that would use Ceelox’s fingerprint biometrics to enable biometric authentication in online environments such as corporate intranets, cloud computing networks and commercial applications like online banking and other personal account-based access.

The Biometrics Institute, a not-for-profit run for and by the biometrics industry, has launched its Annual Industry Survey looking for input on current business and future plans from key players in the biometrics industry in Australia and New Zealand.