Smart Card IC Market Report 2026

The smart card ic market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $3.09 billion in 2025 to $3.33 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.9%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to growth in telecommunications sim card usage, early adoption in financial payment cards, reliance on traditional authentication technologies, expansion of government id programs, increased demand for secure access systems.

The smart card ic market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $4.57 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.2%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to rising use of e-sims and iot-based authentication, growth in digital financial services, expansion in transportation and retail access systems, increasing adoption in education and healthcare, development of next-generation secure memory technologies. Major trends in the forecast period include development of advanced secure microcontroller platforms, expansion of IoT-integrated smart card technologies, enhancement of AI-driven identity verification systems, adoption of blockchain-enabled secure authentication, advancement of automated smart card ic manufacturing.

The rise in contactless payments is expected to boost the growth of the smart card IC market in the coming years. Contactless payment refers to a payment method that allows transactions without physically touching a card reader or terminal when using a credit card, debit card, or other payment card. It enables wireless communication between the payment card or device and the terminal through radio frequency (RF) signals. Smart cards are plastic cards equipped with an embedded integrated circuit (IC) chip that stores and processes information. They are used in applications such as identity verification, payments, and access control. In contactless transactions, the smart card IC stores and processes payment details, including the cardholder’s account information and the transaction amount. For example, in January 2024, the European Central Bank, a Germany-based central institution of the Eurosystem and the European System of Central Banks, reported that in the first half of 2023, contactless card transaction volume surged by 24.3% to 20.9 billion transactions compared to the same period in 2022, accompanied by a 25.9% increase in total transaction value. Therefore, the rise in contactless payments is driving the smart card IC market.

Major companies in the smart card IC market are focusing on developing technologically advanced chips using technologies such as 28 nm nodes to deliver reliable services to customers. The 28 nm technology node refers to a semiconductor manufacturing process used to create integrated circuits with a minimum feature size of 28 nanometers. For instance, in November 2024, GlobalFoundries, a U.S.-based semiconductor foundry, in collaboration with IDEMIA Secure Transactions, a France-based provider of digital identity and secure transaction solutions, launched a next-generation smart card integrated circuit based on the advanced 28 nm-class 28ESF3 technology platform. This launch demonstrates both companies’ commitment to the secure smart card IC market by enabling high-performance, energy-efficient, and low-latency operations while reducing manufacturing complexity. Designed for secure payment, identity, authentication, and transportation applications, the IC is expected to enter production in the first half of 2025, offering improved security, reliability, and environmental benefits for embedded security solutions.

In August 2024, Polymatech Electronics Private Limited, an India-based electronics manufacturer, acquired Nisene Technology Group Inc. for an undisclosed amount. Through this acquisition, Polymatech aims to strengthen its semiconductor capabilities, expand its product portfolio, and advance innovation in advanced networking chips to reinforce its leadership position in the industry. Nisene Technology Group Inc., a U.S.-based semiconductor company, specializes in developing testing and packaging solutions essential for the reliability of smart card ICs.

Major companies operating in the smart card ic market are Infineon Technologies AG, NXP Semiconductors N.V, Samsung Group, STMicroelectronics N.V., CEC Huada Electronic Design Co Ltd., Eastcompeace Technology Co Ltd., Valid S.A., Microchip Technology Incorporated, EM Microelectronic, Watchdata Technologies Ptd Ltd., CardLogix Corporation, Thales Group, Renesas Electronics, Maxim Integrated, ShanghAI Huahong Integrated Circuit Co. Ltd., Infineon Technologies, Winbond Electronics, Melexis, Beijing Watchdata, Giesecke+Devrient, Zwipe AS, Identiv, IDEMIA, Beijing Tongfang Microelectronics, Cardtek, Kona I Co.Ltd.

Note that the outlook for this market is being affected by rapid changes in trade relations and tariffs globally. The report will be updated prior to delivery to reflect the latest status, including revised forecasts and quantified impact analysis. The report’s Recommendations and Conclusions sections will be updated to give strategies for entities dealing with the fast-moving international environment.

Tariffs have influenced the smart card IC market by increasing the cost of imported semiconductors, embedded microcontrollers, memory components, and packaging materials sourced from global suppliers. Telecommunications, BFSI, government, and retail sectors in Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America have experienced elevated production and deployment costs. Despite these challenges, tariffs are accelerating local chip manufacturing initiatives, strengthening regional semiconductor ecosystems, and enabling innovation in cost-optimized secure IC technologies to improve long-term supply chain stability.

The smart card IC market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides smart card IC market statistics, including smart card IC industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a smart card IC market share, detailed smart card IC market segments, market trends, and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the smart card IC industry. This smart card IC market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.

A smart card IC (Integrated Circuit) refers to a miniature microprocessor chip embedded within a smart card, which resembles the size and shape of a standard credit card. These smart cards have the capability to store and process data, enabling them to execute multiple functions including identification, authentication, access control, and payment transactions.

The primary classifications of smart card ICs include microcontrollers and memory chips. A microcontroller is a compact integrated circuit responsible for managing a singular process within an embedded system. Its design encompasses 16-bit and 32-bit interfaces, such as contact, contactless, and dual interfaces, catering to diverse applications such as USIMs/e-SIMs, identification cards, financial cards, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Smart card ICs find usage across various sectors including telecommunications, Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI), government and healthcare, transportation, education, retail, and other industries.Asia-Pacific was the largest region in the smart card IC market in 2025. The regions covered in the smart card ic market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the smart card ic market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The smart cards IC market consists of sales of dual interface cards, memory-based smart cards, microprocessor-based smart cards, and hybrid smart cards that are used for identification, authentication, access control, and payments. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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