Abstract: A portable, biometrically-secured device for facilitating various different types of in-person and online transactions. For example, the portable, biometrically-secured device can be used to safely perform in-person financial transactions, such as credit card transactions, in which the user's identity is biometrically authenticated. The portable, biometrically-secured device can also be used for performing biometrically-secured online transactions. For example, the portable, biometrically-secured device can be used to create a secure platform from which to make the online transactions by loading a secure operating system from the device to a host computer's volatile memory. Biometrically-secured online transactions can then be performed using the host computer. In one embodiment, the portable, biometrically-secured device facilitates online financial transactions that can be performed without transmitting a user's financial information to the online merchant.