Co-working space provider All Work & Social has signed up as the launch partner for a biometric payments system that uses the pattern of veins in a customer’s fingertip to replace the need to carry a card, phone or cash... More
Biometrics
US Army to issue soldiers with wearable contactless IDs
The US Army is looking to replace its current smartcard-based Common Access Card (CAC) with “wireless, lightweight, flexible and rugged” wearable contactless identity tokens that can be inserted into a soldier’s pocket, attached to a sleeve or integrated into a wristband... More
Shinhan pilots face recognition payments in Korea
Korea’s Shinhan Card has begun testing Shinhan Face Pay, a face recognition payments system that it is developing with CU convenience stores operator BGF Retail “to identify customers who visit unmanned convenience stores in the future”... More
Face recognition to replace QR codes in China?
As China turns towards facial recognition payments, are QR codes on their way out? — South China Morning Post — “As the familiar square mosaic gains greater popularity outside China, the tech giants that helped to drive its adoption are already moving away from the app-based payment method to something even more portable: your face.”
OCBC lets customers use mobile phones to withdraw cash from ATMs
OCBC Bank is first in Singapore to enable cash withdrawals at ATMs using QR codes — OCBC — “OCBC Bank customers can withdraw cash by just scanning a QR code using the OCBC Pay Anyone app, then authenticating the transaction via fingerprint, faceprint or mobile banking login credentials… Using a QR code instead of keying in a PIN is more secure because biometric authentication can be chosen, a more robust security feature than a PIN that can be revealed or stolen. Further, a physical ATM card can be skimmed while a mobile device cannot.”
One in ten Londoners ready to ‘consider microchipping themselves’ to speed up contactless payments
Would you microchip yourself to speed up paying with contactless? — This is Money — “11% of Londoners surveyed by PaymentSense and YouGov said they’d consider microchipping themselves to make it quicker for them to make contactless payments… A quarter say they’d be happy to use a fingerprint scanner to verify payments. 16% would be in favour of using a retinal scanner to do so.”
Google to use 3D face recognition for Pixel 4 payments
(Don’t) hold the phone: new features coming to Pixel 4 — Google — “As you reach for Pixel 4, Soli proactively turns on the face unlock sensors, recognizing that you may want to unlock your phone. If the face unlock sensors and algorithms recognize you, the phone will open as you pick it up, all in one motion. Better yet, face unlock works in almost any orientation — even if you’re holding it upside down — and you can use it for secure payments and app authentication too.”
CBA builds location tracking security into mobile banking app
CBA app wants your location, biometrics in name of security — CIO Australia — “If we see a transaction coming out of Hong Kong but we know from a customer’s phone they’re in Melbourne or Sydney: straight away that gives us an opportunity to spot a discrepancy and block it straight away… If we’re not sure we’ll pop into the app with a question in real time and we ask the customer to help us, and they can swipe or click to say yep I’m comfortable with this or no this is something I don’t recognise.”
Visa sets out payments innovation plans for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
Visa sets sights on a ‘Cashless Japan’ with one year to go to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 — Visa — “At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Visa offered a payment-enabled ring to its Team Visa athletes. At the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, Visa commercially sold wearable products, such as gloves and lapel pins, enabled to make payments over contactless payment readers. For Tokyo 2020, Visa is exploring payment innovations ranging from biometric payment authentication and wearables to new mobile applications which will include digitally-issued cards.”
Beijing Subway tests face recognition ticketing
Beijing subway experimenting with facial recognition for fare payment — ECNS — “The Beijing subway system is experimenting with facial recognition for passengers to pay their fares, and the technology might be applied to the entire system once the database is accurate enough, according to a report by Beijing Youth Daily… The Beijing subway system is likely to adopt the technology once the database proves to be 100% accurate, the report said.”
NXP secures Mastercard certification for biometric card modules
NXP’s Secure Processing Module — First dual-interface biometric product to receive Mastercard CAST certificate — NXP — PARTNER NEWS — “NXP’s new Secure Processing Module for fingerprint-on-card technology is the first of its kind to receive Mastercard’s prestigious CAST (Compliance Assessment and Security Testing) certificate… Now that we’ve passed Mastercard’s rigorous security review, we can move ahead with our product release, targeted soon.”
Transport for NSW eyes face recognition for frictionless transit card payments
NSW looks to facial recognition as Opal card alternative — iTnews — “In the transport space we’ll use facial recognition technology to scan customers who’ve ‘opted in’ and linked their Opal account… No more gate barriers – just a smooth journey.”
Alipay to use ‘beauty filter’ to boost adoption of face payments terminals
Alipay adds a beauty filter to its facial scan payment system to encourage more female users — Radii China — “The move came after Sina Weibo’s tech channel pointed to data that showed male adoption rates of facial scan payments on Alipay were higher than those for females. ‘Be honest, when you’re using the facial payment option, do you think you’re ugly?’ asked the account via a poll. After more than 40,000 people voted, the poll showed that over 60% felt the payment method made them look ugly and ‘not as pretty as when taking a normal photo’.”
Chinese retailers use face recognition to link shoppers’ online purchase history to in-store services
Data ‘R’ Us: Alibaba, JD.com seek to lock in merchant loyalty with new services — Reuters — “One of the first firms to join an Alibaba Group Holding Ltd programme that provides years of consumer shopping history, snack food chain, Bestore Co Ltd plans to link facial recognition technology with the e-commerce giant’s account data by the year’s end. For customers opting to have their facial data in Bestore’s systems, that means shop assistants will be able to check on what food they like the moment they enter one of its stores.”
Pentagon researchers unveil biometric identification technology that works from 200m away
The Pentagon has a laser that can identify people from a distance — by their heartbeat — MIT Technology Review — “A new device, developed for the Pentagon after US Special Forces requested it, can identify people without seeing their face: instead it detects their unique cardiac signature with an infrared laser. While it works at 200 metres (219 yards), longer distances could be possible with a better laser. ‘I don’t want to say you could do it from space,’ says Steward Remaly, of the Pentagon’s Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office, ‘but longer ranges should be possible.’”
Saudi banks pilot blockchain-based cardless ATM withdrawals
Saudi banks trial blockchain-based identity technology at ATMs — Computer Weekly — “The Saudi Arabian trial will enable local consumers to use their faces and blockchain-based apps to withdraw money from cashpoint machines instead of PINs. The ID authentication prototype, currently under test, can communicate across banks and uses blockchain to confirm an individual’s identity without accessing the bank’s database.”
Crédit Agricole pilots biometric bank cards
“Mastercard is working with Crédit Agricole Payment Services on a biometric card pilot for 200 customers in Touraine and Poitou, who will trial the card which features an integrated fingerprint sensor... More
Android Q to add face verification for payments?
Android Q Beta 4: ‘Face authentication’ appears in settings, reveals some features — 9to5Google — “With the added support for face authentication, users will have the option of requiring eyes open to unlock. They will be able to use it to sign-in to applications and use it for payments, as well, according to new strings in the Settings app.”
Survey finds consumers ‘reluctant to swap passwords for biometrics’
Consumers reluctant to swap passwords for biometrics for fear of identity fraud — Paysafe Group — “Over half of consumers (56%) are worried that the shift to biometrics to authenticate online payments will dramatically increase the amount of identity fraud, according to new research conducted by Paysafe… The research found that four fifths (81%) of consumers still favour passwords for making payments online due to concerns about the security of new biometric options.”
Singapore pop-up store allows customers to buy mobiles in ‘truly unmanned’ environment
Asian communications group Singtel has opened a cashless, unmanned pop-up store that uses face recognition and personalization to let customers select, purchase and leave with high-value goods including new phones and accessories... More