Biometric, computer vision payment systems vie for places in market

A number of experts and stakeholders in the digital identity and biometrics space are looking at new forms of payment systems this week. Writing in a blog post, Veridas said face and voice biometrics are currently the most secure way to authenticate payments, while AiFi partnered with French supermarket giant Carrefour on what seems to be a cashier-less payment system based on object tracking and (possibly) behavioural biometrics. Also, Adobe and Mastercard have entered a new collaboration to combine e-signature workflows with instant payments, and a Starbucks Pickup store in NYC has adopted Amazon Go’s cashierless technology.

Veridas: biometrics as a critical tool for payments

Writing on the company’s blog, Veridas’s Marketing and Communication expert Edu Gozalo explains that face and voice biometrics have evolved so substantially in the past few years as to become the single most secure way to authorize payments.

Mentioning the capabilities of Veridas’s biometric system, Gozalo said its algorithms can identify an individual from a database of 12 million users in 300 milliseconds with error rates under 0.01 percent.

Combining these capabilities with anti-spoofing features such as liveness detection would add additional layers of security to combat fraud and make payments safer.

In addition to the security capabilities of biometric systems, Gozalo also noted that the technology is capable of delivering an unparalleled customer experience, thanks to the fact that the vast majority of consumer devices today integrate biometric sensors.

Veridas has recently become the first Spanish company to certify technology for the verification of remote identity in the Spanish Public Administration.

AiFi partners with Carrefour on innovative payment system

Shying away from traditional biometric payment systems, the companies have released an innovative technology that seems to rely on cameras performing object tracking via dedicated sensors.

Named Carrefour Flash 10/10, the new concept store will enable customers to take items from shelves and put them directly in their bags, with the system scanning them and adding their value to a virtual trolley in real-time.

Once they have finished shopping, customers will get their baskets validated at a kiosk and then will be able to pay contactlessly or with cash.

No registration or specific app will be needed beforehand, and four employees will be present in-store to start operations and provide customers with advice.

From a technical standpoint, the new system relies on 60 cameras and a total of roughly 2,000 sensors built into the connected shelves.

AiFi clarified customers will only be tracked anonymously as virtual avatars and never identified.

The new technology appears to be similar to the one Amazon Go is planning to deploy in a Sainsbury’s pilot store in London next week.

Starbucks Pickup deploys Amazon Go tech

The new “pickup cafe” is the first of three Starbucks Pickup with Amazon Go locations planned, according to The Verge.

The store features the full Starbucks menu as well as a “curated assortment of food and beverages” in its Amazon Go market section.

Clients will be able to preorder their item via the Starbucks mobile app, choose the store and then pay for it using their credit card or palm biometrics upon collection if they have registered with the Amazon One Program.

Adobe and Mastercard partner on digital payments

Intended for online payments and cash transfers, the new solution will combine Adobe Sign’s e-signature workflows with the Mastercard Send platform.

The resulting integrated platform will accelerate approval processes and deliver funds to customers instantly and digitally, according to an Adobe blog post.

“In today’s digital world, consumers expect payments to be made in real-time, therefore businesses can no longer afford slow and costly paper processes,” explained Chiro Aikat, executive vice president of Products and Innovation for North America at Mastercard.

The solution will also provide a platform for other system integrators to build additional payout or disbursement solutions for clients.

“Through a unique solution that brings together Adobe Sign and Mastercard Send, we’re helping to digitize workflows and speed payments, so people and businesses can receive the funds they need quickly, simply, and securely into the financial accounts of their choice,” Aikat concluded.

Article Topics

Alfi  |  Amazon One  |  authentication  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  face biometrics  |  fraud prevention  |  Mastercard  |  object recognition  |  payments  |  secure transactions  |  Veridas  |  voice biometrics