Palm biometric payments gain traction with transit rollout

A public transit operator in a small Asian country is joining forward-looking tech and payment giants like Amazon, J.P. Morgan and Mastercard in launching palm biometrics to authenticate transactions. Palm payment technology also appears to align neatly with the cashless payments trend in a larger Asian nation, presenting a major potential market opportunity.

Uzbekistan launches vein biometrics in Tashkent metro

The capital of Uzbekistan has launched palm biometric payments for its metro public transit system.

The Tashkent metro has installed the MyID palm payment system, allowing passengers to pay for subway rides using the unique vein patterns in their palms. The MyID palm scanners operate in 12 stations along the Chilanzar line from Olmazor to Buyuk Ipak Yuli, reports UZ Daily.

Residents of Tashkent, a city of some three million, will need an ATTO transport card and a smartphone with the required app installed to use the MyID palm scanners. Biometric profiles of user palms can be created at kiosks found in metro stations.

Announced by Uzinfocom, the system was developed by local specialists in collaboration with the ATTO payment service, Octobank, and the Central Asian republic’s Ministry of Transport. Following a test period the plan is to expand the system to all Tashkent metro stations.

In addition, MyID Palm feature is expected to be integrated into the Octobank mobile app, allowing users to connect any bank card for metro fare payments. The initial testing phase for the MyID palm payment system began in late November 2023 at Druzhba metro station.

Malaysia potentially exploring palm payments

While palm payment has not yet launched in Malaysia, an op-ed explores the potential for its use in the Southeast Asian country especially as it expands biometric and digital banking usage.

“If introduced in Malaysia, palm payment could transform sectors like retail, transportation, and healthcare,” it reads. The piece argues that palm payment aligns with Malaysia’s cashless push and would complement existing digital payment methods like digital wallets and QR codes.

However, potential challenges were also weighed, such as adoption costs since palm payment systems require specialized hardware and smaller businesses would need to consider the space such hardware takes up. The article can be read here.

Major brands already on board

Palm biometric scanning is an increasingly popular option for making in-person payments. Major players such as Tencent, Visa, Amazon, J.P. Morgan and Mastercard are increasingly backing palm-based payment systems. For example, Amazon has fully deployed its palm-scanning technology Amazon One across all its Whole Foods stores in the U.S., and Tencent launched its Palm Pay system for WeChat across convenience stores and various retail outlets in China.

In 2025, J.P. Morgan is planning a broad roll-out of palm-based payment technology and Mastercard has integrated palm biometrics into its biometric checkout program.

Article Topics

biometric payments  |  biometrics  |  consumer adoption  |  Malaysia  |  MyID - UZINFOCOM  |  palm biometrics  |  retail biometrics  |  transportation  |  Uzbekistan