Mastercard recently launched a program for retailers to offer biometric payment methods, like facial recognition and fingerprint scanning. At the checkout, users will be forced to authenticate their payment by showing their face or the palm of their hand instead of being allowed to pay by card or with cash.
The program has already gone live in five St Marche grocery stores in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with more trials also planned for Asia and the Middle East. Mastercard says it plans to roll it out globally later this year. The payments company wants to roll the programme out worldwide for small and large retailers.
Ajay Bhalla, the president of cyber and intelligence at Mastercard, said: “The way we pay needs to keep pace with the way we live, work and do business, offering choice to consumers with the highest levels of security. “Our goal with this new programme is to make shopping a great experience for consumers and merchants alike, providing the best of both security and convenience. “All the research that we’ve done has told us that consumers love biometrics”.