MasterCard has confirmed that it will launch biometric payments for UK consumers this summer, enabling them to pay online by using a fingerprint or taking a selfie.
Speaking to Tech City News, a spokesperson for the American multinational financial services corporation, said that the new feature would also be rolled-out across various countries in Europe, the US and Canada.
“The UK is one of the most sophisticated markets for payments technology in the world. British consumers are incredibly tech savvy and love their mobiles and using contactless. Couple that with the infrastructure and the UK offers the perfect environment. If you look at Apple Pay for instance, it’s no coincidence that it came to the UK first after its native market launch,” continued the spokesperson.
The news comes after MasterCard conducted a consumer trial with 750 participants in the Netherlands.
A subsequent survey found that 92% of participants thought that MasterCard’s Indentity Check was more convenient than passwords, with 83% noting they believed it was more secure.
Interest in biometrics
The move comes amid an increased interest in biometric security, with HSBC and First Direct announcing the roll-out of their voice biometric security tech in the UK just last week.
Startups such as Atom Bank – a digital-only ‘challenger bank’ which is expected to launch in the UK earlier this year – is also introducing biometric technology. Others, such as B-Secur are seeking to license ECG technology for biometric authentication.
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