Microsoft has entered an agreement with Arcot under which Internet shoppers will be able to link their debit and credit cards to the .NET Passport service.
Card-issuing banks that support online authentication, such as the Verified by Visa and MasterCard Secure Payment Application (SPA) programmes for Internet purchases, can enable cardholders to link their personal .NET Passport account with Arcot's TransFort online card authentication platform.
Cardholders can log on, shop and authenticate purchases with online merchants utilising the TransFort platform and a Passport sign-in and interface.
Brian Arbogast, vice president of .NET core services platform at Microsoft, says: "Allowing sites and services that have deployed Arcot's TransFort solution to accept .NET Passport-issued credentials enables Web sites to break down the barriers to e-commerce, making the shopping experience both secure and convenient for consumers."
Jon Prideaux, executive vice president of Visa EU, adds: "The Arcot TransFort platform now offers increased functionality and choice for issuers and cardholders with another means of cardholder authentication for Verified by Visa."