Nordic payments processor Nets is working with UK biometric company Sthaler to trial the use of finger vein recognition technology to authenticate users at the point-of-sale.
Nets is putting the technology through its paces at its Idea Lab in Denmark with a view to integrating it as an option within its recently recently Dankort app for making mobile contactless payments using the national debit and credit card.
Earlier this month Nets added lock-screen payment functionality and biometric authentication via Touch ID following a month-long experiment at the Lab.
Sthaler's FingoPay - which uses technology licensed from Hitachi - works via an electronic reader which builds a 3D map of the customer’s finger veins, generating a 'natural personal key' - thus removing the need for the individual to enter any personal details upon registration to make a payment. The technology first underwent testing in the UK with WorldPay employees in November 2015 and has since been tried out in the wild at a music venue in Camden.
Nets is currently showcasing the technology from its stand at the Money20/20 conference in Copenhagen.
“We are always looking for ways to innovate and progress our payment solutions in line with advancing technology and changing customer needs,” says Jesper Kildegaard Poulsen, head of innovation incubator at Nets. “Today’s consumer looks for efficiency, security and ease in all aspects of their customer journey, and particularly in payments. The Fingopay technology allows us to offer a secure, fast and effortless option, giving our customers the ability to pay simply by using their finger.”