MasterCard: Europe Uses Selfies to Make Payments
Citizens in Europe can now make payments through selfies after MasterCard announced it is unveiling its new technology that uses facial recognition and fingerprints.
The Identify Check Mobile technology by MasterCard provides shoppers with the ability to purchase items through a selfie scan or a finger scan. However, this technology is only available when a shopper is visiting a merchant’s shop online. It means, though, that shoppers won’t be required to remember passwords for countless cards.
MasterCard have already unveiled this technology in Canada, the Netherlands, and the U.S. Due to the success of it in those three countries, MasterCard has brought the selfie and fingerprint system to Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the U.K.
Finextra reports that the trial in the Netherlands proved very popular with 750 ABN Amro credit card users taking part. Over three-quarters of those involved stated that they would continue using a fingerprint scan or a selfie to purchase items. While nine out of 10 said they would replace their password with this new technology.
Of those surveyed, 75 percent said that the use of biometric identification would help to reduce the amount of online shopping fraud. When checking out of a merchant’s shop through their website or mobile app, shoppers will see a pop-up on their handset where they will be directed to process their payment via a finger scan or a selfie.
MasterCard Only Cares for Blockchain
It was only recently that Rob Reeg, president for operations and technology at MasterCard made the revelation that the company is only interested in blockchain technology and not bitcoin.
At the beginning of the year Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan CEO, stated that bitcoin wasn’t going anywhere and was a waste of time. This despite the fact that the digital currency has continued to flourish over the years of its existence.
While Reeg is reported to be dismissive of the digital currency, in an interview with the Indian publication, the Business Standard , he said that he finds blockchain technology interesting.
Not only that, but Ann Cairns, MasterCard international president, has said that the distributed ledger is a ‘good thing for the future.’
Featured image from Shutterstock.
