Mastercard and Google Pay launch biometric payments in India by year-end
Mastercard and Google Pay are extending biometric payment services to Indian customers, with the feature set to roll out by the end of the year. Users will be able to authenticate transactions using facial recognition or fingerprint scans on their smartphones, eliminating the need for one-time passwords.
The service relies on Mastercard’s device verification system, which works with existing smartphone biometric sensors. It will be available for a range of purchases, from utility bills to online retailer checkouts in India, according to the companies. No additional hardware is required; the authentication happens through the cardholder’s device for the user. Mastercard said there will be no fee for consumers to use the biometric option.
“By leveraging the biometric capabilities already available on smartphones, we aim to make everyday payments faster and more intuitive,” Ravi Datla, senior vice president of customer solutions in South Asia, Mastercard said.
Earlier this year, Fiserv said it planned to let Clover merchant clients verify payments using face and palm scans, expecting to introduce the feature throughout 2024. Other payment providers have also begun offering biometric authentication options, reflecting a broader industry shift. Biometric tools are authenticating everything from payments to digital driver’s licenses and passports, but adoption varies widely between countries.
What we know
Mastercard and Google Pay are partnering to extend biometric payment services to customers in India, the two companies said in a press release last week.
The tool lets users make purchases without needing one-time passwords, the release said.
The card network and the technology behemoth are introducing the feature to customers in India by the end of the year, a Mastercard spokesperson said in an email, without commenting why that market was selected for the effort.
“By leveraging the biometric capabilities already available on smartphones, we aim to make everyday payments faster and more intuitive,” Mastercard’s senior vice president of customer solutions in South Asia, Ravi Datla, said in the release.