Handwave has expanded its collaboration with Visa to connect payment cards to palm biometric profiles using Visa’s tokenization, authentication and fraud-management infrastructure.
The integration replaces sensitive card information with a digital token during enrollment. At a compatible point-of-sale device, a customer can then identify themselves and initiate the card-linked transaction by presenting a palm rather than a physical card or phone.
Handwave’s system combines several characteristics of the hand, including vein structure and hand shape, with blood-flow analysis for liveness detection. The company also supports starting the palm-enrollment process with a standard smartphone camera.
Visa Decision Manager will provide real-time fraud and risk monitoring for transactions routed through the system. The companies are also working toward making Handwave available through Visa Acceptance Platform.
The expanded arrangement also includes support for market development and marketing as Handwave moves beyond the Baltic region. Visa’s role centers on the payment credentials and acceptance infrastructure, while Handwave supplies the palm enrollment, matching and liveness components.
That platform connection is intended to simplify adoption for acquirers and merchants already using Visa’s acceptance infrastructure. The payment continues to use a tokenized card credential, while the palm serves as the means of identifying and authenticating the customer.
The work expands the companies’ earlier palm-payment partnership, which focused on integrating Visa Token Management Service with Handwave’s biometric platform.
Handwave is preparing initial pilot programs with banks and retailers in the Baltic states. The Riga-based company is targeting full commercial deployments within a year before expanding into other European markets.
The deployment timetable follows Handwave’s push toward commercial deployment after raising 3.65 million euros to develop and test its palm-based identity and payment technology.
The company’s model links payments with additional biometric functions, including loyalty enrollment and age verification. For merchants, the Visa integration concentrates card tokenization, fraud controls and palm authentication within the same transaction flow.
Handwave says enrollment can connect the user’s palm and payment card within seconds. Its planned European pilot programs will move that process from technical integration into live banking and retail environments.
Sources: Payment Media, Handwave
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
