Mastercard Brings Biometric Checkout Program to Europe

Mastercard, in collaboration with Empik and PayEye, has launched its Biometric Checkout Program in Poland, marking its first in-store biometric payment pilot in Europe.

The initiative allows customers to use iris and facial recognition technology to pay for purchases by simply glancing at a sensor, and aims to simplify and secure the checkout process by eliminating the need for physical payment cards, cash, or mobile devices.. The pilot program is being tested in five Empik stores across Poland, including locations in Warsaw, Wrocław, Kraków, Poznań, and Czeladź.

“Mastercard is a pioneer of innovative payment methods and drive security, and standardization and Poland is an perfect place for such a groundbreaking pilot,” said Marta Życińska, Mastercard’s General Manager for Poland.

The expansion of the Biometric Checkout Program – first introduced in 2022 with a pilot in São Paulo, Brazil – comes amid increasing global acceptance of biometric technologies. According to a Mastercard survey, 74 percent of consumers worldwide have a positive attitude toward biometric technologies, and in Poland, 80 percent of respondents have used or are familiar with biometric technology.

PayEye, a Polish fintech company specializing in cashless biometric payment technology, is providing the necessary infrastructure for this pilot. Its eyePOS terminals, which use a combination of iris and facial biometrics, ensure a high level of security and user convenience.

“Being a part of Mastercard Biometric Checkout Program is a great honor and a culmination of our hard work on one of the best biometric technologies in the world,” said Daniel Jarząb, CEO, PayEye. “We believe that payments with a glance are a global solution which, regardless of the latitude, provides the highest level of safety, user comfort and an amazing user experience.”

This announcement comes just a few days following Mastercard’s introduction of the Biometric Checkout Program at Tienda Inglesa’s Red Expres stores in Uruguay, extending the program’s extension into Latin America. While the PayEye partnership uses iris and facial recognition, the Uruguay deployment employs palm recognition and involves partnerships with Ingenico, Fulcrum Biometrics, Fujitsu Frontech, and Scanntech.

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June 10, 2024 – by Tony Bitzionis