UK supermarket Costcutter is trialing a naked payments system based on finger vein recognition at its Brunel University location in London.
Called FingoPay, the system was first announced by its maker Sthaler in the summer of 2016. It uses Hitachi-developed infrared scanning to identify the unique vein patterns of users fingertips, allowing for a biometric identification process similar to fingerprint scanning, but with a built-in liveness detection component. Users who register for the system have their biometric profiles linked to their payment information, allowing them to make purchases without the need for payment cards or any other payment mechanisms. With many users getting accustomed to authorizing transactions using their fingerprints on mobile payment platforms like Samsung Pay and Apple Pay, this naked payments system may represent the next logical step forward in convenience.
As the BBC reports, FingoPay has also been trialed in a bar in Camden, where it saw 2,000 customers sign up. Now, in London, Sthaler says that it expects 3,000 students to have signed up for the system by this November – enthusiasm was kickstarted with an offer of £5 in credit for the first 1,000 registrants – and that it’s in talks to bring FingoPay to other UK supermarkets and to gyms and even nightclubs for membership verification.
For its part, Costcutter says it will consider expanding FingoPay to more locations if the Brunel University pilot proves successful.
Sources: BBC News, The Telegraph, The Evening Express
–
September 22, 2017 – by Alex Perala
Follow Us