Japanese bank developing facial biometric payments system

One of Japan’s biggest banks, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, or SMFG, is exploring the use of facial recognition as a substitute for payment cards, reports The Yomiuri Shimbun.

Japanese Bank Developing Facial Biometric Payments SystemThe idea is to link customers’ facial biometrics directly to their account credentials, allowing them to pay for purchases via facial scan and with no need for additional hardware such as bank cards.

It’s a concept similar to a fingerprint scan-based system currently being explored by the Japanese government that would allow tourists to make biometric payments during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, suggesting a growing curiosity about this technological frontier in the country.

SMFG says its system would allow for payments and even ATM withdrawals for customer who decide to enroll, and is currently planning trials with retail partners for 2017, though the project could take years to roll out for more general use.

With the idea of biometric authentication already increasingly popular via mobile devices and consumers increasingly making payments through their smartphones using fingerprint-based verification, the market could be quite warm to the idea of biometric payments by the time SMFG’s system is ready for launch.

---