France-based paytech Ingenico has partnered Fujitsu Frontech North America to launch a biometric payment solution based on palm vein identification. Through this partnership, merchants will be able to improve the check-out experience of their customers while minimising fraud risks.

Fujitsu’s palm vein identification technology enables contactless payments while reducing queues, and it was designed on Ingenico's AXIUM range, its Android payment terminals. Customers can use this solution to identify themselves and authenticate their payments by moving the palm of a hand over a near infrared (NIR) sensor. Since each person has a unique pattern of veins in the palm of their hand, this biometric identification system is accurate but also less intrusive when compared to fingerprint-based solutions or facial recognition technologies.

Moreover, with this system, users don’t need to use credit cards or enter a PIN. This contactless, hygienic technology aims to improve the share of cashless and digital transactions in markets around the world while providing extra security levels for organisations that require strong identification solutions. It incorporates Fujitsu's PalmSecure technology as well as biometric identification elements developed by Fulcrum Biometrics.

Enrolling consumers in the service In order to enrol consumers, merchants first need to obtain a near infrared (NIR) scan of a customer's palm using a device designed by Ingenico. The device includes the Fujitsu PalmSecure-F Pro Sensor and software, and it generates an encrypted, tokenised image that’s linked to the customer's payment card in Ingenico's secure cloud environment. Since hackers are unable to take close-up pictures of internal palm vein structures, the system offers improved fraud protection when compared to more traditional methods that rely on fingerprint scanning or facial mapping.

Officials from Ingenico cited by prnewswire. com revealed that there is a lot of interest from merchants in the solution that they have developed with Fujitsu Frontech North America and Fulcrum Biometrics. They also emphasised the new opportunities that palm vein technology could provide to authenticate and identify customers in a secure and seamless manner.

Ingenico was acquired by Apollo Funds in October 2022 and began operating as an independent company. Ownership by the Apollo Funds marked a new era for Ingenico as an independent company with a clear strategy focused on delivering augmented services to its customers. Following the acquisition, Ingenico aimed to accelerate its business transformation as a payments ecosystem enabler, utilising its global installed base, R&D capabilities, and talent to upgrade its range of products and services.

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