Summarised by Centrist
New biometric-ready EFTPOS terminals are being rolled out across New Zealand.
The Verifone Victa terminals contain cameras and other hardware capable of face and palm recognition to let customers pay, prove their age and access loyalty programmes.
However, EFTPOS New Zealand says the infrastructure needed to support biometric payments is not yet available.
The terminals therefore do not currently remove the need for cards or phones.
The terminals run on Android and can support third-party applications.
EFTPOS NZ says the technology could eventually allow “age verification, digital identity and secure payments to happen in a single interaction at the terminal, without the need for physical documents”.
Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young said it could speed up payments and reduce the need for customers to give staff their email addresses or phone numbers when accessing loyalty programmes.
EFTPOS NZ said proof-of-concept trials had been completed and retailers could deploy the biometric capabilities when they chose, using their preferred supplier.
The terminals will continue to accept conventional payment methods.
Kristy Gregory, EFTPOS NZ’s head of merchant sales and strategic partnerships, said biometric information would sit with a customer’s chosen consumer platform and be governed by existing privacy regulations.
New Zealand’s Biometric Processing Privacy Code requires organisations to show that collecting biometric information is necessary and proportionate, that less intrusive alternatives have been considered and that appropriate safeguards are in place.
Editor’s note: Combining payments, digital identity, age verification and loyalty services in one biometric interaction is bigger than another payment option. Questions about enrolment, storage, retention and deletion will depend on how retailers and platform providers implement it.
