News and insight into biometric identification and authentication

New service offers biometrically authorized payments via phone

Monday, December 15, 2008

A new service, called VoicePay TV, has been launched by a UK-based startup called Voice Commerce Group (VCG), according to a Finextra article. The VoicePay service is aimed at authenticating consumers buying items over-the-phone after watching television spots. This new system enables the consumer to confirm their identity by using voice biometrics.


For a person to use the service, they will have to open a VoicePay account and enroll by giving a voice sample, a credit or debit card to attach to the account as well as consumer information such as locations and shopping habits. Voice Commerce Group officials assert that the voice-biometric system cannot be fooled by a recording.

VCG expects to see its system improving aspects of both the buying and selling processes by removing the need for handing over card information over the phone, assuaging fears of identity theft, as well as cutting down transaction time and giving a medium for advertising to be better tracked and measured.

Read the full story here [end] 

MarketsandMarkets has released a new report predicting that the value of mobile payment transactions in the US will reach $56 billion in 2015.

According to the report, “Mobile Payment - Advanced Technologies (NFC), Strategies And Future Of Remote & Proximity Payment In US,” the market for NFC mobile payment in the US is currently in its infancy, with an adoption rate of only 1.7%.

read more »

Canadian Retail Solutions (CRS) and YESpay International have partnered to deliver EMV chip and PIN managed card payment service to Canadian customers. YESpay’s EMBOSS is an EMV chip and PIN accredited and PCI-DSS Level 1 certified managed payment service.

read more »

Multicard, a business unit of Identive Group, announced that it has been selected by Rabobank to provide personalization and fulfillment services for the Dutch bank’s latest application of its MiniTix cashless e-payment solution.

read more »

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is reportedly testing a new NFC-enabled Nokia smart phone, according to phonescoop.com.

The unnamed phone, which Phone Scoop says could feature mobile payment capabilities, also supports Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) on radio bands used by AT&T and T-Mobile’s 3G networks.

read more »

Silicon Valley-based Cimbal has announced the public launch of its software-based NFC payment network. The network, which the company claims is the first of its kind in the world, enables secure payment and peer-to-peer transactions using a smart phone instead of a plastic card.

read more »

MasterCard’s stock dropped 3.6% on the recent announcement Verizon and AT&T are partnering with Discover and Barclays to launch mobile contactless payment services, but the company says it has its own ventures in diversified payments.

read more »