Paytm To Introduce Facial Recognition Technology To Enable Digital Payments

One97 Communications, the company behind Paytm will feature facial recognition to unlock the app and even make payments

Paytm digital payments platform stepping up to the next level, One97 Communications Limited, which owns the Paytm brand, is experimenting with facial recognition technology to unlock the payments application as well as to make payments. This is expected to enhance the security of account holders, said source in the company prior to this development.

To start with, the Vijay Shekhar Sharma-owned company is testing the face login feature on its Android beta app, the person said. As of now this is also going to be an important security update for Paytm users. It’s designed to prevent phishing attacks by providing an additional layer of biometric security, said a security expert.

Would introduce the final update soon?

According to sources, the company has experimented with this feature over 10,000 faces and witnessed nearly 100% accuracy. To get this, all the app maps over 200 distinct parameters on the human face for high accuracy. The feature is likely to come out soon.

The implementation of this feature would remove the complexity of login issues and the point where many users have accidentally let their password details to their acquaintances, have an issue of resetting their passwords and setting them all over again. Reports states, that the Noida-based company is also working on allowing customers to make payments at merchant outlets in the blink of an eye (literally).

Making the two-factor verification come true

Paytm is planning to introduce the feature for wallet payments, which wouldn’t require the 2nd -factor authentication.

According to the RBI’s security guidelines on digital payments, two steps of verification are required for transactions above ₹2,000. The face could be the 1st factor of authentication.

This development in security comes right after Apple’s iPhone X introduced the feature of facial identity to unlock phones by using infrared and visible light scans. Ant Financial, an affiliate of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, had also started testing facial recognition on its electronic payments platform, Alipay, last year for payments at food joint KFC in Hangzhou.