Kiwis prefer biometrics payments over PINs and passwords, Visa research shows
Visa announces new biometrics payments standards to enable more mobile payments at the point of sale
AUCKLAND, May 14, 2018 – Nearly nine in 10 Kiwis (88%) want to use biometrics to authenticate their payments, with the convenience of not
having to remember their password or PIN considered the top benefit1, according to new research by Visa.
Biometrics include fingerprints, retina, voice and face scans and can be used to authenticate payments made via a mobile
or wearable device, increasing convenience for customers by fast tracking traditional methods such as PIN.
Visa’s research also found that only a third of Kiwis (29%) use a unique password or PIN for their various accounts2,
signaling the potential for biometrics to make their lives easier, and payments more secure.
Addressing the future of payments security, Visa today publicly launched the Visa Future of Security Roadmap (‘the
Roadmap’), which sets the direction for New Zealand payments security from 2018 to 2020, and beyond. Comprised of five
initiatives, the Roadmap will ensure security continues to evolve at the same pace as innovation.
Marty Kerr, Visa’s Country Manager for New Zealand and South Pacific, says the biometric authentication initiative
outlined in the Roadmap signals a big step forward for mobile payments. The initiative sets standards that, once met by
device manufacturers, enable biometrics to be used as the primary form of authentication at the point of sale.
“For the first time, our biometrics authentication standards effectively substitute the need for a PIN on purchases over
$80,” says Kerr. “This means that if a device meets Visa’s new standards, we believe its biometrics reader is as secure
as entering a PIN on a merchant’s terminal.
“Five years ago, the idea that entering a PIN could become a rare experience would have been almost unbelievable. Yet
Kiwis are demanding more innovative ways to pay, and security needs to move at the same speed.”
The other initiatives in the Roadmap include: tokenisation, a process which removes sensitive data from the payments
ecosystem and replaces it with a unique digital identifier (a ‘token’); 3-D Secure 2.0, an e-commerce authentication and
fraud detection tool; minimum standards for payments innovation; and a goal to achieve 100% EMV chip acceptance, meaning
every consumer and merchant can benefit from the security layers provided by this technology.
In launching the Roadmap, Kerr emphasised that securing the commerce ecosystem is a shared responsibility.
“Everyone has a role to play in protecting New Zealand consumers and businesses from breaches of any kind. Technology
has enabled truly seamless commerce, but it has also brought unique risks. To stay ahead of fraud, we need to work
together to fight fraud with the full force of our collective expertise.”
To find out more about these initiatives, see Visa’s Future of Security Roadmap here https://www.visa.co.nz/content/dam/VCOM/regional/ap/newzealand/global-elements/documents/visa-future-of-security-roadmap-new-zealand.pdf
1 & 2 Visa commissioned research by AYTM - Biometrics in Payments: Survey of 500 New Zealand adult consumers conducted in
October 2017
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