Payment Innovation Hub

Payment Innovation Hub (PIH) is a Spanish company formed through a combined investment of EUR 5 million (~USD 5.8 million) in 2017 by CaixaBank, Global Payments Inc, Visa, Samsung, and Arval, to develop innovative payment methods. PIH offers four main innovative payment solutions: Eat &amp; Go (for group payments at restaurants), Face to Pay (a facial recognition-based POS terminal), Scan &amp; Go (a self-checkout solution), and Grab &amp; Go (an automated store solution that automatically identifies and charges users).

Biometric Payments

Payment Innovation Hub (PIH) is a Spanish company formed through a combined investment of EUR 5 million (~USD 5.8 million) in 2017 by CaixaBank, Global Payments Inc, Visa, Samsung, and Arval, to develop innovative payment methods. PIH offers four main innovative payment solutions: Eat &amp; Go (for group payments at restaurants), Face to Pay (a facial recognition-based POS terminal), Scan &amp; Go (a self-checkout solution), and Grab &amp; Go (an automated store solution that automatically identifies and charges users).With Face to Pay, customers can download the mobile app and register their facial biometrics through an image along with their personal and payment card details. Thereafter, payments can be made through a selfie at a Face to Pay checkout terminal (a tablet with a camera and internet connection).In 2019, PIH partnered with CaixaBank and Nestlé Market to launch the Face to Pay tech in a Nestlé store that November. This move came months after partnering with the Vienna Group to launch the terminals at one of its restaurants in Barcelona.

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 Biyo, formerly known as PulseWallet, offers a biometric POS terminal that uses palm prints (unique vein patterns and blood-flow) to verify users and authenticate payments. Biyo&rsquo;s systems to identify and authenticate customers are powered by Fujitsu&rsquo;s &ldquo;PalmSecure&rdquo; biometric technology.
 
 
 Users must initially swipe their payment card/device at the first payment at a Biyo terminal, to pair the palmprint with the card. Thereafter, the palm prints will be used for authentication at any Biyo terminal (the phone number continues to act as a second authentication method, similar to a username). Biyo claims that using a customer&rsquo;s unique palm-vein patterns for identification is more secure than using fingerprints (which it offered till 2014), as users can leave behind traces of the latter. Moreover, the company claims that scanned palm vein patterns have a 99.9% accuracy.&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 Businesses can connect the Biyo terminal to existing POS cash registers, or acquire Biyo&rsquo;s bundled register, which includes a tablet. Biyo can be used by retailers in any industry, including restaurants, convenience stores, coffee shops, etc. The company charges merchants USD 89-169 per month for a single store and device, with the option of adding devices at USD 59 per device per month. The packages vary based on several features such as multi-store functionality, live chat support, inventory scanner licenses, and account managers, among others.
 
 
 End customers can utilize the Biyo app as a digital wallet for storing multiple credit cards, reward cards, coupons, transferring funds, and improving their financial management.&nbsp;
 
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Biyo

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 PopID, co-founded by foodtech holding company Cali Group, provides facial and palm recognition technology for enterprises to offer loyalty, payment (PopPay), and access control (PopEntry). The company uses core algorithms developed by NEC, a Japanese electronics vendor, and combines it with PopID&rsquo;s internally developed technologies.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 PopPay users can create accounts on PopID&rsquo;s app by submitting&nbsp; a selfie, can connect multiple payment methods to their account (functions as an eWallet), and use facial recognition to pay at checkout at physical retail stores that have installed PopID&rsquo;s software to their kiosks and POS terminals (or use PopID&rsquo;s own kiosks and terminals). In April 2023 the company broadened its offering by 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/17878">
 including palm-based user authentication
 </a>
 in partnership with PalmID. This enabled end customers to use either facial or palm recognition to make payments and sign into loyalty programs.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 In November 2021, the PopPay system was expanded to authenticate payments made via mobile apps and websites. Through this, PopPay offers a unified payment solution for both brick-and-mortar transactions and online orders, created on a website or in a mobile app. PopID claims its eWallet offers lower processing fees for merchants, compared to credit and debit cards.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 PopID is also capable of analyzing order histories and providing recommendations to merchants, potentially increasing sales. The company leverages its diverse product and customer base to capture merchants for its payment solution by initially installing PopEntry (entry systems for campuses and workplaces), and thereafter introducing payment solutions to local merchants (in or near the premises), once the user communities are more comfortable with the tech.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 
 PopID caters mainly to restaurants and retail brands, and as of April 2023, its solutions were reportedly used by over 150 different brands for payment and loyalty. Its customers included Cali burgers, Bojangles, Lemonade, and Parkway Grill. The company also partnered with automated pizza-maker Piestro in March 2021, to enable biometric payments at Piestro&rsquo;s stores.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 PopID has entered into several partnerships to expand the use of its terminals across the globe. These partners include 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/6516">
 Japan Computing Vision
 </a>
 (November 2021) 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/9063">
 ASM Global
 </a>
 (March 2022), 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/9569">
 Visa and Dubai Holdings
 </a>
 (April 2022), 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10571?industryIds=61">
 SunCash
 </a>
 (May 2022), 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/14837">
 FIFA
 </a>
 (November 2022), 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/15707?industryIds=61">
 Toshiba
 </a>
 , 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/15887">
 QNB Group
 </a>
 , and 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16522?industryIds=61">
 Tyme
 </a>
 (January/February 2023), among others. Moreover, in May 2022, 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10515?industryIds=61">
 Mastercard named PopID as a partne
 </a>
 r to launch Mastercard&rsquo;s biometric checkout solution across the globe.
 
 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 
 
 In addition to the Cali Group, PopID is backed financially by various franchise operators of global restaurant brands and owners of Stoner&rsquo;s Pizza Joint, Park Burger, and Bird Call.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 The company raised USD 10 million in Series B funding in September 2021, to expand its PopEntry and PopPay deployment within and beyond the country over the following year and a half. 
 
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PopID

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 PayByFace provides facial recognition technology for enterprises to offer loyalty and payment services. Users create accounts on the PayByFace app by submitting a selfie and connect payment methods to their account. Thereafter, they can use their face to pay at checkout at physical retail stores that have installed PayByFace&rsquo;s software to their smart checkout devices (such as tablets).&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 The company noted that its platform encrypts user data and is in compliance with GDPR and PSD/2, and has been fully validated by the National Bank of Romania and the European Central Bank. PayByFace also claims that its apps recognize faces with a 99% accuracy in under a second, without requiring an internet connection.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 The company also provides merchant payment terminals (digital signage) as platforms for digital out-of-home advertisements (static, repeat visibility, targeted marketing, etc) and shares the ad revenue with the merchants. In addition to its in-store biometric payment solution, PayByFace also provides facial recognition authentication for online checkouts as well.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 PayByFace 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/13257?industryIds=61">
 deployed its payment solutions in several locations 
 </a>
 across the globe, namely, the US, the UAE, and South Africa, in September 2022. Subsequently, in&nbsp; April 2024, 
 <a href="https://www.biometricupdate.com/202404/paybyface-expands-across-european-markets">
 PayByFace announced plans to further expand into the European market
 </a>
 , including the Netherlands, the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Austria,, and Bulgaria.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 
 
 PayByFace claims to be the only facial recognition-based payment system in Southeast Europe and primarily targets essential businesses, such as pharmacies, grocery stores, and gas stations. As of May 2022, the platform was used in over 50 locations in Romania. The platform collaborates with Romanian online card payment processing company Euplatesc to facilitate payments and intends to integrate its service with card processing providers in France, the Netherlands, and Switzerland in the future.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 PayByFace partnered with ride-hailing app, GoCab in May 2021, to enable customers to settle their cab fare using facial recognition, via tablets installed in the backseat (10 taxis initially with plans to expand to 300 in the future). The tablets also broadcasted a series of advertisements, where the revenue was split evenly between GoCab and PayByFace.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 The company is also a part of the VISA Innovation Program in Bulgaria, and through the program, Bulgaria&rsquo;s Raiffeisenbank began testing facial recognition payments using PayByFace. Moreover, it was also named as one of 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10515">
 Mastercard&rsquo;s partners
 </a>
 to launch the latter&rsquo;s biometric payment terminals.&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10890">
 PayByFace received a strategic investment
 </a>
 from Indian FinTech infrastructure provider SafexPay (Safex) in May 2022. Safex also introduced PayByFace technology in India, starting with pilot projects with India-based multinationals. PayByFace planned to utilize the investment to accelerate the growth of its biometric payment solution, in addition to broadening its geographic presence.
 
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PayByFace

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 TouchToPay offers a biometric point-of-sale (POS) payment system for in-store and remote checkouts, using fingerprints to authenticate payments. Users must create an account with the TouchToPay system and register their credit card information. 
 
 
 Unlike many biometric POS terminals, TouchToPay uses fingerprints to complement PINs, rather than replace them, as its terminals require two-factor authentication.   
 
 
 The company also claims its system is enhanced against security threats such as hacking, since it uses mathematical algorithms corresponding to users’ fingerprints, in place of storing the full image of user fingerprints. In addition to payments, users also receive weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly reports on their expenses.  
 
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TouchToPay

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 SmartMetric develops biometric payment cards which use fingerprint identification to authenticate payments. The company claims its cards can scan and match fingerprints in under a second, and while it primarily caters to payments, the technology can also be used for access controls and identity verification.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Unlike typical alternatives, SmartMetric&rsquo;s cards are powered through an internal rechargeable battery, as opposed to through the card reading machine. Therefore, users may not need to place their finger on the card while it is in the card reader, making it appropriate for use in restaurants and certain ATMs. The company announced in June 2023, that it is also 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/19099">
 adding embedded AI
 </a>
 into the biometric payment cards to enhance card security and user applications, and in February 2024, the company introduced a biometric 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/26384">
 credit card
 </a>
 (which began manufacturing 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/28614">
 in April 2024
 </a>
 ).
 
 
 
 
 Notably,&nbsp; the company had developed an anti-spoofing technology (by June 2021) &mdash; a prerequisite for global credit card network approval&mdash; which it claimed could differentiate between a live fingerprint and a fake one. SmartMetric introduced a secure element for crypto keys, covered by firewalled encryption, to enable cryptocurrency key storage for its biometric cards, in December 2020. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Although the company is based in the US, it has sales and marketing partnerships in Latin America and Europe as well.
 
 
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 
 
 The biometric cards incorporate ServiRed&rsquo;s (Spanish payment card scheme with over 44 million cards in circulation) Advantis card chip operating system, as a result of a partnership entered into in February 2019.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 
 
 Accordingly, the company is yet to generate revenue and as of FY2023 (ending June), and reported an operating loss of nearly USD 810,000. However, it claims to have a manufacturing capacity of over a million cards a month.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 
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SmartMetric

Companies that offer biometric POS terminals, including the complementing software that uses palm print, fingerprint, or finger veins for payment authentication.

Companies providing biometric POS terminals, including the complementing software that uses facial or iris recognition for payment authentication.

Companies that offer biometric authentication software which can be embedded into smart devices or existing POS terminals, for payment authentication.

Companies that provide software platforms to authenticate remote transactions using biometrics, typically leveraging the biometric authentication provided in mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

Companies that provide technology to enable fingerprint authentication on payment cards, such as fingerprint sensors, biometric algorithms, and card inlays.

Companies manufacturing biometric payment cards for issuers.

Leverages several biometrics as facial, iris, fingerprint, and palm vein recognition to authenticate payments

Biometrics are unique and therefore, authenticating payments using biometric features delivers personalization

AI/ML can be used to improve authentication accuracy and reduce false acceptances and rejections

Payment Innovation Hub

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