Visa and Tencent bring palm payments to Singapore

Under the deal, Visa cardholders from participating Singapore banks, including DBS, OCBC, and UOB, will take part in a pilot programme.

Participants will carry out a one-time enrolment at the merchant point of sale, where they will be invited to tap their Visa card, scan their palm and complete authentication.

Once they have enrolled, a Visa payment token will be bound to their palm biometric template, allowing them to make future payments at participating merchants by simply waving their palm – no cards or phones required.

Stressing its security credentials, Tencent says it operates a two-step process that verifies both palm prints and the unique patterns of veins under the skin. User data is encrypted for storage in a manner that is irreversible, preventing decryption, theft, or reuse by other third parties.

Adeline Kim, Visa country manager, Singapore and Brunei, says: “Based on our biometrics study, close to seven in 10 Singapore consumers see this as a secure way to pay. Our aim is to enhance the payment experience and ensure that our customers can enjoy seamless transactions with the highest level of security.”