Carrefour and Network International, a payment processor based in Dubai, have introduced a new technology that lets UAE customers pay at the checkout counter with just their faces.
The two companies introduced their face recognition payment system, making it the first of its kind in the Kingdom. ‘Face Pay’ can now be used at checkout counters in Carrefour Deira and Amsaf Mall in Jumeirah.
PopID, the gateway for face-based identification verification for services, including loyalty, payment, and entrance, developed Face Pay.
Customers who enrol in Face Pay must present their face at the register before leaving. No transaction will involve using a card, money, or phone.
According to a statement, “[Consumers] can now pay for goods at Carrefour by grinning at a payment terminal instead of taking out a phone or card.”
The payment system will soon be implemented throughout the UAE despite the new biometrics-enabled payment terminals being in their testing phases in a few select establishments.
According to the announcement, “This solution is based on proprietary facial recognition technology developed by PopID and provisioned through Network International acceptance network for wide-scale adoption throughout the UAE.”
Andrew Key, Group Managing Director for Acquiring at Network International, told Zawya that the new technology will make shop checkouts swift, practical, and seamless.
“This is the first face verification platform of its sort in the UAE. To provide customers with a better shopping experience and protect businesses from potential fraud, [it] strives to make checkouts quick, simple, and seamless,” he remarked.
Customers can use the service through the Carrefour website or mobile app. Carrefour is a chain of hypermarkets in the United Arab Emirates that is owned and run by Majid Al Futtaim.
Face Pay is the most recent payment method to enter the UAE retail market as more and more customers choose cashless transactions. According to the MENA Fintech Association, the majority of transactions in the Middle East are anticipated to be cashless in 2023 (69%).
According to a separate MasterCard analysis, the UAE economy is one that is “most rapidly” shifting away from cash-based payments. MasterCard reported a “substantial shift” in customer behaviour from cash to debit cards between 2006 and 2011.