PIN numbers may soon be a thing of the past for Japanese banks

JCB Co. is testing its contactless payment solution using fingerprint authentication.

Japan has made a significant technological advance which may even render PIN numbers irrelevant as payments brand JCB Co is set to conduct a pilot trial of its contactless solution in the form of JCB Biometrics Card with fingerprint authentication, according to a press release.

Also read: Japanese banks join cashless revolution in digital shift

Users first record one or more fingerprints for authentication purposes. For any purchases, they only need touch fingerprint sensor on the card to verify payment.

Fingerprint records are only kept on the card itself, so merchants do not need any further equipment to accept payment.

“With the new JCB Biometrics Card strict security is upheld with fingerprint authentication for any payment method, while maintaining efficiency and speed,” the press release added.

The pilot trial first involves issuing the JCB Biometric Card to JCB employees from April. Once card users have recorded their fingerprints using a smartphone or tablet app, they can make purchases via fingerprint authentication at merchants accepting JCB Contactless payments. The purpose of the pilot is to validate whether the solution is convenient for consumers and practical for the payment. 

JCB’s contactless payment solution is provided by augmented identity company IDEMIA with integrated printing company Toppan Printing also doing its part in card personalisation.