Natural Security Alliance is pleased to has announce the launch of two connected devices implementing the Natural Security standard. These devices have been developed for proximity payment projects to enable users to pay with a strictly personal device that was designed specifically for payment transactions and that delivers strong authentication without compromising security or personal data protection.
The Natural Security standard combines biometrics, used to approve transactions, with a personal connected device. These personal devices are provided by two manufacturers, UINT (WIBiMi) and Trust Designer (TeDeGO). They were designed based on open specifications and are currently being evaluated for certification. They exemplify the operational, open nature of the standard.
These new dedicated payment devices satisfy a real consumer need, as was confirmed by a study carried out in December by Axance, which specialises in user experiences.
A natural addition to the lineup of payment methods, these devices answer some of today’s major questions around biometric authentication:
- How can biometric authentication be made accessible to all users?
- How can we resolve acceptance issues for merchants and service providers?
- What should the user experience look like for payment transactions that rely on biometric authentication?
- How can biometrics be used for proximity payments?
They also make it possible to reach all consumers by expanding beyond the circle of mobile payment users, which is still quite small.
Based on the Natural Security standard, these connected devices enable merchants to implement a single interface for fast strong authentication that can accept multiple payment methods (e.g. digital wallet, EMV). This is particularly critical these days as merchants and service providers contend with a growing number of new payment methods and digital wallets. The multitude of interfaces has a direct impact on the back office, forcing stores to make difficult choices. At the same time, new payment solutions are being positioned farther upstream in the value chain, raising the question of how transaction information should be shared.
The Natural Security standard enables merchants and service providers to rely on a single strong authentication solution for every method of payment.
The simple user experience created by the Natural Security standard—which requires no handling of the payment device and uses biometric traits to approve the operation—makes for quick transactions that can be easily adopted by users. The standard is therefore a solution to the diversity of user experiences that directly impacts merchants and front office personnel by increasing transaction time and eliminating any productivity gains otherwise produced by combining payment with loyalty programms and coupons.
Developed in response to business requirements expressed by retailers and banks, the Natural Security standard resolves challenges around payment transaction time.
2014 marks the dawn of the use of biometrics for payment transactions. Against this backdrop, there has also been a considerable rise in the multitude of different technologies. But isn’t this abundance just the result of closed proprietary technologies spreading? The Natural Security standard, an open standard available to all, is the first element of an evaluation and certification scheme that yields interoperable solutions that meet the needs of all stakeholders.
