Identity verification

Amazon's palm-reading payment system is the sort of product that could probably succeed only at this point in time.

Biometric cards have garnered more attention in recent times through various trials, but the coronavirus pandemic looks set to accelerate their adoption with a series of major card issuers beginning to roll out the technology.

The company has renamed itself Prove and says that the acquisition will allow it to help banks fine-tune their security procedures when serving customers.

Trust in biometrics solves the major obstacle to even wider contactless adoption: contactless spending limits, says Fingerprints' Christian Frederickson.

The technology addresses both security and hygiene concerns, says Fingerprints' Lina Andolf-Orup.

Identity fraud holds no prisoners when it comes to payments. If a fraudster gets hold of a consumer's credentials, everything from mobile wallets, to a checking account, savings account or P2P account is in jeopardy of takeover.

Avivah Litan, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner, explains the evolving role blockchain has taken during the coronavirus pandemic. Blockchain, originally developed for use with bitcoin, provides a way to bring trust and order to the chaos of the current crisis, but it's no silver bullet.

The coronavirus pandemic was an unexpected catalyst for contactless cards, and another no-contact payment method is poised for growth as well: voice payments.

New authentication methods make it harder to fake biometrics, argues Fingerprints' Eric Setterberg.

PSD2 and FIDO are among the efforts that could ease adoption for consumer use, says Fingerprints' Jonas Andersson.