Doha, – January 22, 2023 – QNB Group, one of the largest financial institutions in the Middle East and Africa, has launched a new biometric payment acceptance solution for its merchants in Qatar.
QNB, together with its key partners, will be helping merchants with outlets in Qatar to offer customers the simplicity, convenience, and security of facial biometric payments.
This solution is based on proprietary facial verification technology developed by PopID, provisioned through QNB’s acceptance network, and supported by Visa via tokenization.
The technology enables customers to authenticate payments for goods and services through facial verification, without a physical card or mobile phone after initial enrolment. As a one-time sign-up, users will create their profile by taking a selfie of their face using their smartphone, before entering their phone number and card details. The technology then tokenizes the card number and securely links it to the facial biometric template. It only takes a minute or two to set this up and then only a few seconds to make the payment. The merchants will offer the in-store sign-up using a QR capability.
These developments highlight the driving forces behind facial biometric technology and the wide range of opportunities it is opening up for the future of payment solutions and much more.
Mr. Adel Al-Malki, Senior Executive Vice President - Group Retail Banking, stated:
As the payment landscape evolves, QNB is always at the forefront of this evolution, and constantly willing to be an early adopter of innovative technologies that drive frictionless and enhanced payment experience – putting our customers and merchants experience at the centre of everything we do. Being the ‘first in Qatar’ in another innovation that augments the already rich range of payment options that includes functionality such as contactless payments, QNB “MyPOS” (Tap on Phone payment acceptance) and Samsung/Google/Apple pay, to mention a few.
“In America and Japan, we have demonstrated that allowing consumers to link PopPay to loyalty accounts and payment methods substantially increases speed of ordering and check out, drives loyalty engagement, and reduces fraud,” said John Miller, CEO of PopID and its parent company, Cali Group. “We are excited to work with Visa and QNB to bring this loyalty and payment platform to businesses and consumers in Qatar.”
About QNB
QNB Group, currently ranked as the most valuable bank brand in the Middle East and Africa. Through its subsidiaries and associate companies, the Group extends to more than 30 countries across three continents providing a comprehensive range of advanced products and services. The total number of employees is 27,000 operating through 1000 locations, with an ATM network of more than 4,600 machines.
About PopID
PopID provides a comprehensive platform, PopPay, for revolutionizing digital interactions and payments using facial verification. PopPay gives consumers the option of identifying themselves in the most natural way possible – with their face – for ordering and payment – enabling more personalized, secure, and streamlined experiences. To learn more about PopPay, visit www.popid.com
About Visa
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device, and a driving force behind the dream of a cashless future for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit About Visa and @VisaNews.