British financial service Revolut has launched a pilot project for paying for purchases using facial recognition technology: to transfer money, a customer simply needs to smile, reports infohub.kz.
The new feature, called "Pay with Smile," allows purchases in regular stores literally in one click. The process is similar to unlocking a smartphone: the terminal's camera scans the face and compares it with biometric data that the user provided during registration with the bank. To protect against fraud, all data is encrypted, and stores do not gain access to customers' personal information.
The developers emphasize that the service is completely voluntary. The feature does not turn on automatically — it must be activated manually in the app settings, and consent can be withdrawn at any time. To attract merchants, the service has temporarily waived fees for processing such payments, which should help small businesses reduce costs.
Testing of the system has already begun in several popular coffee shops in London. The company expects that the new payment method will simplify cashier operations and save customers from having to take out plastic cards or phones. In the near future, the developers plan to expand the network of terminals and launch the system in other retail locations.