Mastercard and Google Pay plan to introduce optional device-biometric approval for eligible card payments in India. Participating customers would use the fingerprint, face recognition or passcode already configured on their phone to approve supported transactions.
The companies previewed the capability at Global Fintech Fest and expect rollout to begin by the end of 2026. Participating issuers and eligible card products have not yet been publicly specified, so availability should not be described as nationwide or universal.
The design uses a consumer-device cardholder verification method and is separate from payment tokenization. Tokenization protects card details used in a transaction; local biometric or passcode verification confirms that the person operating the device is authorized to approve it.
Why it matters
India’s updated payment-authentication directions allow alternatives to SMS one-time passwords while retaining multi-factor requirements. Device-based verification can improve usability, but secure enrollment, fallback and issuer risk controls remain essential.
For wider context, see SectechMedia’s related technical coverage.