In the UAE, a new payment method is on the horizon: palm hovering. Instead of swiping cards or phones, shoppers can simply hover their palm in front of machines to make purchases.
Abdallah Abu Sheikh, founder of the technology development group Astra Tech, shared that the rollout of Palm Pay technology is scheduled to occur gradually throughout 2024. The company introduced this payment solution via its fintech subsidiary, PayBy, at the Dubai Fintech Summit.
“Palm Pay” is a contactless palm recognition service that facilitates payments through biometric authentication methods. Payment machines will scan customers’ palm prints to verify transactions securely.
“We currently have a certain number of machines which will be used for testing purposes within the local market infrastructure. (This will) ensure complete readiness for scaling to over 50,000 PayBy merchants throughout the year,” Sheikh said. “We’re currently ironing out final details to ensure that Palm Pay rolls out seamlessly this year.”
The company is exploring integrating the technology with banks “in the future”, enabling users to directly link their accounts with it.
How to Sign up
The technology will be offered to users free of charge. “In the initial phase, users can register directly through the device at the point of sale. Subsequently, the palm authentication process will be integrated into apps (such as PayBy and Botim), enabling customers to conveniently update their accounts with their palm prints using an authentication feature on their phones, similar to how facial recognition authentication works today.
“They will then be able to utilize Palm Pay technology for payments by simply waving their palms at all merchants adopting this innovative technology, offering immediate access and convenience,” explained Sheikh.
The company emphasized that the technology provides a more secure alternative to traditional card payments and other payment technologies.
