Having enjoyed successful pilots in the leisure, supermarket, health and education markets, Manchester has been selected as the global launch city for the brand. From this summer, merchants across the city will be the first in the world to let customers pay with just a scan of their finger.

Cardstream, which was chosen due to the breadth of its service offering, gives Fingopay the freedom to introduce new features quickly and easily and thereby rapidly establish themselves in new markets. With a single, simple integration, the Cardstream payment platform instantly connects Fingopay to all the payment partners, schemes and processing applications that they require.

Simon Binns, Chief Marketing Officer at Fingopay, commented, “We went through an extensive process to assess gateway PSP providers and specifically wanted to work with a partner who would not only provide reliability, stability, support and coverage but also meet our need for cross-merchant tokenisation. Cardstream’s open payment ecosystem fulfilled all of our criteria and we’re pleased to be working with them for the roll-out of Fingopay in Manchester and beyond.”

Fingopay uses Hitachi VeinID technology to allow customers to prove identity and pay using only their finger. It enables fast, safe, secure transactions, with no need for cash, cards or passwords.

At tills, harmless infrared light maps the unique pattern of finger veins, verifying payment in two seconds through its biometric cloud-based matching system. As no card or mobile is needed, the payment process is quicker than any other method. Unlike fingerprints, a vein pattern leaves no trace and cannot be copied. It is an ideal biometric for high security authentication.

Adam Sharpe, CEO, Cardstream commented, “Cardstream is focused on opening up payment infrastructure to give companies the flexibility to operate and grow their businesses freely, as they see fit. For innovative companies like Fingopay to thrive, it’s important that they’re not encumbered by the closed silo systems imposed by other payment gateways. Our Open Payment Network ensures that everything they need is immediately at their fingertips.”

Cardstream’s impressive ecosystem comprises an Open Payment Network of Partners, platforms and payment technologies. At the centre of this is the Cardstream Payment Hub, an open, secure and compliant white-label cloud platform that allows businesses to access the Open Payment Network through a simple, single integration. It is designed to put companies in control, so that they have the freedom and choice to deliver their own business strategies unhindered.