It is a fact that payments are increasingly moving from traditional money to digital and contactless methods, with all due respect to traditionalists and those less accustomed to new technologies.
The reasons listed by the detractors of coins and banknotes were already varied, after which in the months of the pandemic we realized how important hygiene (also) is.
And so, smartwatches and other accessories or gadgets are multiplying that allow you to carry out economic transactions without even clicking, but only by bringing the device closer to the POS.
In this sense, there are some curious innovations presented at the 2023 Payments Show (and beyond) by Mastercard: a chip to apply to the nail and more. Let’s find out.
Mastercard and the Payments Hall
The eighth edition of the Payments Fair is held in Milan from 22 to 24 November. These are three days of conferences, workshops, events and networking moments on the payments universe, with the aim of grasping its most modern developments.
Among the protagonists of the 2023 Payments Show is Mastercard, which presents to the public some interesting technological innovations regarding the near future of digital payments.
What’s new from Mastercard
Mastercard’s news at the Payments Show were anticipated in a post that appeared on the official website on the first of the three days of the Show, Wednesday 22 November.
Mastercard’s most innovative solutions will remain on display for the entire duration of the Show.
The company’s objective is to provide tools “in line with the strong digital acceleration that now characterizes our country, focusing on the need to make increasingly rapid and secure payments that meet the needs of new consumers, on the development of new capable tools to identify consumption trends in the various territories, always putting the user experience at the centre.
All this with an ever-increasing sensitivity towards the pursuit of sustainable and environmentally friendly habits, uses and consumption.”
The Mastercard chip to apply to the nail
What if we told you that the Mastercard stand at the Payment Fair has in a certain sense transformed into a beauty centre?
Yes, because anyone who wants can have nail polish applied. But of course that’s not all. A Mastercard chip will be applied under the nail polish, which will be invisible once the treatment is complete. It is Nail Pay technology, which allows you to make contactless payments with a simple gesture, thanks to the RFID chip installed between the nail and the nail polish.
There are no security problems (specifically: you don’t risk paying unwanted sums by inadvertently placing your fingernail close to a POS) because you need to type a pin to confirm the payment.
Other Mastercard news
In addition to the chip to be applied to the nail, Mastercard presents other innovations at the Payments Show.
Among these, the Click to Pay payment system, which allows you to make online purchases in a simple, safe and fast way. You will not need a password: Click to Pay recognizes the consumer at the time of check-out, thanks to the payment data stored in their profile.
Furthermore, it will be possible to recharge your vehicle with the payment card thanks to the integration of the new POS terminals in the Atlante charging stations. Furthermore, for each top-up session paid with Mastercard circuit cards, Atlante will plant two trees.
Tapster is born in collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo
If the Mastercard chip to be applied to the nail may seem extreme for some, again on Wednesday 22 November the company presented (but this time outside the Payments Fair) another product, born from the collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo.
His name is Tapster, and he is a ring (available in wood or ceramic, in different finishes and colors) that integrates an RFID chip with which contactless payment is possible. It costs 99 euros, and after purchasing it you can immediately associate it with a card by going to the GoTapster website.
In fact, the Tapster is initially not active, and together with the wearable a QR code is delivered “which allows it to be activated only by the cardholder, with authentication via the Intesa Sanpaolo Mobile app. Alternatively – for example if you want to buy the ring as a gift – you can register after the purchase, starting from the Tapster app and creating your account.”