Google Pay to add device biometrics for Mastercard payments in India

Mastercard and Google Pay plan to launch payment authentication via fingerprint or face on smartphones in India. The feature will be available to customers of issuing banks with a suitable Mastercard in Google Pay and is expected to go live by the end of 2026.

• Payment confirmed by fingerprint or face scan instead of SMS code
• Feature to cover utility bills, mobile top-ups, and online purchases
• Launch expected by end of 2026, partner banks not named
• CDCVM method complements card tokenization launched in India in 2021