MasterCard in race with China’s Alibaba to debut 'pay-with-a-selfie’ software for mobile transactions

MasterCard will launch a pilot programme this autumn that allows users of mobile devices to pay for online purchases by taking a photograph of their face.

When the consumer has finished shopping, they will be prompted to take a ‘selfie’. Facial recognition software will then coordinate the approval process.

Although the pilot scheme will initially be limited to 500 customers, MasterCard said it will broaden its scope if the trial run is successful.

“The new generation, which is into selfies ... I think they’ll find it cool. They’ll embrace it,” Ajay Bhalla, MasterCard’s president of enterprise safety and security, told CNNMoney.

The financial services company has partnered with major smartphone makers including Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung to facilitate the new function, it said.