PopID, JCV Bring Face Pay to Japan

PopID is partnering with Softbank subsidiary Japan Computer Vision (JCV) to launch PopID’s facial recognition ordering and payment system PopPay, which will initially roll out at Wendy’s First Kitchen (WFK) in Tokyo.

“Hundreds of brands now accept PopPay in the United States, and we have witnessed exponential growth in consumer usage,” Andrew Schwabecher, CEO of JCV, said in a press release on Tuesday (Nov. 9).

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“We have worked closely with the PopID engineering team to customize the platform for the Japanese market, and we expect businesses and consumers in Japan to embrace PopPay as a better way to transact,” Schwabecher added.

WFK locations in Akasaka Mitsuke, Shibuya Center and Jiyugaoka will begin accepting payments using PopPay. It’s the first time that a quick-service restaurant chain in Japan is authenticating payments using a customer’s face.

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“We believe that PopPay is a safer, more convenient and faster way for our customers to order and pay. We will work together with our partner companies to make this payment method the one that our customers prefer,” said a spokesperson from WFK.

“In the near future, we would like to upgrade the system so that customers can enjoy even more of the benefits of being a loyal customer with just one look, even if they come to the store empty-handed,” the spokesperson added.

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The new system will enable WFK’s customers to connect a credit card or WFK pre-paid card to their face. Once linked, customers can use the camera-equipped tablet at the self-ordering kiosk to order and pay using their face.

“Multinational financial institutions believe that face pay is likely to become a global standard because it is the most effective way to prevent payment fraud,” said John Miller, CEO of PopID. “Outside of the U.S. market, we will create open-loop platforms for banks, wallets and other payment companies to enable consumers to link any payment system to their faces to spend against.”