The next time you turn up at a cafe and want to pay for your cuppa, don’t just tap your phone or watch. Scan your iris with a pair of smart glasses and pay with Ant International’s Alipay+ service.
At least that’s the promise with a “world’s first” augmented reality payment demo that the Chinese Internet and fintech giant showed off at this week’s Singapore Fintech Festival.
The payment goes through the company’s Alipay+ GlassPay service that enables users to pay even more easily than reaching out for a smart device in their hands.
With compatible glasses made by Xiaomi and Meizu, a user will be prompted by his smart glasses via voice to register and scan his eyes to make payment seamlessly.
The technology had been launched in Hong Kong by Ant in June. It says that Alipay+ GlassPay’s iris authentication feature compares over 260 biometric feature points to verify and protect the identity of a user.
It uses AI and advanced liveness detection technology to counter fraud attempts using photos, videos or 3D masks. Using advanced imaging algorithms, the technology can verify a user in various lighting conditions – in other words, “zero-contact” security with a simple glance.
Why makes this different from other smaller technology trials is Ant’s reach. Alipay+ now connects over 1.8 billion user accounts to 100 million merchants across the world, the company says.
“Seamless, real-time, around-the-clock secure global payment” is key to growth, said Peng Yang, chief executive officer of Ant International, at a panel on AI roadmaps at the Singapore Fintech Festival.
Ant isn’t the only one showing off new biometrics payments that make it ever easier to make these transactions smoother, in hopes that consumers will spend more.
At the Singapore Fintech Festival, Japanese technology firm NEC showed off a payment terminal that scans a user’s face for payment so there is no need to take out a phone or watch.
The tie-up with payments provider Stripe, which is making the terminal, means that retail merchants can easily enable secure and hands-free payment for consumers. The terminal verifies a user’s identity, which is tied to an e-wallet, and gets transactions approved.
So, if you’re laden with shopping bags on both hands, you can approach a cashier and just pay for everything by scanning your face and avoid getting into a tangle.
NEC, known for its robust biometric technologies used in airports, passports and other security-focused areas, has been looking to expand its expertise in more sectors, including retail.
CLARIFICATION at November 14, 2025, 5:48pm: Parts of an earlier version of the article referred to the Ant service as Alipay. The company has clarified that it is Alipay+, its cross-border payments service. The article has been amended to reflect this.
