Handwave Expands Visa Agreement to Accelerate Palm-Based Biometric Payments Across Europe

Handwave and Visa have expanded their partnership to accelerate the adoption of palm-based biometric payments across Europe. By integrating Visa’s tokenisation and authentication technology, Handwave enables users to link payment cards to their palm using a standard smartphone camera, aiming to standardise biometric security and streamline the onboarding process for retail consumers.

What was announced

The agreement enables Handwave to integrate Visa technologies for card onboarding, allowing users to add payment cards to the platform via a mobile application. This process links a user’s palm to their payment credentials using Visa’s tokenisation and authentication capabilities. By replacing sensitive card data with secure digital tokens, the system aims to protect both consumers and merchants from data exposure. Handwave will also gain access to Visa’s suite of fraud prevention and risk tools, specifically Visa’s Decision Manager, which provides real-time monitoring to ensure biometric transactions adhere to the same compliance standards as traditional card payments.

The rollout is initially focused on the Baltics, which will serve as the primary launch market for both palm-based payments and identity verification. Handwave is currently engaged in discussions with major banking and retail entities in this region to initiate pilot programs in everyday retail settings, with production deployments expected within the current year. Beyond the technical integration, the partnership includes support for market development and marketing initiatives across Europe. Furthermore, the two companies are working to make the solution available through the Visa Acceptance Platform. This integration would allow any merchant or acquirer already using Visa’s global infrastructure to offer Handwave’s biometric solution without significant hardware overhauls.

Research published by Handwave in March 2026 suggests significant consumer appetite for these solutions, provided security is guaranteed. The data indicates that 46% of 25–34 year-olds trust biometric recognition for payments, compared to 28% of those over 55. Across all demographics, 48% of respondents stated they would use palm payments regularly if they had confidence in data handling practices.

"This agreement is a major step forward in making biometric payments ready for everyday use. We’re building a platform where onboarding your palm and payment card takes seconds. A palm can be scanned with a regular phone camera, while cards are added as easily as in any leading digital wallet. Behind that simplicity is infrastructure built to meet the highest global standards for security, compliance, and performance."

Oskars Lakšēvics, Chief Revenue Officer at Handwave.

The companies involved

Handwave is a European fintech startup developing an agnostic biometric acceptance layer for the global payments ecosystem. The company provides a biometric-native platform that facilitates palm-based payments, loyalty program activation, and age verification through a single gesture. Handwave’s technology is designed to modernise the checkout experience without requiring merchants to disrupt their existing operational infrastructure. By allowing customers to onboard via their own mobile devices, the company seeks to lower the barrier to entry for biometric adoption in retail environments.

Visa is a world leader in digital payments, providing the network and security protocols that underpin global commerce. The company has been increasingly active in integrating its Token Management Service (TMS) with emerging fintech solutions to enhance transaction security. Juris Paegle, the Country Manager for Visa in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, oversees the firm’s regional efforts to support seamless payment experiences. Visa’s role in this partnership involves providing the underlying infrastructure, including risk management and tokenisation, to ensure that new biometric methods maintain the protections associated with traditional Visa transactions.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely followed Visa’s strategic moves to embed its infrastructure into diverse fintech platforms. Recently, REPAY signed a reseller agreement with Visa to provide ISOs and ISVs with direct access to Visa Platform Connect, reflecting a broader trend of opening up network access. In the CEMEA region, Visa, _able, and Onafriq partnered to deploy the Visa Flex Credential, showcasing the network's focus on flexible payment methods. Additionally, Anytap launched Visa-powered cards across Asia Pacific to bridge digital and fiat spending. These developments, alongside the Handwave agreement, highlight Visa’s ongoing efforts to standardise security across various emerging payment form factors.

What this means

This partnership signals a shift in the biometric landscape from specialised, proprietary hardware toward software-based, agnostic solutions. By enabling palm registration via standard smartphone cameras, Handwave addresses the primary friction point of biometric adoption: the enrollment hurdle. For the wider industry, this move places pressure on traditional point-of-sale manufacturers to ensure their hardware can support these software-driven identity layers. The integration into the Visa Acceptance Platform is particularly significant, as it suggests that biometrics are moving from experimental pilots to a core component of merchant services. The success of this model will likely depend on whether the security backing of a major network like Visa can overcome persistent consumer privacy concerns regarding biometric data storage.