(San Francisco, CA) – Javelin Strategy & Research today released its inaugural 2025 Emerging Biometric Authentication at the Point of Sale Scorecard, which evaluates eight providers of biometric authentication solutions for use by merchants at the point of sale. The scorecard examines three pillars shaping this emerging market—Biometric Identity and Payment Platform, End-to-End Solution, and Biometric Authentication as a Service—and names a Best in Class company in each category. These pillars represent the primary ways biometric authentication is coming to market, with innovation expected to accelerate over the next 12 to 24 months as the technology evolves from a technical capability to a differentiated customer experience.
Javelin’s analysis highlights a market defined less by technology and more by how biometric authentication is made available. While consumers are now familiar and comfortable with biometrics—thanks to more than a decade of use on mobile devices—merchant adoption at the point of sale remains in the early stages. High implementation costs have slowed adoption, prompting providers to focus on specific, high-value use cases that extend beyond payment authentication.
Javelin Identifies Best in Class Companies Across Three Emerging Pillars
Biometric Identity and Payments Platform: Verifone
Verifone is developing a full-suite offering that extends far beyond payments. Its platform integrates payment terminals, biometric authentication, and payment processing, with the potential for reusable identity credentials across enterprises and the broader Verifone ecosystem. This ambitious scope positions Verifone to drive consumer adoption by reducing the need for repeated onboarding across systems.
End-to-End Solution: J.P. Morgan Payments
J.P. Morgan Payments Biometrics offers an integrated one-stop shop that combines payment processing, biometric authentication, and payment terminals. For organizations already working with J.P. Morgan, this solution may represent the most streamlined path to implementation. Those using alternative processors or hardware may need to wait for expanded compatibility.
Biometric Authentication as a Service: Wink
Wink provides a flexible biometric authentication capability designed to integrate seamlessly with existing devices, payment platforms, and processors. Although the offering can be extended to include payment processing, its primary appeal lies in enabling merchants to add biometric authentication without disrupting existing infrastructure.
“The market for biometric authentication at the point of sale is truly emerging,” said Christopher Miller, Lead Analyst of Emerging Payments at Javelin Strategy & Research. “The Best in Class companies in this year’s scorecard remain in pilot phases and are expected to expand in 2026 and beyond. As experience builds at scale and across new use cases, these insights will inform regulatory development and drive the next wave of product innovation and market competition.”
Javelin’s 2025 Emerging Biometric Authentication at the Point of Sale Scorecard provides merchants, financial institutions, and technology providers with a clear view of how biometric authentication will be provided at checkout. The report benchmarks eight providers across 50 criteria to assess market maturity, highlight innovation, and identify adoption challenges.
About Javelin Strategy & Research
Javelin Strategy & Research, part of the Escalent Group, helps its clients make informed decisions in a digital financial world. It provides strategic insights to financial institutions including banks, credit unions, brokerages and insurers, as well as payments companies, technology providers, fintechs and government agencies. Javelin’s independent insights result from a rigorous research process that assesses consumers, businesses, providers, and the transactions ecosystem. It conducts in-depth primary research studies to pinpoint dynamic risks and opportunities in digital banking, payments, and fraud & security. Learn more at javelinstrategy.com.
