BMO Financial Group and MasterCard this past week marked the beginning of a phased launch of the first biometric corporate credit card program in Canada and the U.S. that will enable cardholders to verify transactions using facial recognition and fingerprint biometrics when making online purchases, according to a press release.

The companies said the introduction of this technology will increase security when making payments that don't include a face-to-face interaction, and will be integrated seamlessly for easy use in reducing the likelihood of a card being used by anyone who is not the cardholder, according to the announcement.

Beginning with corporate cards issued to BMO employees in Canada and the U.S., the MasterCard Identity Check mobile app will prompt participants to:

• Scan fingerprints or snap selfies to validate their identities via biometrics; and
• When verified, return to the merchant site to complete the online purchase

"The use of biometric technology has become more common for consumers looking for convenient and secure ways to make purchases using their smartphones, so this was the natural next step for us as innovators in the payment security space," said Steve Pedersen, vice president and Head of North American corporate card products for BMO Financial Group. "Mitigating the risk of fraud is always our top priority, and the inclusion of this technology is going to make payment authentication easier, and strengthen the security of the entire payments ecosystem."

Pedersen added that the first phase will test the potential of delivering greater security and convenience using BMO employee corporate cardholders in the U.S. and Canada, including establishing and improving best practices in corporate environments, developing better protection against potential fraud and continually minimizing the need for customer service inquiries. Once complete, the next phase will be to make the technology available to customers more broadly beginning in the summer of 2016.

"With BMO, MasterCard is hosting our first Canadian and U.S. corporate card biometric user engagement. It's always exciting to introduce biometrics to new cardholders.They quickly realize that they don't have to sacrifice convenience for security. By snapping a selfie or scanning a fingerprint, the person becomes the password," said Catherine Murchie, senior vice president of North America processing, enterprise security and network solutions for MasterCard.