Technical body EMVCo has publicly released EMV 3-D Secure, protocol and core functions specification v2.1.0, according to a press release.

The updated document follows the release of version 2.0.0 in October 2016, and includes additional functionality and enhancements to promote secure, consistent consumer e-commerce transactions across all channels and connected devices, while optimizing the cardholder's experience, according to a press release.

This version of the specification will be supported by an EMVCo testing program to approve compliant solutions to launch in 2018.

EMV 3-D Secure is a messaging protocol that promotes easy consumer authentication when making card-not-present e-commerce purchases. It enables consumers to actively authenticate themselves with their card issuers if cardholder verification is required. Consumer authentication by the exchange of 3DS data between the merchant and a card issuer can increase authorization approval rates, as well as potentially reduce the risk of fraud, according to the release.

Significant updates within version 2.1.0 include the addition of new functionality to enable merchant-initiated account verification, further clarifications on submitting a recurring or installment payment request to the issuer, and improvements to out-of-band authentication transaction flows for an enhanced customer experience.