Application of the IoT technology in payment Processing

Stfalcon.com
9 min readAug 21, 2023

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Incorporating IoT technology into payments can enhance various facets of our lives. Every passing second, the world witnesses the connection of 127 new devices to the Internet. By 2025, the count of such smart devices is projected to reach 64 billion, marking a substantial shift from 2018’s approximate 10 billion. IoT technology is a kind of sensor point that gather information. These devices share data through the cloud, where it’s analyzed to convert business & people’s everyday lives. Specifically, technology has already extensively entered the realm of finance.

Using smart devices can transform financial behaviors. The Interact IoT platform teaches users about staying within their credit card limit. Using smart devices can change financial habits. The Interact IoT platform teaches you not to exceed your credit card limit. If the user chooses to disregard the warning and persists in exceeding the limit, the device can administer a shock wave to the wrist.

The total value of digital payments is expected to reach $9.46 trillion by 2023 according to Statista. As the market continues to introduce innovative solutions, the payment sector is adapting to facilitate reliable transactions directly from IoT devices.

IoT-enabled Payment Systems

Payment systems enabled by IoT utilize IoT technology to streamline transactions without requiring human intervention. Such payment systems can variate from one-time payments to recurring payments, micropayments, and even cross-border transactions.

Benefits of IoT-enabled payment systems

Enhanced efficiency

These payment systems have the capability to automate payment processes, making them simple, faster, and more efficient. There is no necessity for manual intervention, which saves time and reduces errors.

Enhanced security

IoT-enabled payment systems are more secure than traditional payment systems as they use encrypted data to authenticate transactions. This complicates the task of malicious hackers attempting to acquire financial information.

Cost-effective

By removing intermediaries and the requirement for manual processes, these systems reduce transaction costs.

Enhanced customer experience

IoT-enabled payment systems can provide customers with a flawless payment experience, making it simpler and more convenient to pay for products & services.

Examples of IoT-enabled payment systems in use

  • Amazon Go: It’s a retail store that employs IoT-enabled payment systems, allowing customers to buy products without having to follow a conventional checkout process. Buyers simply scan their Amazon Go application when they enter the store, and the system automatically tracks what they take from the shelves. When they leave the store, the system charges their Amazon account for the items they took.
  • Mobile payments: Apple Pay and Google Pay employ IoT-enabled technology to streamline transactions between smartphones and terminals. Customers can use their mobile devices to make payments, eliminating the necessity for credit cards or cash.
  • Smart vending machines: Smart vending machines have IoT-enabled payment systems that include making payments using mobile devices or NFC or RFID. This simplifies and enhances the convenience of buying products from vending machines.
  • Connected cars: Connected cars allow drivers to pay for tolls, parking, and other services without leaving their cars. This provides greater convenience for drivers while also decreasing traffic congestion at toll booths and parking areas.

Smart Point-of-Sale Systems

Smart Point-of-Sale Systems are crafted to aid businesses manage their transactions and streamline their operations. It utilizes advanced software and hardware to process transactions, manage inventory, generate reports, & provide insights into business operations. Due to their numerous benefits, Smart POS systems are favored by businesses of all sizes.

Benefits of smart POS systems

  • Speed: POS enhances the speed of the buying process, resulting in a better client experience.
  • Saving Time: First of all, it saves much time and requires less manual work by automating tedious routine tasks such as inventory, reporting, team control, etc.
  • Enhanced security: Point-of-Sale systems provide heightened data and payment security, serving as a reliable all-in-one solution for your routine business transactions.
  • Increasing sales: The data your POS system may gather can ensure you with valuable information about client preferences and behavior patterns. This will give you to tailor your business and enhance your sales.

How intelligance Point-of-Sale systems work

Smart POS systems for online sales are cloud-based software crafted to implement the aforementioned functions. To work with it, you don’t need anything other than an internet connection.

Simultaneously, Point-of-Sale (POS) systems for physical stores consist of software and hardware. Contemporary POS systems incorporate the subsequent equipment:

  • Display screen or portable device for software utilization.
  • Barcode scanner to check product details and inventory.
  • Cash register that computes and handles transactions.
  • Card reader to accommodate prevalent card payment methods.
  • Printer for issuing checks to clients.

The POS system calculates the price of all items in the cart & updates the quantity of items in the merchant’s warehouse. To do this, in a physical store, you need someone to scan the barcodes of goods, but on the Internet, this happens instantly.

The customer pays using their favorite payment method supported by the merchant. The payment procedure varies based on the chosen method and typically involves a bank to validate the transaction. After payment, the POS system issues a digital or paper receipt, and the seller hands or ships the goods to the buyer.

Mobile Transactions

It’s a mobile payment made utilizing a smartphone or tablet. This payment method is widely favored for its ease and straightforwardness. Mobile payments can be made using different technologies, such as NFC, QR codes, and mobile wallets.

Role of IoT in mobile payments

IoT technology has the potential to revolutionize mobile payments by making a seamless and safe payment experience for clients. IoT-enabled devices can be used to authenticate transactions, provide location-based services, and develop security.

For instance, smartwatches are used to authorize transactions through biometric authentication such as fingerprint or face recognition. This is an extra layer of security that reduces the risk of fraud. IoT sensors can be employed to monitor the location of a mobile device & authenticate transactions when the device is in a specific location, such as a retail store.

Examples of IoT-enabled mobile payment systems

Apple Pay

It’s a mobile payment system that uses NFC technology to make payments utilizing iPhone or Apple Watch. The system uses biometric authentication & tokenization technology, thus payment information is protected.

Samsung Pay

It uses both NFC and magnetic secure transmission (MST) technology. MST technology gives the user to make payments at traditional card terminals that don’t maintain NFC, by making a magnetic signal that simulates a card swipe.

Google Pay

Customers have the capability to conduct payments through their Android devices. The system uses NFC technology for contactless payments and also allows sending money to friends and family using mobile devices.

Wearable Payments

These transactions involve using wearable devices like smartwatches, fitness trackers, and other wearables for payments. Wearable payments are widely favored for their convenience and user-friendly nature. Various technologies, such as NFC, QR codes, and mobile wallets, can facilitate wearable payments.

Benefits of wearable payments

  • Fast: Payments are fast because there is no need for users to find their cards. This saves time for both the client & the merchant.
  • The comfort of use: they’re more convenient than traditional payment methods ’cause you can make payments without the need to carry cash, cards, or a mobile phone.
  • Improved security: Wearable devices are secured with biometric authentication (fingerprint or face recognition.
  • Enhanced user experience: It provides an improved user experience because wearable payments are fast, convenient, & secure.

Examples of IoT-enabled wearable payment systems

Fitbit Pay permits users to conduct payments through a Fitbit smartwatch, utilizing NFC technology for contactless transactions and fortified by biometric authentication.

Garmin Pay is a mobile payment system allowing users to execute payments with a Garmin smartwatch. NFC technology enables contactless payments with biometric authentication.

With the help of the Apple Watch, allows users to execute payments. It utilizes NFC technology for contactless payments with biometric authentication.

Security and Privacy Concerns

With technological progress, the adoption of IoT-enabled payment systems is growing in popularity. Moreover, with this technology comes significant security and privacy concerns that need to be addressed. In this article, we will find out some of these concerns and suggest measures that can be taken to mitigate the associated risks.

Risks associated with IoT-enabled payment systems

Among the foremost security issues pertaining to IoT-driven payment systems is the risk of malicious attacks. Unauthorized individuals can infiltrate IoT devices, pilfering sensitive financial data like credit card numbers and bank account particulars. This highlights the need for robust security measures:

  • regular updates
  • encryption
  • third-party audits

Beyond cyber attacks, the lack of standardized security protocols for IoT devices is another security concern. It’s difficult to provide that all devices are secure and can communicate securely with each other. The performance of industry-wide security protocols & regular third-party audits can help to reduce this risk.

Privacy concerns are also prevalent with IoT-enabled payment systems. These systems may pick up large amounts of personal data, which could be misused or sold to third parties without the user’s permission.

Measures to mitigate security & privacy concerns

The security of the Internet of Things was one of the first uses of blockchain technology. Distributed ledger technology has enabled the attainment of a heightened level of security for IoT devices within the network, while also removing the prevailing limitations and risks linked to centralization.

Another option is introduced by Quantum IoT Protect from Check Point Software Technologies that help manage and secure IoT devices in several ways:

  • Automating discovery reduces the potential attack area and facilitates comprehensive oversight and management of all devices.
  • Compromised device isolation and intrusion blocking with “zero trust” segmentation limits the potential for damage through security gateways and network segmentation.
  • Constant security monitoring and real-time dynamic threat analysis help stop malicious traffic from the Internet of Things on the network.
  • Awareness of prioritized virtual upgrade issues.

The Future of IoT in Payments

The Internet of Things is transforming multiple industries, and the payment sector is no different. We can anticipate several potential advancements in the near future.

Possible progressions within payment systems enabled by IoT

The crucial advancement is the use of biometrics for authentication. IoT devices come with built-in biometric sensors, allowing users to verify transactions using their fingerprints or facial recognition, eliminating the need for passwords and PINs. This mitigates the risk of fraud and enhances the overall security of payments.

Integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) is another advancement. In the upcoming years, AI and ML algorithms will assist in identifying patterns and anomalies in payment transactions, potentially aiding in the prevention of malicious attacks.

IoT-enabled payment systems can also lead to a more flawless and reliable payment experience for consumers. With connected devices such as smartwatches, payments could be made securely with no need for physical cards or cash.

Impact of IoT on the payment industry

With the rise of contactless payments and mobile wallets, the impact of IoT is already being felt. Numerous businesses are embracing IoT-enabled payment systems, leading us to anticipate the entrance of additional new players into the market, along with traditional players adapting to novel technologies.

The future of IoT in payments has the potential for enhanced security, reliability, and efficiency in financial transactions.

Our Experience

An application for working with a smart lock

Our team was tasked with the project of developing software that facilitates interaction with a smart lock. The software’s key functionalities include the ability to remotely open and close the home lock through smartphone commands, generate & revoke virtual reality passwords as needed, facilitate automatic door opening by recognizing the owner, and ensure control both locally and over the Internet.

Device for remote control of street warning sirens

The initiative, initiated by the Regional Military Administration in Ukraine, encompassed utilizing the GSM alarm controller created by the Ukrainian company OKO. Building upon this foundation, our team crafted a device that effectively addressed the requirement for remote control of street sirens during the Russo-Ukrainian War.

Finale

The payments industry transforms IoT, introducing heightened comfort and efficiency to financial transactions. However, accompanying these advantages are security and privacy apprehensions that necessitate resolution via the integration of robust security protocols, user consent mechanisms, and consistent updates and supervision.

The conceivable progressions in IoT payment solutions include the use of biometric authentication, AI, and ML, which have the potential to increase security & streamline financial transactions. If you are interested in making your financial application with the integration of IoT, just contact us, free consultation is available.

Originally published at https://stfalcon.com.

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Stfalcon.com

IT company designing custom web services and mobile apps. Our goal is to create useful and convenient software. We are the founder of the Air Alert app