SaaS provider Walletmor will plant a wallet in your hand
The future becomes reality with the first globally accepted, biologically safe payment implant. Installed under the skin, the device is a convenient alternative to your bulky wallet full of credit cards. The ISO-certified, bio-compatible solution, Walletmor, is available to U.S. residents for $229 USD, company representatives disclosed on Jan. 4, 2021.
Declaring the race to cardless contactless payments “no longer theoretical,” Walletmor claimed it has outpaced facial recognition and iris scan solutions with a safe, industry-first, commercially viable under-the-skin implant that cannot be tracked, hacked, or copied. Plus, users can pay with their bodies at any contactless-compatible POS device, the company noted.
A new era in payments
“Until now, no one has produced a payment implant that is safe and accepted all over the world. The big launch in Europe took place on January 1, 2021, and now it’s time to conquer the American market,” said Wojciech Paprota, creator of Walletmor, a London-based tech start-up. “Our implant has been checked numerous times and got certified according to bio-compatibility standards ISO 10993-5:2009E and 10993-12:2021E.”
Paprota further noted Walletmor is easy to implant and can be used at numerous locations; contact the company for a list of certified places throughout the United States, he added. Last but not least: it’s valid for 8 years, he said, which is more than you can say for that credit card you’ve probably lost at least once.
Small and safe device
The Walletmor payment implant is roughly the size of a safety pin and about half a millimeter thick, consisting of an integrated circuit and metal sheath enclosed in a hermetic bio-housing, which acts as an antenna,. Its biopolymer composition was created by scientists from Seattle-based VivoKey Technologies Inc., the largest producer of its kind in the digital identity ecosystem. VivoKey mentioned the biopolymer, which is used in medical devices and ISO 10993 standard biocompatibility certified, is part of its extended line of next-generation implants for public and private sector security, identity, blockchain and payment applications.
Amal Graafstra, Founder & CEO at VivoKey Technologies, pointed out that Walletmor is a safer alternative to a smartphone when it comes to storing credentials. “Our smartphones are a digital platform that we trust and treat as a guarded fortress,” he said. “It is actually quite the opposite, but we only realize that when we lose our smartphones and need to block everything. That’s why VivoKey is all about keeping your digital identity secure as part of your body. You will be the key, not your smartphone.”
Easy to operate
The financial operation of the Walletmor payment implant uses Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, the company stated. Users can store funds on the platform by setting up an account on the Walletmor’s app, which charges five dollars a month to maintain.
The implant is a passive device and does not have its own power source or battery. It does not generate any radio waves on its own and is only activated when in proximity to a contactless payment terminal, and only at a very short distance. It’s impossible to track someone with a Walletmor implant, company representatives stated.
Increased interest
A June 2021 Aite Group study, titled, “Beyond Cards and Mobile Phones: Payment Form Factors of the Future,” found mobile wallet usage increasing in 2020 along with a growing interest in IoT solutions. Researchers found 70 percent of survey respondents are interested in smart home devices, such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home and 63 percent of the people surveyed would store an image of their hand or face in a merchant terminal. Additionally, 13 percent of respondents are EXTREMELY interested in implanting a payments-enabled device under the skin; 11 percent are very interested and 17 percent are somewhat interested.
Walletmor is currently working on improving the implant and extending its capabilities to include medical functions and safe access to closed rooms. Several major foreign banks have expressed interest in the start-up.
Walletmor appreciated by Fintechs
The innovation of the Walletmor payment implant is turning heads around the world. Paprota is a frequent guest speaker at FinTech events in Europe. In 2021, he appeared at Money20/20 in Amsterdam, Payment Meeting, DEICy 2021, or FinTech & InsurTech Digital Congress. He also participated in the Internet Governance Forum – UN Digital Summit 2021, where participated in a panel discussion with Eva Kaili – Chairwoman of the Committee on the Future of Technology and Science of the European Parliament.
Safe and simple
Almost 500 people across Great Britain, Germany, Poland and Scandinavian countries are already making payments using the Walletmor implant, the company noted. Implantation is painless and takes only 15 minutes. There are approximately 20 approved Walletmor implant installers in the United States, the company remarked, referring interested parties to the following links:
Walletmor FAQ: us.walletmor.com/pages/faq-us
Payment Demonstration: www.youtube.com/watch?v=aymBka2nhUo&ab_channel=Walletmor
Resilience test: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH_f0r2d7O0&ab_channel=Walletmor
