Pay With A Smile With Alipay

“Smile To Pay.”

That’s how simple Alibaba’s Jack Ma wants it to be to make a mobile payment. And if the beta testing of the facial recognition technology from Alibaba affiliate Ant Financial makes its way to the market, that would be the norm for Alipay wallet users.

“Online payments are always a big headache. You forget your password…you worry about security,” said Alibaba founder Jack Ma, according to CNBC. Ma gave a sneak peek into how the technology would work during a speech at the CeBIT trade show in Hannover, Germany, Sunday (March 15). During the speech, Ma pulled out his phone and scanned his face as part of the demonstration.

Biometrics in the world of mobile payments is becoming the next big high tech investment some tech companies are looking into. While Apple has its TouchID, many companies are looking into how a person’s voice or even eye scan could provide the portal as the next payment option. Like Ma said, passwords and online payments aren’t always convenient, and many companies are looking for quicker and more secure options. Particularly when it comes to protecting payment options from fraud, biometrics is being reviewed as a possible option to help.

CNBC spoke with Mark Spoonauer, editor-in-chief of Tom’s Guide, about biometrics in general across the payments industry. He gave his prediction for the market, which he suggested will be a combination of biometric options.

“What’s going to win out is a combination of technologies, but it can’t be hard to use. This dual authentication is going to win out,” he said. “So let’s say, you can scan my face as long as I give the right trigger word. And I think that’s what’s going to win in this space.”