Eftpos New Zealand Introduces Biometric “Victa” Payment Terminals

Eftpos New Zealand is partnering with Verifone to launch the company’s Victa terminals, which can accept payments via facial recognition or hand-scan in addition to traditional card and contactless methods. The devices are positioned as multi-purpose platforms that combine transaction processing with loyalty programmes, ordering, digital-identity verification and analytics on a single countertop unit.

The New Zealand Herald

Unlike conventional point-of-sale (POS) hardware that handles only payments, Victa terminals run third-party applications and support a single certification across all form factors, allowing retailers to scale from one unit to thousands without repeated re-certification. Security-wise, the terminals meet PCI 7.x and PCI DSS Level 1 standards, employ point-to-point encryption and proprietary tokenisation, and embed biometric capability in hardware while storing only mathematical embeddings of facial features—data that cannot be reverse-engineered into recognizable images. Verifone has completed proof-of-concept trials internationally and is already testing the technology at Starbucks locations overseas.

The New Zealand Herald

Kristy Gregory, head of merchant sales and strategic partners at Eftpos NZ, said the rollout reflects a shift in the purpose of payment terminals toward broader service platforms. Gregory added that retailers will decide when to enable biometric features, giving them flexibility while preserving existing card and contactless options for customers who prefer them.

The New Zealand Herald

• “As the technology is rolled out by retailers, New Zealanders will have different ways they can pay, including biometrics for those who choose it,” — Kristy Gregory, head of merchant sales and strategic partners at Eftpos NZ

The New Zealand Herald

• “Eftpos has been part of daily life here for over 40 years. We have the infrastructure, the relationships and the reach to ensure New Zealanders have access to the most capable, most secure payments platform in the world.” — Kristy Gregory, head of merchant sales and strategic partners at Eftpos NZ

The New Zealand Herald

The Victa terminals are slated to begin rolling out in July. Merchants can start using the hardware immediately after installation to benefit from higher security standards, longer battery life and stronger processing. Activation of advanced biometric functions will depend on each retailer’s schedule, allowing a phased introduction of the new payment options.

The New Zealand Herald