Participants overwhelmingly approved of the $8.6 billion,Mountain View, Calif.-based First Tech Federal Credit Union'sbiometrics pilot last fall, according to the credit union.

During the pilot program, more than 200 First Tech employees testedMasterCard Identity Check's mobile app using artificial funds, andfacial recognition and fingerprint biometrics tools, in a closedenvironment.

Overall, participants found that biometric authentication waseasy to use on its own (88%) and a clear majority found it to beeven easier than password-based authentication (86%). More than 90%of participants said biometric payment authentication is somethingthey could see themselves using on a daily basis.

First Tech employees verified the authenticity of onlinedonations made to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals using theapp's biometrics tools as part of the pilot. At the program'sconclusion, participants offered their opinions on the technologyand its ease of use.

The goal of the technology is to create ease and enhanceconvenience during the use of credit and debit cards for online purchases, whilehelping to ensure the security of payments, First Tech said.

First Tech and MasterCard introduced the concept for thebiometrics pilot program at the White House Cyber Security Summitheld at Stanford University in February 2015. First Tech servesmany leading technology companies and their employees, includingHP, Microsoft, Agilent, Intel, CISCO, Amazon, Nike, CH2M Hill,Intuit and Google.

“This biometrics pilot program represents an exciting next stepin payment convenience and security,” Greg Mitchell, president/CEOfor First Tech, said last August at the pilot program'sannouncement. “Our members are some of the most technologicallyfocused consumers on the planet, and being an innovator in thepayments security space is evidence of our strong desire to meetour members' unique needs.”