IDEMIA and Soft Space help CBA make payment acceptance easier and more secure in Australia

IDEMIA, the leader in identity technologies, together with Soft Space, the world’s leading provider of Fintech-as-a-Service (FaaS), partnered with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) to launch Smart Mini in Australia. This lightweight and portable terminal enables mobile payment acceptance at point-of-sales, powering on-the-go payments for Australian merchants.

Merchants with Smart Mini can link the device via Bluetooth to their own commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) device to complete payment transactions at a fraction of the cost, radically reducing the need for the more traditional and bulkier payment-grade terminals. The Smart Mini app on COTS is also “PIN-on-glass-ready”, enabling consumers to authorize amounts above AU$ 100 with a PIN for enhanced security. This gives consumers the confidence to make high-value payments through contactless methods.

This tripartite partnership is an extension from an earlier collaboration in November 2021 where IDEMIA, together with Soft Space and CBA, partnered to provide the New South Wales Transit Systems’ Revenue Protection Officers with SoftPOS technology to validate train passes and tickets. Revenue Protection Officers can easily verify a commuter’s fare payments by asking them to tap their payment cards on the agents’ smartphones.

Our partnership with Soft Space, CBA, and NSW builds on IDEMIA’s mission to support financial institutions in implementing digital—and even digital first strategies—that make the world frictionless and secure. By combining our respective expertise, we contributed to creating an ecosystem that makes public transportation and in-store payment more convenient, more accessible, and safer. And this solution can easily be replicated in other parts of the world.
Romain Zanolo, Managing Director Asia Pacific for Payment Services, IDEMIA

We are the first to bring the SoftPOS technology to the transit industry and the use case in Australia shows how SoftPOS can play a cost-effective role in reducing transit fraud, which is a big challenge for transit operators globally. Building on the momentum of Soft Space’s PIN-on-glass is another world first, and we are proud that the Smart Mini launch delivers our cutting-edge technology to Australian merchants.
Joel Tay, Chief Executive Officer, Soft Space

The issuance of digital cards in smartphone wallets is already creating digital-first experiences for cardholders. Similarly, SoftPOS and mobile POS solutions can power small businesses, large retailers, and transit operators to quickly begin accepting payments on mobile devices at a minimal cost and with minimum technical expertise. This extends the digital-first experience to the acceptance and acquiring space.