PicPay Achieves 98% Reduction in Fraud Attempts with Unico’s Biometric Authentication
Results at a glance
Since we partnered with Unico, they have helped us identify and validate more than 40 million identities of our users, greatly increasing security for both the app and the people who use it. In our new device authentication flow, we saw a reduction in fraud attempts of over 98%.
Davi Pozzi
Anti-Fraud Intelligence at PicPay
The Context
Founded in 2012 in Vitória, Espírito Santo, PicPay was created with the mission of reinventing the way people deal with money and payments. Over the last decade, it has become a phenomenon in Brazil, evolving into the country's largest payment institution with more than 60 million users. As a financial institution regulated by the Central Bank, PicPay is mandated to perform rigorous identity verification (KYC) to ensure a safe ecosystem for all participants.
The Challenge
Before implementing automated solutions, PicPay relied on manual identity verification performed by teams of specialists. While effective for smaller volumes, this approach created a massive bottleneck for growth.
- The Scalability Gap: Manual processes made it nearly impossible to onboard millions of users with the agility required by a digital-first company.
- The Pandemic Surge: In 2020, PicPay's growth exploded, reaching 40 million users in just two months. The company also partnered with governments to distribute emergency aid, requiring the verification of millions of citizens in mere weeks.
- The Threat: High-growth digital environments attract diverse types of fraud, making manual review a significant security and operational risk.
The Solution
To overcome these challenges, PicPay redesigned its entire verification process by integrating Unico's advanced biometric technology. The solution was deployed across the entire user lifecycle:
- Onboarding: Using Unico Check to verify identities quickly and effectively during account creation.
- Biometric Token: Implementing authentication in critical moments such as authorizing new devices, password resets, new logins, or sensitive registration changes.
- AI Integration: PicPay’s AI evaluates risk in real-time; if a threat is detected, it triggers Unico’s biometric authentication as a second factor to confirm the user’s identity.
The Impact
The partnership with Unico delivered extraordinary results, enabling PicPay to scale securely during its most critical period of growth:
- Identity Verification at Scale: Unico has already helped validate over 40 million identities, supporting the platform’s massive user base.
- Dramatic Fraud Reduction: The implementation of biometric authentication for new devices resulted in a reduction of over 98% in fraud attempts.
- Operational Agility: What was once a manual and slow process is now a fast, effective, and user-friendly experience that supports the onboarding of millions in record time.
The Horizon
PicPay’s "big dream" is to be on the smartphone of every Brazilian. To achieve this, trust and security remain the top priorities. The company plans to further expand the use of Unico’s biometric solutions across all interaction points, confident that this technology provides the most effective, convenient, and rapid support for their continued expansion and the protection of their 60 million+ users.
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