What is Strong Customer Authentication?
Strong Customer Authentication is a regulatory requirement in Europe which mandates multi factor authentication for certain electronic payments.
What factors are used in SCA?
Authentication must include at least two of the following:
• Something the customer knows, such as a password
• Something the customer has, such as a phone
• Something the customer is, such as a fingerprint
Why is SCA important?
It reduces fraud by ensuring that payments are authorised by the legitimate user.
When is SCA required?
It is required for most customer initiated electronic payments within the European Economic Area, with some exemptions.
How does SCA affect checkout?
It can add an extra step to the payment process, though modern implementations aim to minimise friction through risk based authentication.