Safran Identity & Security has recently completed a three-month pilot project that tested student use of wristband-based wearable payments at a university in Medellin, Colombia.

The project was conducted in partnership with Bancolombia bank, and saw students at Medellin’s Columbus School use NFC-enabled wristbands for use at a POS kiosks on campus. Students participating in the pilot simply waved their wrists to activate debit transactions.

According to Bancolombia Payment Services VP, Liliana Vázquez, the goal of the pilot was to “simplify the day-to-day lives of students on campus through a seamless and secure means of payment.” The pilot is being considered a success by university officials.

Sarfran officials believe that the use of wearables for payments is a strongly growing trend, and that the Columbus School project represents the promise that innovative wearable payment technology carries. Safran Identity & Security intends to continue committing to the wearable payments market, with reports suggesting the company is currently working on the certification process for mass production, and planning further wearable payment trials with other banks.

The initiative at Columbus School falls in line with Safran Identity & Security’s announcement last year that its Style2Pay system, which is designed to turn any wearable object into a contactless payments device, had been Mastercard certified.