Transaction authentication company Entersekt announced that Zurich, Switzerland-based Swisscard AECS AG has implemented its mobile application Transakt to enable what it said is a safer, more user-friendly 3D Secure protection of online purchases, according to a press release. Swisscard is a joint venture between Credit Suisse AG and American Express.

Entersekt noted in the release that while 3D Secure has significantly reduced fraud rates for online transactions, it is unpopular with consumers and merchants due to the cumbersome user experience of many current implementations. The company's card-not-present authentication product is intended to reinvent the 3D Secure user experience by enabling consumers to authenticate purchases through their mobile device with the touch of a button.

When shoppers registere for the service to initiate a transaction on a 3D Secure e-commerce website, they receive a push message on their mobile phone with the payment details. They then authorize the payment, outside of the browser, with a simple "Accept" or "Reject" response, according to the press release. 

"As EMV continues to expand overseas, including impending adoption in the U.S., fraudsters are increasingly directing their attention toward card-not-present online transactions," Kenneth Eales, head of risk services at Swisscard and executive sponsor of the project, said in a statement. "Swisscard's partnership with Entersekt enables us to enrich our customer experience by eliminating use of passwords, which are less convenient and less effective against certain forms of fraud, in favor of an advanced one-touch mobile authentication process."

Swisscard customers can register for Transakt at swisscard.ch/transakt. The Transakt app is available for iOS, Windows, Android and BlackBerry mobile phones. Those who register between now and Sept. 14 will be entered to win an iPad mini device, according to the press release.