Photo: Getty/Chip Somodevilla

A mind-boggling 25% of Australians say they are at least “slightly interested” at the prospect of having a chip implanted in their skin that could be used for payments, new research has found.

The research by credit card company Visa and the University of Technology Sydney found Australians are open to the prospect of paying for items using wearable tech including smart watches, rings, glasses and even a connected car.

“Australians are among the world’s earliest adopters of new technology,” Head of Emerging Products and Innovation for Visa in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, George Lawson said.

Visa is currently looking at how its payments tech can be integrated with wearable devices and is working with UTS to figure out how it might be adopted by the next generation of shoppers.

“New technology like tokenisation makes it possible to turn any device into a secure vehicle for commerce. We’re already seeing smartphone payments take off in Australia. Partnering with UTS gives us the opportunity to explore what our next device might be,” Lawson said.

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