Biometrics


Veridium and Wala bring blockchain power to Africa’s unbanked

Biometrics firm Veridium has teamed with Wala, a blockchain-powered financial services platform, as they target the unbanked and underbanked population in Africa. The duo will collaborate on a pilot programme in sub-Saharan Africa to demonstrate their digital model offering “zero-fee banking”. This pilot is funded by a grant awarded to Veridium from the Digital Financial […]

EyeLock docks with ViaTouch for iris-powered payments

Iris-based biometric authentication specialist EyeLock has signed an agreement with ViaTouch Media that will integrate EyeLock’s technology within ViaTouch’s smart-shelf vending solution, Vicki. David Penn at Finovate (Banking Technology‘s sister company) reports that EyeLock CEO Jim Demitrieus says the agreement was the culmination of years of working with firms from a variety of industries to bring embedded […]

UK banks join the iPhone X Face ID rush

Customers of TSB and Tesco Bank are now able to use facial recognition technology, Face ID, for mobile banking app and make payments. The new technology is exclusive to Apple’s iPhone X. Carlos Abarca, TSB’s chief information officer, says: “Providing customers with biometrics logon to their mobile banking, such as Face ID, means all of […]

ICICI Bank sets the tone for voice-based payments in India

ICICI Bank has unveiled India’s first voice-based international remittance service to enable non-resident Indians (NRIs) to send money to any bank in the country. With the new feature in its Money2India (M2I) app, an NRI customer can make a remittance to existing payees in India with a voice command to Apple’s virtual voice assistant, Siri. […]

What does the new iPhone X mean for mobile banking?

Mobile banking is nothing without mobiles, and as Apple leads the way in innovation it provides opportunities for banks to do things differently too. So, with the launch of the iPhone X, what is next for mobile banking in a world that can’t get enough of phone upgrades?

Juniper: Apple Users Likely to Reject Facial Recognition

A new survey conducted by Juniper Research has found that more than 40 percent of iOS users in the U.S. consider themselves unlikely to use facial recognition as a payment security technology. This suggests that a core use case for the iPhone X’s main security feature may struggle to gain traction among consumers, the consultancy says.

BioConnect on Where to Start with Biometrics Investment

Ahead of FinovateFall’s kickoff in New York today, Paybefore spoke with BioConnect Chief Identity Officer Bianca Lopes about all the biometrics buzz in payments and the financial services industry. Her advice to companies looking to invest in biometrics: Don’t forget about the users.

Walmart taps Google for omnichannel commerce play

Google and Walmart are teaming up to take on Amazon (and Alexa) with voice-activated commerce and more plans for 2018, reports Banking Technology‘s sister publication Paybefore. Starting in late September, the retail giant will be working with Google to offer hundreds of thousands of items for voice shopping via Google Assistant – the largest number […]

FIS, Equifax Want You to Say Goodbye to Passwords

FIS, a global financial services technology company, has joined forces with information specialist Equifax to create OnlyID, a digital authentication solution that enables consumers to make secure transactions across multiple online accounts without passwords.

Barclays enables voice payments with Siri

Barclays says it’s the first UK high street bank that lets mobile banking customers make a payment by asking Siri. The payment, which relies on TouchID for authentication, can be completed without opening the Barclays mobile banking app, reports Banking Technology‘s sister publication Paybefore. The Siri integration enables payments to existing payees or mobile contacts. […]

Samsung’s Bixby AI expands to more countries

Look out Siri and Alexa, but Samsung says its artificial intelligence (AI) powered Bixby’s voice system has now expanded to more than 200 countries and territories. In addition to South Korea and the US, it is now available in the UK, Australia, Canada and South Africa, among others. As reported in March, Samsung unveiled the […]

Samsung to power biometric authentication pilot for Bank of America

Samsung will launch a pilot programme that enables Bank of America (BofA) customers to log into their mobile banking app by taking a picture of their eye, reports Finovate (Banking Technology‘s sister company). According to a report from American Banker’s Penny Crosman, half of BofA’s customers are using fingerprint authentication to log into their app, […]

TSB goes dotty for iris scanning tech

The buzz for biometrics gets bigger with TSB now eyeing up the launch of iris scanning tech to let users login into bank accounts by glancing at their phone. According to the BBC, some TSB customers will be able to do this from September when the bank introduces iris recognition to its mobile banking app. […]

BBVA taps into biometrics with new firm Veridas

BBVA and start-up Das-Nano have formed Veridas, a new firm specialising in biometrics for client identification and authentication systems. Veridas, which will be directed by Eduardo Azanza, who is also co-founder of Das-Nano, will research and develop software for the digital verification and authentication of personal identity, through facial, voice, image or document recognition, or […]

Voice is a natural step in the technology evolution – Amazon

If there is any doubt in which direction the technology world will head next, its being brushed aside by Amazon Web Services (AWS); voice is the natural progression. Telecoms.com (Banking Technology‘s sister publication) reports. Speaking at TechXLR8 in London, David Low, “principal evangelist” at Amazon Alexa EU, highlighted that the voice user interface will be […]

Mastercard, Oxford Plan Helps Banks Breathe Life into Biometrics

With increasing global smartphone penetration and a willing consumer base, financial institutions recognize the potential of biometrics to offer more convenience and security to their customers—but a lack of familiarity with the still-new technology among top banking brass remains a significant barrier to adoption, a new report from Mastercard and Oxford University found.

Hands off! BBVA creates patent office

With its increase in innovation BBVA has created a Global Patent Office (GPO) to protect its intellectual property (IP) – particularly in biometrics and artificial intelligence (AI). The GPO will put the bank’s IP work in a single office and offer collaboration between departments, agents and training. Don Relyea, director of the BBVA global patent […]

NCR makes it nice and Eazy for Bahrain’s biometric payments

Bahrain-based Eazy Financial Services will launch the region’s “first” biometric payment network powered by NCR. Consumers will be able to register their fingerprint through any bank linked to Eazy’s network and then use that at any device (ATM or POS) to start a transaction rather than using a card. In the first phase, NCR will […]

HSBC plots to stop rise of the technophobe

A lack of understanding and trust in technology is stalling mainstream adoption of innovative new fintech services, according to HSBC’s research. The bank’s report, “Trust in Technology”, shows that technologies such as fingerprint recognition, voice recognition and robo-advice “hold enormous potential” for uses from bank security to mobile payments and investment advice. John Flint, global […]

Google Casts a Wider Net for Payments

Google has a new plan to become a bigger player in payments. The search engine and web marketing giant said that it’s enabling merchants and developers to “turbocharge checkout conversion” by making it easier for consumers to use the credit cards and debit cards stored with Google.

Cat fools bank’s voice biometric system

A UK bank has been left with its tail between its legs after its “state-of-the-art and highly secure” voice biometric system was bypassed by a cat. “Game changer” Jargon Bank, which launched last year (and updated its app and moved office), is reeling from the feline fraudster and the media wants answers. And boy does […]

PayPal gets its fingers all over Google Chrome’s shopping

Android Pay users on Google Chrome mobile web can now pay online using their PayPal account and their fingerprint – without needing to enter in their username or password. As reported last month, Google inked several deals with PayPal (and banks) to advance its Android Pay, and this latest partnership expands it even more. Bill […]

Twins win in HSBC voice tricking sting

HSBC has been left red-faced after a BBC reporter and his non-identical twin tricked its voice ID authentication service. The BBC says its “Click” (a weekly TV show) reporter Dan Simmons created an HSBC account and signed up to the bank’s service. HSBC states that the system is secure because each person’s voice is “unique”. […]

Are Passwords Here to Stay?

Even as security experts lobby for tighter authentication, a study demonstrates that passwords still command the loyalty of consumers. A payments expert discusses why biometrics and other methods lag behind the warhorse of digital protection.

One hand clapping for TSB’s new mobile app

TSB has begun to roll out its new mobile banking app – the first service built by its new Proteo IT platform. It says the app has been built from scratch – with a new user interface. Features include access through fingerprint and one-hand navigation for the most-used transactions. It is available for both AndroidTM […]

Thumbs up for Mastercard’s new biometric card

Mastercard has launched its latest biometric card, combining chip technology with fingerprints to verify the cardholder’s identity for in-store purchases. South Africa is the first market to test the evolved technology, with two separate trails recently concluded with Pick n Pay, a supermarket retailer, and Absa Bank, a subsidiary of Barclays Africa. According to Mastercard, […]

Lloyds says Hello to Microsoft Windows 10 biometrics

Lloyds is working with Microsoft to test biometric authentication for customers logging into their Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland internet banking sites. The three organisations will use Windows Hello to get access to Windows 10 devices using a fingerprint or facial recognition. Devices will recognise the user, “rather than having to remember an assortment […]

Voice biometrics take ANZ higher for mobile payments

Australia and New Zealand-based banking group, ANZ, has announced it will be the first Australian bank to introduce voice biometrics on mobile devices to allow higher value transactions. From the middle of this year, customers transferring more than $1,000 through ANZ’s mobile apps will be able to use their voice to automatically authorise high value […]

Mastercard buys NuData Security for IoT spree

Mastercard will acquire Vancouver-based biometrics firm NuData Security as it looks to make something out of the internet of things (IoT). NuData provides online and mobile anti-fraud solutions using session and biometric indicators. Mastercard will integrate NuData to its suite of fraud management and security products. Ajay Bhalla, president of enterprise risk and security for […]

Mastercard Bolsters Authentication with NuData Acquisition

Mastercard is beefing up its transaction security and authentication capabilities in the age of connected devices, entering an agreement to acquire NuData Security, a Pay Award-winning provider of anti-fraud technology that uses session and biometric indicators to verify online transactions.

Fiserv brings the max to PyraMax tech overhaul

Wisconsin-based mutual savings bank PyraMax has chosen Fiserv to modernise its retail banking operations. The bank will move to the DNA account processing platform and add integrated mobile, online and branch banking solutions, including palm-vein biometric authentication. The software will be supplied on an outsourced basis, from a Fiserv data centre. Richard Hurd, CEO and president, […]