As rigid, password-based systems lead to more security breaches, they are quickly replaced by real-time biometrics, leading to a passwordless future.
Wells Fargo has been active in biometrics; in 2014 it launched a startup accelerator led by EyeVerify which it now uses for eyeprint verification with its commercial banking customers; it is also working with Kasisto in its startup accelerator and plans to launch some virtual assistant offerings for employees and customers; it has also now announced a refocused effort in its Innovation Group that will be dedicated to AI, payments and application platform interfaces; Wells Fargo's management is committed to biometrics and the firm wants to be a leader in the technology with a specific focus currently on voice recognition. Source
Bank of America has struck a partnership with Samsung to start a pilot program that will allow Bank of America customers to login using a picture of their eye; the program will start with a group of 1,500 Samsung and Bank of America employees who will test the authentication for six months; according to a past report by American Banker, about half of Bank of America customers login to the mobile app using their fingerprint and the other half login with a username and password; according to Finovate, Samsung debuted this iris scanning technology at their Unpacked event in March and they claim it to be more secure than fingerprint scans. Source
French bank BNP Paribas, along with Daon, has developed a new biometric login for their wealth management clients using their mobile device; the new service is called myBioPass and it allows users to login using a selfie; transactions are then authorized by fingerprint or voice recognition; the service is currently active for Luxembourg clients using iOS mobile devices; myBioPass will be added to desktops and Android devices later this year. Source
Biometric authentication is becoming increasingly utilized; a few factors could help it become more integrated into mainstream technologies; an American Banker article suggests that devices need to be more compatible, consumers would need to be more accepting, multiple options need to be offered and the recognition needs to be simple; big strides have been made in 2016 however barriers to mainstream use still remain. Source
As consumers reel from yet another massive data hack, this time of Equifax, fintech leaders are looking to solve the problem to prevent future hacks from happening; Chris Skinner offers up a couple of solutions that corporates and financial services firms should implement; biometrics & touchID, though these are not hack proof, and blockchain technology; he points out the power and security of the blockchain in helping to keep personal data secure. Source.
China Merchants Bank is exploring biometric solutions for client identification; it has launched face recognition at ATMs as an option for identification; the bank has 1,000 ATMs in 106 cities and plans to offer face recognition at all of its Shanghai ATMs by the end of 2017. Source
Lend Academy explores how biometrics technology is going to change the finance world, cutting down on cyber-hacks and data breaches; discusses thumb prints, voice interaction/ authentication, iris scanning and now face recognition with the new iPhone X; one technology with a lot of potential is behavioral biometrics; while we are still early there are still many interesting things happening in this space and it is an area to keep an eye on. Source
India has fast become one of the world's most interesting fintech markets; at LendIt USA 2017 we hosted a fireside chat focused on digital credit for the India population and how their biometric Aadhaar system plays a key role; a few key developments have helped the India population, the ease of acquiring a smartphone and the Aadhaar system; Aadhaar started with an investment by the India government eight years ago and today there is one billion Indians who have an Aadhaar number with key identifiable pieces of information; the government then began linking Aadhaar with the banking system and enlisted fintech firms to begin extending microloans to individuals and SMEs; Aadhaar helps to solve the biggest issue with lending, KYC, by using a retina scan or biometric signature to verify the borrower; the fireside chat also talked through how the lending process worked with Aadhaar and how it has helped to extend credit to a segment of the population that only a few years ago was unable to access capital. Source
Lloyds Bank is testing biometric authentication technology for its online banking customers; the development is centered around the use of Microsoft's Windows Hello which has fingerprint and facial recognition capabilities and can be used with Windows 10 devices. Source