Digicel offers World’s First Fingerprint ID System for International Money Transfers

Digicel Mobile Money customers in New Zealand will soon know how convenient it is to send money back home.

A new biometric enabled payment system is being deployed by Digicel Pacific Limited, a Pacific mobile network operator, in various stores in New Zealand.

Considered as the world’s first biometric identification system for international money transfers, the new system will ask the customer to register and record their fingerprint within the Digicel system. This will serve as their permanent identification. A customer can then access any VeriFone terminal across New Zealand to make transactions by simple scanning their fingerprint. This will do away with hassles in sending money such as filling in forms and waiting in line at counters.

Darren McLean, Regional Commercial Director at Digicel Pacific, said, “We set out to deliver a service that dramatically improved the speed and convenience for our customers and I am delighted that we have achieved our objective. Our new service is now the fastest way to send money to the Pacific.”

Regulators in New Zealand will require photo ID each time international money transfer is made to satisfy Know Your Customer (KYC) requirement. Digicel Mobile Money being used in five countries in the Pacific including Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga.

Earlier this month, a partnership between Digicel and VeriFone mWallet turned a subscriber’s mobile phone into a wallet, through the use of Beep and Go. Beep and Go is the world’s first fully inclusive Near Field Communications (NFC) service in Tonga.

NFC tags can link the mobile number with contactless payment devices. There are about 50 shops in Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga, that were provided with VeriFone contactless payment terminals so customers need not travel far to get their money. On top of that, they can use their transfers to buy goods and pay bills with a simple tap of their phone.

Article Topics

banking  |  biometrics  |  financial services  |  fingerprint verification  |  mobile