ANZ bank to add Nuance voiceprint ID feature to mobile app

ANZ bank plans to introduce a voiceprint biometric identification feature for mobile apps, developed by Nuance, which will secure all transactions over $1,000, according to a report by Ausdroid.

The new security feature will begin testing immediately in a pilot involving a select group of ANZ employees and customers, before it is rolled out to a wider customer base via the ANZ Go Money mobile app in May.

In the past, customers had to visit a branch in person, or use internet banking to complete higher value transactions.

Nuance will provide the voiceprint security platform, which has provided voice biometric solutions to various financial institutions including Barclays Wealth.

“One of the key challenges today for banking as the world becomes more digital is making it easier for customers to do what they want to do in a safe and secure way,” Peter Dalton, managing director of Nuance’s customer experience and digital channels, said. “Voice biometrics is the next step in making banking more convenient for our customers while also strengthening security.”

According to Dalton, a voiceprint can contain up to 5-10 times more makers than an individual’s fingerprints. The voiceprint analysis technology is able to distinguish between similar voices including those of identical twins, as well as recognize voice recordings.

“We also know that people are becoming more comfortable with using their voice to do basic commands on their devices, so we see this is a natural extension of current technology and we are expecting this to be a popular enhancement of our mobile apps,” Dalton added.

In addition to being added to the company’s Go Money app, the voice print identification software will also be rolling out to other digital services in the ANZ portfolio.

Previously reported, Nuance has partnered with behavioral biometrics firm BioCatch to offer continuous authentication and more accurately detect fraud across multiple channels as part of its expanded Nuance Security Suite solution.

Article Topics

banking  |  biometrics  |  fraud prevention  |  mobile app  |  Nuance Communications  |  voice authentication