Biometrics enabling digital banking advances in multiple applications

The expansion of biometrics for financial services made up several of the top headlines on Biometric Update this week, with customer wins in several areas, a payment network launching support for device biometrics, and a new technology pitched for a range of applications, including biometric payment cards. A range of applications are creating a wave of biometrics for banking and payments, which is buoying Fourthline, iDenfy, Socure, Bonifii and iProov, among many others, while American Express added a biometric authentication option for online payments. Pragmatic presented its vision for a new alternative to silicon chips for fingerprint sensors that can be used in payment cards and numerous other applications. Meanwhile digital wallets continue to gain prominence, as Idemia announces the launch of Samsung Wallet support for two of the U.S. state mDLs it provides.

Top biometrics news of the week

The UNDP’s new governance framework for building human rights into an inclusive digital identity stresses the necessity of digitizing public service delivery, and the risk of doing so poorly. The framework consists of nine components dealing with laws and regulations, avoiding discrimination, access to information, accountability, institutional capability, value for users, corruption-free procurement and data protection. The guidance is intended to support the institutions putting digital IDs in place.

The U.S. has resumed deliveries of humanitarian aid to dozens of refugee camps in Ethiopia as it institutes reforms, including biometric beneficiary verification, to prevent it from being stolen along on its way to those in need. USAID plans to eventually restore food aid throughout the country, once the additional reforms are in place.

Customer wins for biometrics providers among banks and other financial services providers have become a staple for Biometric Update, with remote onboarding, digital payments and in-branch implementations all growing rapidly. A new survey indicates half of consumers are using biometric authentication for online purchases already, and between the various applications, Fourthline, iDenfy, Socure, Bonifii and iProov making the latest set of waves.

Two executives from Pragmatic, a foundry which has developed flexible integrated circuits that can be used as biometric sensors, discussed the alternatives to silicon this week in a webinar hosted by Biometric Update. Their FlexIC technology delivers cost efficiencies and easy product integration, they say, without compromising on sensor size (and therefore accuracy).  It can also be used for multi-modal sensing.

American Express is adding face and fingerprint biometrics to its SafeKey online transactions standard. This means some U.S. cardholders can use the biometrics capabilities of their mobile device to complete payment authentication at check out. All cardholders in America will be enrolled in SafeKey starting next year.

Singapore has passed a law to underpin the use of biometrics at Changi Airport, and more biometrics are coming to airports in South Africa through a $5 million-plus investment. Germany’s Munich Airport is getting biometrics at a lounge and a pilot project for boarding bridges and biometric bag drop has been rolled out at an American airport.

The BBC’s coverage of terrorist attacks against Israeli people by Hamas includes a claim to have identified one of the terrorists as a police officer from a particular division in Palestine using facial recognition. The probe image used is not ideal for use with Amazon Rekognition, though, and Biometrics Institute Chief Executive Isabelle Moeller warns that certain criteria must be met for facial recognition matches to be considered trustworthy.

American security agencies NSA and CISA have made seven best practices recommendations for identity and access management (IAM) industry challenges. The short list wants the industry to align terminology and policies for multi-factor authentication and make single sign-on more accessible for smaller businesses. Veridas CEO Edward Azanza says the guidance will direct businesses towards biometrics adoption.

Positive feedback to Google’s passkeys pilot is prompting the tech giant to migrate to the passwordless technology as a default login method for personal accounts. Veridas’ Azanza hails the long-awaited replacement of passwords with biometrics and device-based authentication, and the FIDO Alliance’s Andrew Shikiar highlighted the protection passkeys provide against phishing.

Idemia is working with Samsung to make the mobile driver’s licenses it provides available in the smartphone-makers digital wallet. The integration means people with Iowa or Arizona mDLs can store them in Samsung Wallet, with more states coming next year. A range of South Korean IDs are also being integrated with Samsung Wallet.

The team at Biometric Update would like to extend condolences to the family and friends of Vittorio Bertocci, a prominent thought leader and community builder for digital identity, who passed away this week. Joerg Resch pays tribute to him in a touching post on the KuppingerCole blog, and the people of Auth0 pay their respects to Vittorio and his legacy.

Please let us know about any opinion pieces, podcasts or other content we should share with the people in biometrics and the broader digital identity community in the comments below or through social media.

Article Topics

biometric sensors  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  facial recognition  |  mobile banking  |  week in review