Taiwan's CTBC Bank has launched a pilot version of an ATM that uses both facial recognition and finger-vein scanning to verify identity.
Should the trail be successful, users will be able to withdraw funds without the use of a card or a PIN. The pilot project comes just weeks after engineers in China claimed to have developed the first ever cash machine to use facial recognition technology.
The finger-vein technique, VeinID, was created by Japanese company Hitachi. It uses light to read the unique pattern of veins inside the finger. Hitachi says that, unlike fingerprints, vein patterns are extremely difficult to spoof or replicate and the scanned finger must be attached to a live human body for authentication.
VeinID technology is already used by banks for password replacement, single sign-on and ATM access in Japan, North America and Europe. In the UK the tech was introduced to Barclays corporate customers last year to log onto their online accounts.
The bank's pilot programme, launched as part of the bank's digital services strategy, also uses the biometrics for employees at the CTBC Financial Park in Taipei’s Nangang Business Park.