Tangerine Bank in Canada has rebuilt its mobile app to include eye-scanning technology, voice activated biometrics, and in-app secure chat.
Available in the App Store for iPhone subscribers, the new app gives customers a choice of two biometric techniques to unlock their accounts, including EyeVerfy's Eyeprint ID and Nuance's VocalPassword.
The Secure Chat application, initially released on the bank's Website in January, allows clients to initiate a real-time chat session with bank reps when they are already logged into the app, without going through any additional security screening steps.
Charaka Kithulegoda, chief information officer at Tangerine, comments: "We've made the entire experience of using our Mobile Banking App simpler by bringing the seamless functionality of Secure Chat to mobile and allowing clients to enter the app by scanning their eyes with Eyeprint ID or authenticating through voice with VocalPassword. Adding in context-aware quick menus has made it even easier for our Clients to perform everyday banking with a few swipes."
The use of eye-scanning technology is gaining ground in the financial services arena. Just yesterday, state-run Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) launched pilot trials of iris recognition technology at the ATM, to enable financial transactions without bank cards or passbooks. Wells Fargo, meanwhile, has signaled plans to roll out EyeVerfys's eyeprint tech for business customers from July.