Now you can open a HSBC account with a selfie
Forget passwords and pins, but now its not even fingerprints or eye scanning that is replacing these traditional security measures — it's selfies.
HSBC will now let its business customers open an account simply using a selfie thanks to facial tracking technology, a type of biometrics which is becoming increasingly popular among firms as a way of making online banking more secure.
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The selfie is verified against a passport or driving license picture which the bank will hold on record and can be used with Apple or Android phones for mobile banking. It should save people having to traipse down to a local branch.
“Through simplifying the ID verification process, we’ll be able to save our business customers time and open accounts quicker," said HSBC's head of global propositions for commercial banking, Richard Davies.
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"We also expect the convenience and speed of a ‘selfie’ to become the verification method of choice for our customers, who no longer need to visit a branch to complete the process.”
HSBC has already launched voice and fingerprint recognition technology for 15m customers, including First Direct and it's not the only bank turning to technology.
Barclays ditched telephone passwords for voice recognition over the summer, while digital challenger bank Atom is the using biometrics.