Airtel Payments Bank, which is based in India, announced the launch of a new security solution called Face Match.

The mentioned solution is aimed at protecting customer accounts. In this case, it means measures to counter security threats. The new functional solution of the Indian financial institution provides for a biometric verification procedure.

A press release from Airtel Payments Bank, which was published last Tuesday, August 20, notes that Face Match uses facial recognition and liveliness checks. These actions are performed to verify user accounts in cases where machine learning algorithms record transactions that contain potential signs of fraud.

The press release from the financial institution notes that Face Match initially assesses the likelihood of a threat. In this case, a kind of material for determining the degree of security of the operation being performed is the specifics of the user’s behavior. Also, such data as location, history of previous transactions associated with a particular client’s account, payment patterns, and signals from devices and mobile apps are used to assess threats.

If Face Match detects that the client has gone beyond the safe mechanisms of operations, an account protection algorithm will be launched to prevent fraudulent threats. In this case, the user will be notified of the need to undergo a quick verification procedure to be able to continue the transaction. The bank’s clients will receive the corresponding notifications via their mobile phone number.

The notification will contain a link that takes the user to the Face Match section of the Airtel app. The client will then have to take a selfie, which will be compared with the photo used during the account registration process. The financial institution’s press release notes that a negative result of the corresponding procedure will mean that the client will need to visit a bank branch, where biometric verification will be carried out. If the comparison of the selfie and the photo used during account registration is positive, the client will be able to continue the transaction. The relevant information is contained in the financial institution’s press release.

It is worth noting that as digital payment services expand and develop, biometric authentication is becoming an increasingly popular method of verifying the security of operations. Virtual payments are likely to continue their upward trajectory as the mobile era that contributes to this process demonstrates resilience and is absolutely ready to continue its highly functional existence.

According to industry research, more than half of consumers in the United States who make purchases on digital platforms use biometric authentication to verify their payment transactions. It is also known that 28% of them apply facial recognition technology. At the same time, fingerprint scanning is used in 49% of online purchases.

Some US consumers do not use advanced authentication methods of financial operations but show interest in functional solutions in this category. This position is typical for about 15% of consumers in the United States. At the same time, 34% of participants in the mentioned industry research stated that they have never used advanced authentication methods and do not plan to engage in this practice. There are many reasons for this position, the main one being doubts that the specified methods guarantee a high level of security and do not cause any harm to confidential data. Sometimes, the rejection of cut-edge authentication can be associated with ideological considerations or religious beliefs containing narratives about some kind of harmfulness of the digital environment as such and interaction with the corresponding functional space.

Last week, IDEX Biometrics announced its intention to launch a physical biometric payment card. This firm also plans to roll out a complementary app. IDEX Biometrics solutions are aimed at providing a secure and accessible payment product for customers with visual impairments. The payment card is expected to be launched later the current year in the United Kingdom. This card will feature fingerprint authentication, tactile guidance markers that help users locate the fingerprint sensor, and the ability to make contactless transactions without PINs or signatures.

As we have reported earlier, The Eastern Bank in Bangladesh Creates First Metal Biometric Card.