In 2018 Tatra banka in Slovakia introduced a new method of verifying its customers through facial biometrics when opening an account online. Now it brings one of the safest technologies for personal identification to third parties who want to use this service in their business activities.
What is facial biometrics?
Facial biometricsTB is based on a technology, which measures and evaluates a lot of different points and surfaces on the face. It focuses for instance on the distance of eyes, cheekbones, or lip thickness. The face image analyses, whether the person is real, or it´s just a photo. The captured face is then compared with the ID card photo. The maximum verification security is ensured by an online comparison of the ID card photo with the database of the Ministry of Interior.
After the successful implementation of this innovation when opening an account for natural persons, Tatra banka extended its use to the Consumer loanTB, the Self employed accountTB, and the On instalmentsTB service. Since the beginning of this year, customers can also activate the ReaderTB application using only their face and ID card.
Use of technology in other industries
Tatra banka strives to regularly bring useful news to customers that will make their lives easier. It also opens its unique technologies to the external environment. This time they are intended for customers – legal entities, who can easily fulfill their legal obligations associated with customer identification or who are interested in simplifying the process of registration and filling in data when applying for the provision of their service.
The uniqueness of the service lies in the fact that facial biometrics is provided on the principle of Software as a service, where the entire technology is located in the secure environment of the Bank. Companies using this service access it through an API interface. Such an approach enables quick and easy integration with the possibility of early use of the service. In doing so, the Bank uses its experience from providing the Open bankingTB domain.
Tatra banka provides technology at three different levels. The first of them makes it possible to obtain data from the identity card, which does not need to be manually transcribed. The second level provides biometric face verification to confirm that the person registering is actually behind a computer, a tablet, or a mobile phone. The third level is extended by the possibility to verify a mobile phone number and an e-mail address. In this way, it is possible to completely replace the current process of manual registration, during which the customer must enter his data and, in some cases, send a copy of the identity document.
“The primary benefits offered by the service are, in addition to the higher security of digitization of processes, a better customer experience. Last but not least, companies benefit from quick integration and lower costs compared to if they wanted to develop the service themselves,” – adds Lukáš Rybár, Product Manager at Tatra banka.
With the new service, the Bank contributes to increasing the rate of digitization of the processes and to higher security for new registrations. The innovative way of verifying people will be able to be used by the first customers who care about the identification of their users being as secure as possible.
Source: the Bank`s press release dated May 04, 2023
