Based in central Japan, Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank is testing the new biometric authentication technology at 10 banks, as well as a drive-through ATM and two mobile banks, according to NetworkWorld. The ATMs will combine the hand scan with two pieces of user-provided data — a birth date and a PIN number — to authenticate transactions.
Ogaki is not the first bank to incorporate biometric analyses at the ATM, but appears to be one of the first to completely replace the need for a plastic card with biometric authentication.
The upgrade was inspired partly by the fallout from recent natural disasters experienced on the island nation. The tsunami left many accountholders without any of their personal possessions, Ogaki notes to NetworkWorld, driving the need for a cash-access solution that doesn’t require a wallet.
To that end, the marketing slogan being used to promote the technology is fitting: “You are your cash card.”
The palm-scanning technology being tested at Ogaki ATMs was developed by Fujitsu. It scans vein patterns to differentiate between persons.
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