Blink To Bank? Inside First Internet Bank’s Eyeprint ID

First Internet Bank is hoping to make banking with the “bat of an eye” a reality.

The financial institution confirmed yesterday (Sept. 2) that it is one of the first banks to offer Eyeprint ID authentication technology within its personal mobile banking application.

The technology allows customers to use their phone’s camera to take an “eyeprint,” which can then be used to login to their account instead of a traditional user ID and password.

“Eyeprint ID is the latest demonstration of First Internet Bank’s commitment to customer-centric digital banking,” David Becker, president and CEO of First Internet Bank, said in a company release.

“Eyeprint ID comes quickly after our introduction of Touch ID authentication earlier this year, which enables customers to log in with a fingerprint. Biometric technology allows us to provide innovative solutions to our customers’ need for secure, convenient account access.”

First Internet Bank, which is the first bank to operate entirely online, launched its Touch ID functionality offering for customers using its personal mobile banking application back in May. Replacing traditional login credentials such as username and password, First Internet Bank’s Touch ID operates by using fingerprint-sensing technology.

The online bank’s Eyeprint ID access was made available immediately via its personal banking mobile app, for both iPhone and Android users.

Through the mobile device’s camera, Eyeprint ID technology captures an image of the eye and matches the unique vein pattern to authenticate a customer’s identity. An automatic verification takes place if the device recognizes that the image captured matches the registered eyeprint image.

First Internet Bank’s latest biometric solution provides the same level of access to those using Eyeprint ID as if they had entered a valid username and password to access online banking and comes at a time when the rise of biometrics is well on its way.

While biometrics still has a long way to go before it becomes a mainstay in identity verification, it is widely expected to take off as the technology continues to advance over the next three to five years.

[bctt tweet=”Increased privacy concerns and consumer interest may fuel the rise of biometrics authentication technologies.”]

More importantly perhaps, users are getting increasingly used to the idea of biometrics and progressively comfortable with the idea it will become part of their daily lives.

As The Conversation reported last year, more than 70 percent of U.K. consumers said they were willing to accept biometrics in general, with nearly 90 percent in support of finger-based authentication methods. This was particularly true for banking, where fingerprint recognition led over voice recognition and facial scan.



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