Santander is trialling a new solution on its iOS SmartBank app, enabling customers to use their voice to make payments, check their account balance and report a lost bank card. It is the first High Street bank to offer such service.

The new technology follows the launch of Santander’s ‘voice assistant banking’ last year, with the enhanced functionality now understanding commands such as “pay Julia £30 tomorrow”, “how much did I spend on holiday?”, and “what is my balance?”.

Customers can also use their voice to make payments to existing payees via the app. Transactions appear in real time, retailers are highlighted by name, spend can be calculated by day, month or year and customers with a credit card can also ask about the cashback they have earned.

Ed Metzger, head of technology innovation at Santander, said: “We are excited to be the first UK High Street bank to enable customers to make payments using just their voice, offering them another channel of choice in how they wish to bank.

“Appetite for simple, intuitive banking solutions has grown significantly in recent years. This pioneering technology has huge potential to become an integral part of the future banking experience, playing a transformational role in the industry and redefining how customers choose to manage their money.”

The new technology being utilised by the Santander app is provided by Nuance Communications. The functionality is based on basic voice commands and does not require customers to register their unique voice print for authentication or login purposes.

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