Westpac New Zealand has just completed a proof of concept test to allow finger print scanning as a log-in to mobile banking.

The functionality has been trialled on the Samsung Galaxy S5, but could be rolled out it out to other smartphones.

Westpac described the move as a “world first”, and said that it hoped to make the new log-in functionality available to its customers “very soon”.

When the system is live, customers can set up their finger print verification by first logging into their banking app in the traditional way. But once their finger print is registered, they can then gain access to their accounts by a simple press of the fingertip on their phone.

“We are constantly looking at how we can make things easier and faster without increasing risk. The ease of use that the fingerprint scanner provides is another solution that simplifies access to mobile banking for our customers,” Westpac New Zealand’s chief digital officer, Simon Pomeroy, told Computerworld Australia.

“One of the key objectives of our digital strategy is to make banking faster and easier for our customers in the channels of their choice, and we expect the Samsung S5 to be one of those,” he added. “Once we have worked through the details for a market release we will also look to support other devices as the [finger print scanning] feature becomes available.”

Sister bank Westpac Australia also confirmed that it was planning to run a similar proof of concept to test finger print scanning technology this year.

Share Story: