DCB Bank plans iris scans for banking
Let’s see what happens in the next six months
DCB Bank, a private sector bank in India, plans to allow customer transactions and account opening through iris scans for Aadhaar authentication.
The Aadhaar infrastructure, created by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), onboards customers and provide them with online services. UIDAI collects the biometric and demographic data of residents, stores them in a centralised database, and issues a 12-digit unique identity number – Aadhaar – to each resident.
The bank recently carried out a pilot programme at about ten branches in India, processing around 200 accounts, including opening 100 new accounts.
To open an account, a customer gives their Aadhaar number, their iris is scanned, and the Aadhaar details are retrieved from the Aadhaar database – thus providing a know your customer (KYC) check.
The bank has about 70 Aadhaar-based ATMs in the country, which use fingerprint authentication instead of ATM/debit card and PINs to dispense cash. Existing customers can also update their Aadhaar number using the iris scan.
DCB Bank says it will roll out the feature to its 205+ branches across India within the next six months.
