NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HSBC announced today the launch of Voice ID, the largest planned roll out of voice biometric security technology to customers in UK and first direct, HSBC’s challenger banking brand in UK. Alongside the roll out of touch ID for mobile banking customers, the technology will deliver a superior and more secure banking experience for 15 million customers in UK by the summer.
The new security processes will enable customers to access their accounts – mobile app and telephone banking – through advanced technologies that use the unique characteristics of an individual’s body, specifically voice and fingerprint, to verify an account holder’s identity.
HSBC’s Global Head of Contact Centres, Retail Banking and Wealth Management, Warren Buckley said: “Like a fingerprint, our voice is unique. The biometrics technology behind Voice ID focusses on how we speak, not what we say. It doesn’t matter what language a customer speaks, if they have a cold or sore throat, Voice ID will be able to confirm their identity. Remembering the right password and PIN is challenging and customers get frustrated when they fail the security process and have to reset their details. Having one less telephone security number or PIN to remember will speed up the verification process and give the customer more time to spend talking about their financial needs.”
“This is the largest planned roll out of voice biometric security technology in the UK, and demonstrates our continued investment in innovation and focus on making our services even more convenient for our customers. The UK will be followed by Hong Kong, Mexico, Canada, USA and France, subject to regulatory approvals, and plans are being developed to deploy to more markets over the next two years,” Buckley added.
The science behind the technology
The voice biometrics technology, being used by HSBC and first direct in UK, works by cross-checking against over 100 unique identifiers. It includes both behavioural features such as speed, cadence and pronunciation, and physical aspects including the shape of larynx, vocal tract and nasal passages. For customers that choose to opt-in, they simply enrol their ‘voice print’ and are no longer required to remember or recite their current telephone security password letters or PIN.
Notes to editors:
An independent report by Opus Research, a research-based consultancy, analysed the ways customers can securely identify themselves and found voice biometrics is quicker and easier than traditional authentication methods such as PINs, passwords, security questions and even physical tokens.
The HSBC Group
HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in London. The Group serves customers worldwide from around 6,100 offices in over 72 countries and territories in Asia, Europe, North and Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa. With assets of US$2,549bn at 30 September 2015, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations. HSBC Finance Corporation, through its subsidiaries, owns and services a portfolio of residential real estate loans. HSBC Finance is a subsidiary of HSBC North America Holdings Inc.
