ANZ to use voice prints for mobile authentication

The Australian bank is beginning a trial of the technology, provided by Nuance Communications, with bank staff and selected customers using the Grow by ANZ mobile app.

ANZ is aiming for a full-scale roll out by the middle of the year. The biometric authentication technique will enable customers to authorise payments above the current ceiling of $1000 from their mobile.

Managing director customer experience and digital channels, Peter Dalton says a person’s voice has five to ten times as many security points than other methods such as fingerprints.

“The technology is now so advanced that it can tell the difference between identical twins or even a voice recording,” he says. “We also know that people are becoming more comfortable with using their voice to do basic commands on their devices, so we see this is a natural extension of current technology and we are expecting this to be a popular enhancement of our mobile apps.”