TORONTO – Online bank Tangerine will soon allow its customers to use voice banking and fingerprint recognition to access their accounts from their smartphones.
Working with software provider Nuance Communications, voice banking users may interact with Tangerine’s mobile banking app through a conversational interface that answers questions and provides information. Queries can be as simple as inquiring about account balances, to more complex questions and commands like how much was spent at a specific location, or instructions to send email money transfers or pay a bill. Touch ID uses fingerprint recognition technology to provide an added layer of security to the traditional password when logging into the bank’s mobile banking app. Voice banking functionality will be available to clients with mobile devices running iOS 6 and above, while Touch ID may be used with iOS 8 enabled devices on iPhone 5S and above.
Tangerine also plans to introduce voice authentication later this year, which will allow clients to use their voice as a password when logging into the mobile banking app. This technology, also from Nuance, will require users to repeat a specific phrase to access their account information in addition to providing a password.
"We have a long history of delivering simple and innovative solutions for our clients and we're proud to be the first Canadian bank to introduce biometric technology," said president and CEO Peter Aceto, in the news release. “We recognize that Canadians want more control over their banking experience, and our goal is to provide them with the ability to bank where they want, how they want and when they want.”
Through Tangerine’s mobile banking app, clients can perform all their everyday banking tasks including reviewing transactions, transferring funds, paying bills and depositing a cheque with Cheque-In. In addition, Orange Snapshot, available now on Apple’s Passbook, allows clients to quickly view the balance of their account without having to log into the app.
