India Post adds digital banking authentication feature to help elderly and differently-abled

Representational image

In an effort to help banking for the elderly, differently-abled, and individuals with worn fingerprints in carrying out transactions, the India Post Payments Bank on Friday began nationwide rollout of Aadhaar-based face authentication facility for customer transactions.

At the launch, India Post stated that Aadhaar-based face authentication is expected to make digital banking more secure and convenient especially for the elderly and differently abled people.

The face authentication feature for Aadhar was developed under the framework of UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India).

Face-based authentication will help enable customers to perform banking transactions using facial recognition, and eliminate the need for physical biometric inputs like fingerprints or OTPs.

India Post said authentication by facial recognition will help banking for the elderly, differently-abled, and individuals who have worn fingerprints and faced difficulties in doing transactions.

While launching the feature, IPPB MD and CEO R Viswesvaran said, "At IPPB, we believe that banking should not just be accessible, but dignified too. With Aadhaar-based face authentication, we are ensuring that no customer is left behind due to limitations in biometric fingerprints or OTP verification. It's a step towards redefining financial inclusion at scale."

India Post said this secure Aadhaar authentication without needing an OTP or fingerprint sensors will also enable safe banking during health emergencies (like the recent Covid pandemic), where physical contact may be risky.