Tangerine Bank unveils biometric access for mobile app

Tangerine, the Canadian direct bank with more than 1.9 million clients and nearly $38 billion in total assets, is launching its newly rebuilt Mobile Banking App for iOS, incorporating EyeVerify’s Eyeprint ID, Nuance VocalPassword and in-app Secure Chat.
Although the app is only available in Apple’s App Store, Tangerine expects to add an Android version “in the coming months.”
The Secure Chat feature had already been on offer starting in January through the company’s website, meaning that as soon as a client is securely logged in, they are able to initiate a session chatting with an associate to help complete actions like changing an address or making a mortgage payment.
The in-app Secure Chat feature was developed in partnership with IBM and uses Genesys technology operating on a customized platform.
“At Tangerine, we’re focused on our clients and their experience with us. Millions of Canadians are looking to their mobile devices to fulfil all of their banking needs. Tangerine has always been the mobile and internet leader in the Canadian financial space and we’re ready to change the game for Canadians. We have taken our award-winning 4.5-star rated app and made it even better,” explains Peter Aceto, President and CEO of Tangerine. “Learning from the feedback provided by our Clients, we have brought to Canadians years of research and the latest tested technologies and functionalities to provide a global, leading mobile banking experience that’s safe, secure and incredibly convenient.”
The newly integrated innovations allow customers to make transactions and chat with a representative while remaining in-app, and also adds the type of secure access functions that are beginning to crop up in a time when consumers and companies are beginning to understand the appeal of living in a world without passwords.
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Eyeprint ID and VocalPassword do pretty much what they sound like they should, identifying clients biometrically and allowing them to access Tangerine’s app via their smartphone or mobile device, whether through an eye scan or saying a simple phrase out loud.
Tangerine is the first Canadian financial institution to implement biometrics for making banking transactions.
“Creating a secure, simple, top-notch experience for our Clients is always our first priority when creating a new app.” said Charaka Kithulegoda, Chief Information Officer at Tangerine. “We’ve made the entire experience of using our Mobile Banking App simpler by bringing the seamless functionality of Secure Chat to mobile and allowing Clients to enter the app by scanning their eyes with Eyeprint ID or authenticating through voice with VocalPassword. Adding in context-aware quick menus has made it even easier for our Clients to perform everyday banking with a few swipes.”
In February, Tangerine partnered with Ryerson University to launch a “Thinkubator” housed on the second floor of Tangerine’s Downtown Toronto Café, across from the Eaton Centre, providing a shared workspace and mentorship opportunities to start-ups working in the fin-tech space.
In 2012, Tangerine was acquired by Scotiabank and operates now as a wholly owned independent subsidiary.