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HOW TRANSPARENCY CAN IMPROVE IDENTITY VERIFICATION FOR BANKS

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By Paul Dunphy, Research Scientist for OneSpan

In the Netflix series The Crown, a lead character exclaims: “Who wants transparency when you can have magic?” Magic and transparency can be thought of as different extremes of how large and complex institutions try to win our trust. Typically institutions choose “magic” due to the lack of insight they provide, which means we can only hope that they will act in our interest. We often depend on such institutions – but since we can’t trust magic, we need transparency instead.

Today, technology is providing new transparent approaches to identity verification for banks to improve issues with the customer due diligence phase of onboarding. Aite Group found that abandonment rates for financial account opening processes range between 65 – 95%, depending on the product. If this process is not conducted thoroughly, banks could face regulatory action and costly fines. When re-framing this problem from one that banks must solve individually, to one that banks can solve collectively, then new approaches become possible.

Banks can solve problems in identity verification by sharing a live log of data related to identities that have already been verified. Yet this can be difficult to realise, even in the digital age. Pragmatic challenges such as: tracking master copies; resolving version conflicts; and managing concurrent updates, can create an aversion to this type of arrangement due to the risk to the integrity of those records.

Distributed ledgers (blockchains), can help here. Over the years we’ve learnt that:

Given the attention that distributed ledgers have attracted in recent times, it is inevitable that the first forays into applying transparency to solve identity verification problems have used this technology.

Let’s look at two different approaches to how banks can create transparency by using distributed ledgers.

 

A Shared Log for Identity Verification

If banks are able to co-operate and maintain a shared log of data relevant to identity verification it can help streamline identity verification. KUBE (Know Your Customer Utility for Banks and Enterprises) is a technology that has been proposed by the Isabel group along with Belfius, BNP Paribas Fortis, ING, and KBC to achieve exactly that.

The technology aims to increase the efficiency of onboarding for business customers through a shared log of identity attributes previously checked by member banks. The technical details of KUBE are not yet clear, but the distributed ledger in the architecture will contribute to consensus between each bank on the latest version of the log, along with assuring the integrity and availability of the data. Once customers are registered in the KUBE system, the identity verification performed with one bank is available to another bank with the consent of the customer, who receives the benefit that they only need to verify their identity once amongst that federation of banks.

In this example, KUBE provides a verifiable and transparent log which creates transparency between banks on the network. But, the customer must rely on KUBE to protect the confidentiality of their personal information.

 

Decentralised Identity

One other option is to re-envision digital identity completely to place the customer on more of an equal footing with banks. Decentralised Identity (self-sovereign identity) is a model of digital identity whereby a user is equipped with cryptographic techniques to create, self-verify, and own a digital identity that is portable between relying parties. Its constituent components are a trustworthy shared log, public key cryptography, and verifiable credentials (now a W3C standard).

Sovrin is one exemplar of this approach and its technology comprises a public-permissioned distributed ledger based on Hyperledger Indy and cryptographic credentials following the W3C standard. For example, after identity verification the customer is provided with a verifiable credential from that bank, which is stored in an identity wallet on the customer’s mobile device. When the customer onboards with a new bank, they provide that credential along with a decentralised identifier (DID) that they use, and prove their ownership of both using properties of public key cryptography. The receiving bank must then check the validity of the credential on the shared ledger. Thus, identity need only be verified once amongst a federation of institutions and the customer retains control over disclosure of personal information.

This area is one of active investigation; as such, there is no product that is ready-to-go. One crucial challenge that requires research is the relationship between user experience and privacy, since in this model customers will inherit new responsibilities and software to use to manage their privacy.

 

Privacy is Important

Both examples require privacy for both customers and financial institutions. When designing a shared log for identity verification there might be an inclination to start with a minimum viable product that simply pools the personal information of customers. Pooling the personally identifiable information (PII) of customers creates an attractive honeypot for attackers, and a point in the system design where information can be accidently leaked.

In addition, banks have their own privacy concerns. Clearly, we shouldn’t design a system where banks can conduct surveillance on each other. In the design stage of a technology, we must consider how the benefits of transparency can solve new problems, while at the same time, finding acceptable levels of data confidentiality and privacy.

 

Closing Thoughts

The value of transparency-enhancing technologies such as trustworthy shared logs are subject to a network effect, which means that the value of an application in the financial industry is tightly coupled with the number of financial institutions that choose to use them. The exciting research direction of the future is to investigate how distributed ledgers and transparency-enhancing techniques more generally, can create new applications in banking, and reduce our need to trust magic.

Banking

Will ‘Britcoin’ change the way we bank?

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The Treasury and Bank of England recently announced a state-backed digital pound is likely to be launched in the UK later this decade, following the popularity of cryptocurrencies. However, the ‘Britcoin’ will be backed by the central bank, ensuring the digital pound will be much less volatile than its sister, cryptocurrency. Could a digital pound backed by the central bank be the answer to utilising technological developments in the finance system for the better?

Ross Thompson, Accountancy and Finance Lecturer at Arden University, considers what we can expect from ‘Britcoin’, how this will impact consumers, businesses, and the economy, and whether ‘Britcoin’ could be the revolution to restore our confidence in the banking system.

Trust in our financial system hit an all-time low post the 2008 financial crash. Even ten years on from the collapse of Lehman Brothers, a survey found 66% of adults in Britain still don’t trust banks to work in the best interests of society.

This means there remains to be apprehension for people to sign up to and use a bank to help manage their money. The UK doesn’t seem to struggle too much in this arena, however, as according to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), most UK consumers (96%) have a current account from a bank or building society. Regardless, there is still a significant number of adults who do not have a bank account or are what is known as ‘unbanked’.

The lack of trust plays a big part here. More people want better control over their money and to cut out the middleman, hence why cryptocurrencies and blockchain became a tempting option, as it can potentially remove the need for banks for any transactions. However, the volatility of these currencies has been a cause for concern for many investors and regulators.

Blockchain and cryptocurrency are gaining more traction and are becoming more of a viable option for businesses, especially due to talks of regulations coming into fruition. This is especially true with cryptocurrency, with the government announcing crypto assets will be subject to FCA rules in line with the same high standards that other financial promotions such as stocks, shares, and insurance products are held to.

The “Britcoin” aims to solve the issues traditional Bitcoin presents. It would be backed by the central bank, which would ensure its stability and reduce its volatility, making it a more attractive option for investors and providing greater confidence in the stability of the financial system. Britcoin will be as stable as the inherent stability of the British economy and political system. It would also provide an opportunity for the UK to stay at the forefront of technological developments in the finance system – a system in which it can sometimes be slow to react.

One of the key benefits of a digital pound is that it would be much faster and more efficient than traditional banking systems. Transactions could be completed almost instantly, regardless of where the parties involved are located. This would make cross-border transactions much easier and could even help to boost international trade.

The Bank of England’s Governor, Andrew Bailey, stated: “a digital pound would provide a new way to pay, help businesses, maintain trust in money and better protect financial stability”, pointing toward the other advantage of a digital pound. It would offer more security as transactions would be recorded on a distributed ledger, which would make it much more difficult for hackers to tamper with the system. It would also provide greater transparency, as all transactions would be recorded on the ledger and could be easily traced if needed.

However, there are also some potential drawbacks. One concern is that it could lead to a reduction in the use of cash, which could have implications for those who do not have access to digital technologies or who prefer to use cash for privacy reasons. There are also concerns that a digital pound could be used for illicit activities, such as money laundering or terrorism financing. On top of this, more details are required in relation to the levels of personal account privacy; the potential to usher in ‘big brother’ banking systems is a growing a concern regarding state digital currencies.

Around 85 central banks are currently engaged in projects to create digital currencies, according to figures from the Bank for International Settlements. But as it stands, many feel there is probably little need for a digital pound; with a growing amount of people using their debit cards, phones and watches to fulfil the same function, a digital pound is deemed unnecessary. On top of this, many of the public fear that a government digital currency could potentially infringe on their privacy – despite the BoE stating the currency would be subject to rigorous standards of privacy and data protection.

And in countries where a digital currency has already been established, there has been little uptake – widely due to the lack of trust between central banks and citizens. It seems gaining users’ confidence should be the Bank’s first priority. The House of Lords economic affairs committee stated last year that a digital pound would pose “significant risks” such as state surveillance, financial instability as people convert bank deposits to CBDC during periods of economic stress, an increase in central bank power without sufficient scrutiny and could be exploited by hostile states and criminals; it is safe to say that the nation’s ‘Britcoin’ will need to be very well thought out.

It has the potential to revolutionize the finance system, however, and could provide significant benefits to investors and consumers alike. However, the potential risks and drawbacks must be carefully considered before any decision is made to launch such a currency. Having said that, if it is implemented correctly, a digital pound could be a powerful tool for utilising technological developments in the finance system for the better.

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Banking

Why the future is phygital

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By Eric Megret-Dorne, Head of Card Issuance Services and Service Operations at Giesecke + Devrient

 

Digital banking has become increasingly ingrained in people’s everyday lives. Today, 73% of people globally use online banking at least once a month. Traditional bricks-and-mortar banks, which have long relied on the in-person experience with customers, are now having to step up their offering. With new ways of working blurring the work-home boundary, banks must ensure a fast, seamless connection between face-to-face processes and virtual customer experiences.

However, this does not mean that physical and digital banking are in competition with each other. In fact, many continue to use physical bank cards, with 1.12 billion in circulation in 2021, which provides the basis for digital payments and offerings. As a result, the benefits of digitalisation should converge with the comfort of physical touchpoints to create a holistic, “phygital” experience.

The path to phygital

Banks are accelerating their digital transformation strategies to keep up with the fast pace of fintech innovations. To meet the changing needs and preferences of customers, the payment world is leveraging new technologies to create personalised experiences through a range of different channels.

While the digitalisation of banking has been underway for quite some time – particularly for younger generations – events such as the Covid-19 crisis forced banks and customers of all ages to use digital tools and processes to compensate for branch, office, and call centre closures. With branches worldwide typically operating at reduced capacity due to social distancing requirements, consumers embraced online banking to avoid both the virus and potentially long queues.

However, some consumers still enjoy physical touchpoints, meaning a digital-only approach won’t suit everyone.

Striking a balance

It’s all about options – consumers now want to freely switch between traditional and digital channels without being forced into one. But how can banks achieve this phygital balance? One way is to equip physical channels with digital capabilities, so that online tools can augment the physical experience. For example, personalised bank cards with a bespoke design can be activated digitally, offering customers an extra layer of convenience. Having to wait for a new PIN to arrive in the mail is a common bugbear for consumers, so bringing card activation processes into the digital ecosystem will ensure a more seamless experience.

Greater automation in the card issuance and activation process enables the benefits of digital to be integrated into the physical banking experience without being intrusive. For instance, self-service kiosks empower customers to print their own cards, reducing the time between acquisition and card issuance, while still allowing for in-branch expertise if needed.

The personal touch

Phygital strategies also give banks a range of valuable data insights that can help them better serve their customers. This includes data on purchasing behaviours and habits, which can then be utilised to improve banks’ offerings and unify the physical and digital brand experience. Using omnichannel data helps to build a hyperpersonalisation strategy to provide real-time services.

In this way, digital solutions help banks maximise their user experience. Whenever a consumer interact with a bank, it creates data and behaviours. With fragmented databases, legacy systems and real-time data created by interactions with third-party partners through Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), it is not always easy for banks to streamline this data from different sources. By understanding patterns in that data and behaviours, banks can tailor and personalise unique experiences for each and every user.

Where security meets innovation

With big data opportunities abound, banks should be mindful of their consumers’ security concerns. Customers are now demanding much more transparency when it comes to how information is stored and collected. At the same time, they still desire greater personalisation via digital methods. Therefore, any successful phygital strategy requires a robust digital security to ensure customers have the same peace of mind as when they complete physical transactions.

To close the gap between innovation and security, banks should utilise tokenised infrastructure, which ensures the safe provision of payment credentials and securing of customer payments across all touchpoints. This is particularly important as regulations such as PSD2 and SCA demand strong authentication requirements.

The use of a token greatly enhances the consumer experience. For example, it allows for card details to be automatically updated for subscription services upon the expiry of an existing one, avoiding any service disruption.  Multi-factor authentication can also ensure an additional layer of security, as it combines a password with verifiable human biometrics such as fingerprints or facial recognition.

Best of both worlds

Every consumer has unique preferences when it comes to banking. Therefore, banks must evolve by bringing both physical and virtual touchpoints into a ‘phygital’ world. Only a phygital approach can meet the needs of all end users – whether they favour an in-person experience, an online one, or a blend of the two. The holistic data insights, personalisation opportunities, and optimised security ensured at every touchpoint are also critical in building future-ready banks.

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