By Philipp Pointner, Chief Product Officer of Jumio
They say it takes 60 days to make or break a habit. With the UK having spent over 100 days in lockdown, old habits have changed and new ones have formed. While restrictions are starting to ease, these habits will stay with us, including how we choose to manage our finances. While prior to the pandemic, we may have gone to the bank regularly to deposit a cheque, change our bank account or open a new one, this habit has now been broken, putting the role of the branch in question.
Well before the outbreak of COVID-19, bank branches were closing in large numbers. More than a third of the UK’s bank branches have shut for good in less than five years, while hundreds of those that remain have reduced their business hours.
These macro changes in how we interact with our finances impacts financial institutions, which have had to adapt to allow current and prospective customers to access services remotely with the same level of security. Digitalisation in banking has been happening for years, but the global pandemic has significantly accelerated these efforts. While newer challenger banks have a reputation for faster sign-ups and seamless customer experience, security remains a top concern, particularly when the annual value of online banking fraud losses eclipsed £112 million in 2019.
Fraud detection measures have a reputation for making the customer experience worse. How can we preserve the user experience without compromising online security?
The best experience vs. the best security
Top security at the account sign-up stage is essential, yet nearly half (48%) of all fraud value stems from accounts that are less than a day old. Experian’s 2020 Global Identity and Fraud Report found that account opening and account takeover are responsible for higher losses than any other type of fraud. The account onboarding process is one that carries many risks — financial, regulatory, and reputational — when identifying the true identity of a customer, especially when not done in person.
In ensuring fraud detection, measures with incremental friction are often put in place to keep identities secure. However, too much friction can be problematic, with nearly 40% of potential new customers quitting onboarding processes which are too time-consuming and onerous. This level of abandonment represents a significant cost for financial institutions. With friction having such an impact on conversion rates, there are lessons traditional banks can learn from their challenger counterparts when it comes to customer experience.
How do we solve this?
For many consumers digital banking is not new, but the global pandemic has forced others to try digital banking for the first time because there are no other options. How many of these consumers will return to a physical branch when lockdowns are lifted?
When onboarding, whether online or in branch, banks perform the same set of steps even though the process differs. While banks are required to perform the necessary due diligence as part of their KYC obligations, many of the onboarding steps required in-branch can be automated, streamlined and simplified to deliver a better customer experience.
Face-based biometrics have the power to help banks strike the right balance between customer experience and security when it comes to digital verification. When a customer goes to set up an account, the bank asks them to take a picture of their government-issued ID (e.g., driver’s license, passport) and a corroborating selfie. This process determines if the ID is authentic and if the person in the selfie matches it.
To make this process even more secure, online solutions are now embedding certified liveness detection in the selfie-taking process to make sure that the customer is not attempting to spoof the system with a deepfake video or a picture of a picture. By leveraging biometrics and AI, an accurate verification decision can be made in a matter of seconds, which dramatically lessens the friction and frustration experienced by most online customers.
Going beyond onboarding
With over 60% of financial institutions experiencing an increase in fraud volume over the last few years, and cyber fraud as the primary concern, top-end security needs to go beyond the onboarding stage.
Face-based biometrics can also serve as the answer to ongoing authentication. During the initial identity verification process, better online solutions create a 3D face map, containing over 100 times more liveness data than a 2D photo. When a future authentication is required, for example, when a customer tries to reset their password or initiate a wire transfer, the customer is asked to take a new selfie, during which a new 3D face map is created. This face map is compared to the original and authorises the transaction in seconds with a significantly higher level of identity assurance.
This holistic approach is required now more than ever, with fraudsters taking advantage of the surge to digital.
So, what next?
Digitalisation is no longer just an important priority — it must be a primary focus for all regulated financial institutions. When lockdowns were announced all around the world, challenger banks were better prepared to support their customers online, but while they may have had an advantage at the start, it doesn’t need to stay that way. With the extraordinary power of face-based biometrics and AI, financial institutions can level the playing field by delivering an online experience that balances account security and customer usability.
