ANZ to trial voice payments on its mobile app
ANZ is to launch a limited trial, involving staff and selected customers, using voice biometrics to transfer sums greater than AUD1,000 ($755) via mobile, according to a company statement. Until now, such transfers have required a visit to a branch. If the trial is successful, the facility will be gradually rolled out to other digital services later in the year. "A person's voice has five to 10 times as many security points than other methods such as fingerprints so we know this will improve security," said Peter Dalton, managing director customer experience and digital channels.
The ANZ bank will run a trial using voice biometrics to transfer sums of money more than $1000 using its mobile apps.

The trial will involve staff and select customers using the Grow by ANZ mobile app, the bank said in a statement on Monday.

Uptil now, customers have been able to transfer sums up to $1000 on their mobile devices; anything more meant a visit to a branch or the use of Internet banking.

That will change in mid-year, according to the statement. After the trial, the voice technology will be rolled out gradually to ANZ goMoney and other digital services.

The voice technology will be from Nuance, the company that makes the Dragon Naturally Speaking voice-to-text software.

Managing director Customer Experience and Digital Channels, Peter Dalton, said: "One of the key challenges today for banking as the world becomes more digital is making it easier for customers to do what they want to do in a safe and secure way.

"Voice biometrics is the next step in making banking more convenient for our customers while also strengthening security.

"A person's voice has five to ten times as many security points than other methods such as fingerprints so we know this will improve security and be welcomed by our customers. The technology is now so advanced that it can tell the difference between identical twins or even a voice recording.

"We also know that people are becoming more comfortable with using their voice to do basic commands on their devices, so we see this is a natural extension of current technology and we are expecting this to be a popular enhancement of our mobile apps."