Finovate Blog

Technology companies from every corner of the globe have been lending their talent, resources, and solutions to help deal with the health and economic implications of the COVID-19 crisis. While those firms in health technology have obviously played the lead role, innovators in virtually every field of technology are bringing their unique expertise to the challenge.

Here are three ways that companies specializing in digital identity and identity management are helping organizations, institutions, and individuals manage the global pandemic.

Know Your Carrier

One of the key ways that countries like South Korea have “flattened the curve” of the pandemic is through an approach called “test and trace.” This strategy relies on accurately identifying those who have the coronavirus and then tracking down all those individuals who have had contact with the infected individual so that they can be tested for the virus.

For example, In China, in addition to temperature checks outside of public places like restaurants, officials are leveraging smartphones and QR codes to identify those who are infected with the virus, and to track their recent movements to locate others who may have been in contact with the infected person. In the West, the news that Apple and Google are collaborating to develop a contact tracing solution that will help us meet this specific challenge is a positive sign. Yet as hopeful as this opportunity may be, it is not without caveats.

“It’s really important to get the cooperation of the public,” Recode Executive Director Kara Swisher told CNBCs Squawk Box Monday morning during a discussion on the Apple/Google initiative. She flashed her sleep and activity-tracking Oura ring, noting that wearables could be among the mobile technologies that could be used to make contact tracing as seamless as possible. “More power to the tech companies means more power to the tech companies,” she said. “The only question is will they give it back when this is over?”

Know Your Customer

Getting money into the hands of unemployed and furloughed workers is one challenge. Getting money into the bank accounts of businesses forced to close their doors during this period of quarantine and social distancing has proved, in some ways, to be an even steeper challenge. Many in the small business community were caught off guard, for example, when they learned that in order to access federal COVID-19 relief funds they would need to have a relationship with a participating financial institution.

The issue is that, even in an emergency, knowing your partner is paramount. And in order for banks to be financially responsible, they need to pursue the same measure of KYC diligence on applicants for emergency funding as they would for any other banking customer. To fail to do so would leave these institutions vulnerable, potentially, to massive fraud losses – turning an already challenging environment for banks even worse. Making it easier for financial institutions to engage needy SMEs by leveraging many of the innovations in Big Data and advanced machine learning – while remaining compliant and financially responsible – is a slam dunk opportunity for a sizable number of fintechs.

This is a reminder that regtech may not be appear to be the most important subsector within financial technology. But in the same way that the global pandemic is causing us to think as much about epidemiologists as we do about emergency room doctors, the current challenge in KYC also reminds us of how important innovations in regtech are not only within technology, but also for society as well.

Know Your Crew

While many are understandably eager to “re-open the country,” it remains likely that thousands of workers will continue to work remotely – at least in the near term. This phenomenon has been a boon for companies like Zoom that provide technology that enables online conferencing and makes it easier for workers who do not traditionally work from home to do so.

One major challenge for these newly-homebound employees is ensuring that they are logging into their company’s networks and platforms in a safe and secure manner. Beyond having the infrastructure to support remote work, having the capacity to authenticate legitimate remote workers, and to make sure that the data they are transmitting back and forth remains out of the hands of hackers and cybercriminals is critical.

Indeed, one of the discontents of the “Zoom Boom” is that many people using the platform have raised major privacy concerns, including reports that Zoom conferences have been infiltrated by hackers, interrupting live presentations with obscene images.

As with KYC, this is another area where fintech’s regtech calvary is coming to the rescue. Firms like Onfido and Jumio, among many others, have made their identity verification technologies available for free to organizations and institutions in the health and home care fields that are on the frontlines of the fight against the virus.

In a COVID-19 world, the rich may not necessarily be getting richer, but it has become clear that the virus is taking a toll on lower income populations. And with this, the global pandemic is shining a light on income disparity.

Do you remember the last movement to highlight income inequality?Occupy Wall Street. The movement started in September 2011 as groups assembled at major financial districts and banks to make their voices heard about income distribution, bank reform, student loan forgiveness, and capitalism in general. Nearly 200 protestors camped out in Zuccotti Park in New York’s financial district, ultimately costing the city $17 million.

So with the income inequality fresh on consumers’ minds, here are a few ideas on how banks and fintechs can be their ally instead of their perceived enemy.

Be flexible

While you don’t need to bend over backwards, offering some flexibility is key. And even though offering flexibility on payment plans can be essential, it’s not all consumers are looking for. Your call center, for example, is likely overloaded right now. Instead of having callers wait on hold, can you direct them to a chatbot or make an option for them to request a call back from an agent at a certain time?

Straying from traditional operations and bending some rules (in a compliant manner, of course!) can make a huge difference to a stressed-out consumer that is just looking for someone to understand their situation.

Be generous

You don’t have to forgive a customer’s mortgage payment for them to like you. Peer-to-peer payment company Venmo is doing a great job at engaging with its customers during this time. The company is depositing $20 into consumers’ accounts in exchange for their generosity toward healthcare workers or others in need.

Select an idea that works for your organization’s image. You can give away gift cards to Netflix or offer free gift cards to local restaurants for take away meals. The giveaways can be in under $10 and done at random or as a daily or weekly online drawing. For something more simple, you could host a larger cash giveaway with only one or two winners.

Show unity

Play a role in your community, even if it’s not an in-person effort. Advertise in the local paper that your staff is volunteering to drop off groceries for elderly citizens, display uplifting sayings to encourage passersby, or even place rolls of toilet paper on front steps of houses in nearby neighborhoods. If toilet paper isn’t your style, mail coloring sheets and simple art supplies to customers with small children. For smaller banks, publish the phone number of a representative who can help customers sort through financial issues.

Small actions can have big outcomes during a crisis like this. During a time when people are “looking for helpers” as Mr. Roger’s instructed, banks have a great opportunity to be the helpers in their community.