The fintech community has been eyeing the capabilities of near field communication (NFC) technology for awhile now. And though we’re still waiting for its successful application in payments, Mitek has proven that the enabling technology has a clear use case in mobile capture and identity verification. The California-based company announced today that it has added NFC capability to its Mobile Verify suite.
With this enhancement, Mobile Verify can read data held on radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips embedded in identity documents. By simply touching the RFID-powered document to their smartphone, users can easily transfer their biometric data to their phone for streamlined authentication. The NFC enhancement layers another factor of authentication by comparing three elements: 1) the user’s photograph stored on the chip, 2) the printed photo on the document, and 3) a live selfie taken by the user. The video below illustrates the user experience.
https://youtu.be/3kIryhjxH2M
This development comes at a time when RFID-equipped documents are becoming more common. Almost 1 billion ePassports have been issued to date, and it is estimated that 3.6 billion people will have RFID-enabled ID cards by 2021. James DeBello, Mitek chairman and CEO said that fintech companies today need “modern methods for ensuring the identities of their users and verifying electronic ID documents.” DeBello added that the enhanced Mobile Verify product offers a “faster, easier and extremely secure digital identity verification process” for Mitek’s global user base.
Mitek’s solutions are embedded into the apps of 5,800 organizations with a combined user base of more than 80 million consumers. Mitek recently demoed at FinovateEurope 2017, where the company’s General Manager of Identity Solutions, Sarah Clark, and CMO, Kalle Marsal, showcased the company’s Mobile Verify solution that helps onboard customers without requiring them to visit a branch. In May, the company partnered with Trulioo to offer identity document verification with facial comparison for Trulioo’s Global Gateway API. This September, Mitek will be showcasing its newest technology at FinovateFall 2017 in New York (register today to save your spot). Check out a sneak peek of what the company plans to demo this fall.