Customers need to scan their finger on the reader, which verifies their vein patterns and provides them access to their online bank accounts.
The reader thus eliminates the need to enter personal identification number (PIN), passwords or other authentication codes, and prevents fraudulent access into bank accounts.
Barclays personal and corporate banking CEO Ashok Vaswani said: "This solution is at the leading edge of innovation and is in direct response to client concerns about the threat of online fraud while making our customers’ lives easier through its convenience."
Hitachi’s VeinID technology is already being used by banks for password replacement, single sign on and ATM machines in Japan, North America and Europe.
However, the usage of vein biometric and digital signature technology in a combined state with the Barclays biometric reader is the first time in the industry, claims the company.
Hitachi Services creation division president Koichi Nakai said: "In a world where cybercrime is on the rise, VeinID offers one of the industry’s most advanced authentication technologies ensuring businesses and their customers can stay one step ahead of fraudsters."
To avoid any fraudulent use of veins, the technology accepts the pattern only when the finger is attached to a human body, Barclays said.
The new technology will be initially available for Barclays’ corporate banking clients from 2015, with plans to expand its use in the bank’s UK network.
Image: Barclays Biometric Reader scans customer’s finger to give access to bank accounts. Photo: courtesy of Barclays.
