Fingerprint sensors have been fitted in automated teller machines (ATMs) of Brazil’s second largest state-owned bank, CAIXA, via Diebold Incorporated, which is supplying the ATMs; and Griaule, a Brazilian-based software company, providing supporting software.
The Bolsa Família Program, which provides payments to low income families to help keep their children in school, was the catalyst for using fingerprint biometrics to replace individual PIN numbers for access to CAIXA ATMs. Many users do not have bank accounts and use the ATM only once a month to get their money. As such, they often forgot their passwords and bank managers were spending too much time resolving getting PINs renewed or changed. With 14,000 ATMs involved, this was a major problem. CAIXA has more than 58 million registered customers.
Lumidigm Vice President of Transaction Systems Bill Spence, said: “Our fingerprint sensors are reliable and intuitive, perfect for unattended applications such as ATM access. CAIXA customers simply insert their card and touch the fingerprint reader to conveniently withdraw their funds from the ATM and be on their way. No PIN to remember, no training required. It’s that simple.”
The US company’s fingerprint sensors employ multispectral imaging technology which reads fingerprints both on and below the skin. This according to the company uses a richer biometric data set for higher biometric performance.
Latin America is said to be embracing fingerprint technology as the preferred mode for access to ATMs. Last month, Lumidigm announced that Itautec is presently installing the first 12,000 Lumidigm fingerprint readers into the ATM network of one of Brazil’s largest private banks. Lumidigm fingerprint sensors can also be found at banks in India and South Africa. For more information, visit www.lumidigm.com.
