From Wednesday, July 29, DBS bank account holders who are sick of keying in their personal identification numbers (PIN) can scan their faces on their phones to apply for an online banking account.

This newfangled approach has been dubbed "SingPass Face Verification", and is part of a national facial identification service.

The captured facial image will be matched against the national biometric database.

DBS Bank is the first private-sector entity to pilot the service as it has integrated the function into its digibank app.

The SingPass Face Verification allows private-sector organisations to tap the nation's digital identity infrastructure to securely verify online transactions to bypass building their own systems.

The facial data will not be retained by the bank though.

The service extended so far is limited as it is for customers to sign up for an online banking account without having to enter their ATM, credit or debit card number and a corresponding PIN.

Users need to download the latest version of the digibank app to access the new feature.

In the coming months, users may also be able to scan their faces remotely to verify who they are.

This does away with having to upload pictures of their pink NRIC or show up in person to activate certain services, such as opening a bank account.

Not new method

Scanning faces or fingerprints on phones to access e-government services and the e-services of insurer NTUC Income and the Singapore National Employers Federation can already be done using the SingPass Mobile app.

The app has 1.6 million users to date since it launched in 2018.

National biometric database

The national biometric database contains the facial images and identities of four million local residents aged 15 years and above.

These images were captured through applications for passports and NRICs and its use has so far been limited to official purposes, including verification at border checkpoints and in some government buildings to limit access rights.

Top photo via DBS