VCG unveils 'back-office' voice biometrics

The Voice Commerce Group (VCG) has announced the development of a banking system that will enable the use of biometrics-based ‘voice signatures’.

VCG chief executive Nick Ogden said, "Voice Transact uses a voice biometric to pull together the retail and internet banking sectors of the market, and will also open up the mobile payments market." In addition, Ogden added, the voice biometric system would help reduce security issues, including the major issue of online identity fraud.

VCG announced 'Voice Pay', around 15 months ago, it is a customer facing system which drew approaches from banks interested in an end-to-end system – 'Voice Transact' is the back office system.

Ogden outlined the way the system registers customers wishing to sign up for the service, "Using your online banking account, you ask to register to use voice biometrics. The phone rings and you're asked to repeat a sequence of numbers down the phone and the system creates a voice biometric profile."

"To use the system to pay for goods or services, you ring a free phone number, quoting a 'voice pay' product code and the system asks you to recite a sequence of numbers back to it down the phone – it's as simple as that," said Ogden. As well as payment transactions Ogden says that the system can also be used to get cash even if you don't have your wallet with you or authorise remote cash payments for 'cash-strapped' relatives using the system.

However, Ogden did point to current problems with the system, the biggest of which was interoperability between different banks' systems, and the standards used in the technology. "The technology behind our system supports all current standards: Visa and MasterCard Level 1 PC1, ISO 19029, and EU certification 1999/93 for digital certificates within the Single European Payments Area (SEPA)," added Ogden.

The 'free phone' network will be provided by global carrier Verizon, who Ogden said had been collaborating with VSG since 2005. The biometric uses Nuance Communications' voice recognition system, and Ogden today announced a strategic agreement with the speech recognition vendor to provide its technology.

Ogden said that the system worked with through mobile or landlines, and that would immediately give consumers the ability to take responsibility for their transactions.