Nationwide working on biometric access for its smartphone and tablet app users

Customers may be able to authenticate using fingerprint scanner, facial recognition, or behavioural and voice techniques

Nationwide Building Society's Innovation Lab is working with biometric security firm Behaviosec and IT services firm Unisys to create an authentication system based on how an individual interacts with their smartphone or tablet to identify them and allow access to their account.

The company said that the prototype app is being developed to address the problem of managing passwords for multiple different websites and services.

Nationwide research found that the average UK citizen now has to remember six different passwords, while more than a quarter have memorised over 10 passwords.

Seventy per cent of people however, have difficulty remembering their passwords, while three quarters reset them twice a month because of this.

"While we all know it's important to change our passwords regularly, this research highlights just how many different passwords people need to remember in an increasingly digital world," said James Smith, head of innovation at Nationwide Building Society.

"With 19 million logins a month on our mobile bank, ensuring Nationwide's customers can access our services in a safe, secure and simple way is a key priority for the Society."

In response, Nationwide said it is working with its partners to trial behavioural biometrics, such as how a person touches and swipes a screen, or even holds their device.

Meanwhile, nearly 60 per cent of users surveyed thought that retina scanners could be used to gain access to their account in future, while nearly a third believe that facial recognition will become a part of smartphone and tablet technology in the future, and that this could hold the key to logging into their bank accounts.

"Whether our customers are online, on the phone or in our branches, meeting their needs for every type of transaction is a complex business," said Smith.

"We believe that using a range of biometrics, such as fingerprint, facial recognition, behavioural and voice can give customers choice in how they interact with Nationwide in the future, with implications that go far beyond simply logging in to our mobile app," he added.