Face Authentication for Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AePS) is now available from Airtel Payments Bank

Airtel Payments Bank and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) have collaborated to introduce face authentication for the Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AePS)

Face authentication is now available for Aadhaar-enabled payment systems thanks to Airtel Payments Bank:

In order to roll out face authentication for the Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AePS) at its five lakh banking points, Airtel Payments Bank has partnered with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). One of the first projects of its kind in India, four banks have teamed up with NPCI to offer face authentication for AePS, and this action marks that partnership.

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Importance of Face Authentication for AePS: Ganesh Ananthanarayanan, COO of Airtel Payments Bank, emphasized the importance of the new feature, stating that “face authentication is an important addition to our existing bouquet of secure and simple banking solutions to drive financial and digital inclusion in the country.”

With AePS, customers can access their Aadhaar-linked bank account using their Aadhaar number or virtual ID to conduct financial and non-financial transactions at any banking location. Transactions were up until this point authenticated by the customer’s Aadhaar number and a fingerprint or iris match in the UIDAI database. With the new facility, customers will be able to verify the transaction by using face authentication in addition to their Aadhaar number.

Collaboration with NPCI:

 The collaboration with NPCI will enable Airtel Payments Bank to expand its reach across the country, enhancing the accessibility of Aadhaar-based transactions. Praveena Rai, chief operating officer of NPCI, remarked that “it is delightful to see Airtel Payment Bank implementing this feature for AePS transactions, which will enhance the reach of Aadhaar-based transactions across the country.”

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Rollout Strategy: Initially,

 the facility will be made available to non-financial transactions like balance inquiries and mini-statements by Airtel Payments Bank. Airtel Payments Bank will enable the functionality for its customers at other banking locations as well as for customers of other banks, in accordance with NPCI guidelines.

Testing Digital Payments Through Feature Phones and IVR:

 In order to test digital payments through feature phones, Airtel Payments Bank has teamed up with NPCI. In addition to other use cases, the business is testing interactive voice response (IVR) for digital payments with NPCI in Tier-II and Tier-III cities.

Following are some crucial details about Airtel Payments Bank:

A leading Indian telecommunications company, Bharti Airtel, has a subsidiary called Airtel Payments Bank.It is India’s first payments bank, launched in 2017, with a focus on providing digital banking and financial services to the underbanked and unbanked population in the country.

Airtel Payments Bank provides a variety of services, such as savings and current accounts, money transfers, bill payments, and digital banking.

The bank runs through a network of banking points, which includes authorised banking points, partner outlets, and Airtel retail stores.Customers can only use Airtel Payments Bank, which operates as a semi-closed wallet and is licenced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), to conduct business with the bank’s approved merchants.

The bank collaborates with several government initiatives, such as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), to provide digital banking services to the nation’s unbanked population.