Long-used ID methods like knowledge-based authentication just aren’t reliable anymore, and they leave fintech companies open to compliance risk and customer privacy concerns. Thus, performing accurate fintech identity verification requires technology.
Fortunately, a number of digital identity verification tools have entered the market.
These tools utilize AI, machine learning, biometrics, and data extraction to quickly and seamlessly verify identity for fintech firms.
The result: Better customer experiences, more compliant transactions, and increased trust in your platform.
Ultimately, fintech technologies take time to understand. However, the process of fintech identity verification is straightforward.
This guide provides an overview of ID verification, the importance of fintech identity verification, potential challenges, various ID verification methods, compliance laws, and more that can help fintech companies.
Importance of Fintech Identity Verification Technology
Developing a compliant, secure, user-friendly identity verification protocol is a challenging task. Often, companies cut corners on security for a smoother user experience.
Today’s tools provide simplified processes for fintech websites to verify identity that can deliver both. And the truth is, these tools are needed more than ever, not just for security, but because customers demand and trust them:
- 74% of the users said that they consider physical biometrics as a strong form of digital security.
- In the same survey, consumers voted PIN codes as the second most preferred form of digital security.
- According to Statista, biometrics technology can exceed $70 billion by 2027.
What Are the Potential Challenges Confronting Fintech Firms?
Ensuring security and safety in a fintech firm is crucial. However, there are questions regarding its challenges and how to overcome them. Here are a few of the challenges prevalent in the fintech industry:
1. Regulatory Compliance
Fintech companies (especially the ones offering financial products) are required to comply with government regulations, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (anti-money laundering, and more (Source: ICLG).
This ensures that the institute’s operations follow customer protection norms, industry standards, and government norms.
Any violation or breach may lead to severe penalties, fines, and legal repercussions.
2. Cybersecurity Threats
Fintech companies are vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Hence, it is crucial to have a strong firewall or software that can protect your data. A few of the cybercrime threats are:
- Malware attacks
- Financial fraud
- Identity theft
- Phishing
- Fraudulent transactions
- User data compromises, etc.
3. Online Fraud
According to a report, 65% of organizations were victims of payment fraud activities in 2022, and of these, 71% were victims of business email compromise.
The same report has recorded that 63% of the online frauds were due to check fraud.
These growing numbers are concerning, and agencies continuously upgrade their security systems to fight against these scammers.
4. Market Competition
Market competition poses a significant challenge for fintech firms as they need to frequently ‘sell something unique’ in an already established market. Moreover, they need to ensure that the firm stringently follows government regulations. A few ways that market competition can become a challenge include:
- Not being up to date with the emerging technologies and rapidly changing consumer preferences
- Not investing in innovations, continuous experiments, and adapting to changing trends.
- Not upgrading their application with the latest updates and making it user-friendly
- Not upgrading their application with the latest updates and making it user-friendly
5. Customer Trust
Although customers have to rely on fintech apps for their daily transactions, they don’t wholeheartedly trust fintech companies. They know that fintech apps are crucial in conducting transactions, but the trust level is still low.
6. Access to Funding
Fintech firms need substantial financial resources to work on innovations, the latest technologies, government regulations, and building customer-affluent applications. Securing funding poses a challenge because of the inherent risks, uncertainties, and collateral damage associated with it.
Moreover, there are few investors compared to fintech (emerging and existing) companies, thus immense competition. This competition also keeps the fintech companies on their toes as they constantly must prove their existence, provide value propositions, and offer a solid track record.
Thus, access to funding becomes a challenge due to fierce competition and constant uncertainties about the success of the fintech company.
7. Technology Scalability
Fintech companies are constantly striving to meet their customer’s growing demands. To do so, they must ensure that their technology infrastructure can adapt to changes and expand rapidly. One of the many reasons scalabilities is a challenge because:
- Fintech companies often handle sensitive financial data. Thus, managing the existing data is crucial before venturing into expansion.
- They require robust security measures to protect customers’ data and comply with regulatory boards. If not handled properly, it can complicate scaling efforts.
- Fintech firms need to stay updated with the evolving market trends constantly, or customers may redirect to other well-performing companies.
- With a steady flow of new customers and to retain existing users, companies need to constantly work on user intent, better services, and user-friendliness.
8. Data Privacy
Data privacy is the backbone of the fintech industry. Fintech companies often deal with financial data, customer information, and sensitive details that must be safeguarded with utmost privacy.
The maintenance, security detail, and confidentiality of customer data is not only a regulatory requirement but also a matter of trust. Thus, maintaining data privacy is also very challenging.
Fintech companies are often prone to data breaches and cyberattacks, such as malware attacks, identity theft, etc. The business nature of collecting, processing, and storing personal and financial data makes it vulnerable and eye-catching for scammers.
Thus, it is crucial to implement data protection regulations, like GDPR and CCPA, and invest in:
- Advanced cybersecurity measures
- Robust encryption
- Access controls to protect customer data
9. Economic and Market Volatility
Market volatility and economic irregularities often affect fintech companies. Their success is dependent on the market success and financial inflow.
Any market fluctuations can lead to a lower number of consumer interactions, decreased transactions, and reduced investments, impacting fintech firms’ revenue and growth potential.
Fintech Identity Verification Solutions
Fintech identity verification refers to determining if a customer is who they claim to be. In physical locations, a customer might enter a PIN, or you might check a photo ID. However, when processing transactions online, verification is much more complex and typically requires advanced tools.
Here are some of the common verification methods used to check fintech transactions:
1. Knowledge-Based Verification (KBV)
This method involves asking the user a series of personal questions that only they should know the answer to.
These could be static questions (like the user’s mother’s maiden name) or dynamic questions generated based on information from the user’s credit history or public records. However, this method is becoming less popular due to its vulnerability to social engineering attacks.
2. Biometric Verification
This method uses unique biological characteristics to verify a person’s identity. This could include fingerprint scanning, facial recognition, voice recognition, or even retinal scanning.
For example, a user might be asked to take a selfie, which is then compared to the photo on their ID document using facial recognition technology. Biometric verification is becoming increasingly popular because of its high level of security and ease of use.
3. Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
This method involves verifying the user’s identity using two different factors: something they know (like a password), something they have (like a mobile device), or something they are (like a fingerprint).
This adds an extra layer of security, as an attacker would need to compromise both factors to impersonate the user.
Ultimately, the process must be user-friendly. Complicated authentication processes commonly lead to identity confirmation failure.
4. Digital ID Verification
Digital identity verification is one of the finest forms of fintech ID verification. It leverages advanced technologies, such as biometrics and AI, to verify and authenticate the user’s identity.
It enhances security and streamlines customer experience by defining a customer journey, ensuring identity protection. Digital ID verification brings additional transparency, trust, and ensures integrity of the customer’s information and their financial transactions.
5. Blockchain-Based Verification
Blockchain-based verification in fintech can help with the security and transparency of customer identity verification and transaction history. This step helps reduce operational costs, fraud, and streamlines the process.
Blockchain technology in fintech helps with:
- Having more control over user’s personal data, hence reducing identity theft and addressing privacy concerns.
- Reducing operational costs and time with its advanced identity detection technology
- Reducing the intervention of third-party operators (middlemen), thus increasing processing time and efficiency.
- Its decentralized nature makes it extremely difficult for scammers to break into the system and hack data, making it more secure.
Blockchain-based verification brings trust and transparency to the fintech industry.
6. Document Authentication Services
This is one of the most common practices in identity verification. It involves the user submitting a form of identification, such as a passport, driver’s license, or government ID card.
The fintech platform then uses technology to verify the authenticity of the document. This process may involve checking the document’s security features, comparing the photo on the document to a selfie taken by the user, or cross-referencing the information on the document with other databases. This is a tenant of enhanced due diligence.
7. Machine-Readable Zone (MRZ) Scanning
Machine-readable zone (MRZ) scanning verification can be a highly beneficial form of identity authentication in the fintech industry. MRZ technology is basically characters in coded lines at the bottom of the document that encrypt the user’s personal data. When MRZ scanners scan the document, they decode and transmit the encrypted data and maintain document safety and security.
The most common examples of MRZ technology are passports, driver’s licenses, customs and immigration offices, and other identity documents.
MRZ technology is fintech firms help with:
- Streamlining customer onboarding processes by real-time document scanning
- Reducing manual data entry errors and enhancing security
- Offering quick and robust solutions to verify customer identities
Compliance and Identity Verification in Fintech
Financial institutions are heavily regulated and must meet strict compliance standards.
For example, customer privacy, data security, and identity regulations have been implemented to protect customers and help banks catch and prevent fraud.
Technologies like digital identity verification help companies meet these requirements and store data and records securely and safely. Common regulations in fintech include:
1. Know Your Customer (KYC)
KYC compliance is a standard banking practice that’s used globally. It ensures financial institutions have verified the identity of their clients and have assessed potential risks of illegal intentions.
The goal of KYC is to prevent banks from being used for money laundering. To remain in compliance, fintech companies must:
- Gather information about the customer’s identity and contact information.
- Understand the nature of the customer’s activities (to anticipate what sorts of transactions the customer might initiate).
- Assess money laundering risks associated with that customer.
2. Anti-Money Laundering (AML)
AML refers to laws, regulations, and procedures that prevent criminals from disguising illegally obtained funds as legitimate income.
AML regulations require financial institutions to conduct due diligence to detect and prevent illicit activities. These procedures may include monitoring customer transactions and reporting suspicious activities to the relevant authorities.
3. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
GDPR is a regulation in EU law on data protection. It also addresses the transfer of personal data outside of Europe.
The regulation aims to give control to individuals over their personal data and to simplify the regulatory environment for international business. In other words, identity verification for financial services must ensure that the personal data they collect is handled and stored securely and have the user’s consent to process this data.
4. Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)
If a fintech company handles credit card transactions, they must comply with the PCI DSS. This is a set of security standards designed to ensure that all companies that accept, process, store, or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment.
5. Bank Secrecy Act (BSA)
In the United States, the BSA requires financial institutions to assist U.S. government agencies in detecting and preventing money laundering. This includes keeping records of:
- Cash purchases of negotiable instruments
- Cash transactions exceeding $10,000 (daily aggregate amount)
- Suspicious activities that may signify money laundering, tax evasion, etc.
Best Practices for Fintech Identity Verification
Developing a compliant, secure, user-friendly identity verification protocol is a challenging task. Often, companies cut corners on security for a smoother user experience.
Today’s tools provide simplified processes for fintech websites to verify identity that can deliver both. As you start to develop a system, focus on these best practices:
1. User-Friendliness:
A simple and intuitive interface to enhance user experience
2. Multi-Factor Authentication:
Use at least two verification methods to enhance security.
3. Data Encryption:
Ensure all personal data is encrypted to protect against breaches.
4. Real-Time Verification:
Use technologies like AI to improve efficiency and accuracy.
5. Continuous Monitoring:
Regularly monitor transactions and user behavior for signs of suspicious activity.
6. Transparency:
Clear communication about data usage and storage.
7. Regular Updates:
Stay updated with the latest technologies and regulatory changes.
8. Third-Party Audits:
Regularly conduct third-party audits to ensure compliance.
Identity Verification in Fintech: Case Examples
Here are some examples of how fintech companies use identity verification solutions:
PayPal
PayPal is one of the leading online payment systems. By analyzing transaction patterns and user behavior, PayPal can identify suspicious activities and take appropriate action.
TransferWire
TransferWise (now Wise), a money transfer service, uses document verification and biometric data for identity verification. Customers must upload a photo of a valid ID and a selfie for facial comparison.
Revolut
Revolut, a UK-based fintech company, uses a combination of document verification and biometric data to verify user identities. This has helped Revolut maintain a high level of security while providing a seamless user experience.
Conclusion
Currently, it is almost certain that any online business is required by law to perform AML (anti-money laundering) and KYC (know your customer) checks on their customers or users.
Reliable fintech identity verification is a must for this purpose. Additionally, users can manage their age and ID verification processes more securely using a trusted fintech identity verification solution.
With the help of end-to-end encryption, customers’ uploaded data is protected by FTx Identity’s age checker software, which also protects retailers from violating the law by selling products with age restrictions to minors.