French banks to trial voice recognition technology

Passwords and security questions could soon be things of the past after nine French banks were given permission to trial a service allowing customers to access their accounts using just their voice as identification.

The initiative allows customers to identify themselves by saying a sentence to access their bank account, either online or over the phone.

Cnil, the offical body which authorised the trial, lays out certain rules – only customers who have given their consent can be involved; there must be guarantees regarding data protection; and every bank involved must commit to producing a balance sheet at the end of the trial.

The nine banks which will trial voice recognition are Banque Tarneaud, Société Marseillaise de Crédit, Banque Laydernier, BPCE, Banque Courtois, Crédit du Nord, Banque Nuger, Banque Kolba and Banque Rhône-Alpes.