Airtel Payments Bank partners with NPCI to roll out face authentication for AEPS

Bharti Airtel-owned Airtel Payments Bank has partnered with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to roll out Face Authentication for AePS (Aadhaar-enabled Payment System) at its 500,000 banking points.

The partnership counts among the first four banks to offer Face Authentication for AePS in the country.

What is AePS?

NPCI's AePS enables customers to carry out financial and non-financial transactions at any banking point using their Aadhaar number or virtual ID to access their Aadhaar-linked bank account. Until now, transactions were being authenticated using the customer’s Aadhaar number and fingerprint or Iris match in the UIDAI records. 

The new facility will enable customers to validate the transaction by undertaking face authentication along with the Aadhaar number. The authentication is processed using the Face Authentication RD Application by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

As of now, the face authentication feature is available for non-financial transactions such as balance inquiries and mini-statements. Airtel Payments Bank said that it will soon make available for financial transactions for customers of other banks.

Statements:

“We are delighted to collaborate with NPCI to offer this new facility to our valuable customers. 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," said Ganesh Ananthanarayanan, COO of Airtel Payments Bank.

“We commend UIDAI for introducing face authentication as an additional mode for Aadhaar-based authentication. It’s delightful to see Airtel Payment Bank implementing this feature for AePS transactions, which will enhance the reach of Aadhaar-based transactions,” said Praveena Rai, chief operating officer at NPCI.

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