RBS and NatWest, two of the UK’s largest high street banks, are to allow customers with an iPhone 5s, 6 and 6 Plus to access their accounts via the fingerprint recognition function available on their devices.
Customers will be required to activate the automatic log-in feature with their security information in the first instance, but will only need to use Apple’s Touch ID thereafter.
Both banks, which are part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, have decided to add additional security precautions including a customer being required to enter their passwords and details again after three failed log-in attempts.
According to a recent report from the British Banking Association, banking apps have been downloaded over 12.4 million times across the UK.
Stuart Haire, managing director of RBS and NatWest Direct Bank, said: “There has been a revolution in banking, as more and more of our customers are using digital technology to bank with us.
“Adding TouchID to our mobile banking app makes it even easier and more convenient for customers to manage their finances on the move and directly responds to their requests.”
However, while the new service will undoubtedly increase customer convenience, Touch ID has never been used to protect bank accounts before.
Some security experts have voiced doubts as to whether or not the technology is secure enough to replace traditional passwords, especially as hackers beat the Touch ID system one day after its launch by using a photograph of a fingerprint left on a glass surface.
While Apple has gone to great lengths to prove that Touch ID is now completely secure, the company has also made it clear that the technology should not be used as a replacement for traditional online banking security measures.
NatWest and RBS intend for some of the in-app features – such as those used to pay money – to require further security verification, with a payment cap also being put in place.
