Bye-bye bank cards? Chinese lender launches ATMs with facial recognition software in Shenzhen ahead of nationwide roll-out

Bank cards may soon be a thing of the past when using an automated teller machine (ATM), at least if the pioneering example set by a Chinese bank in the city of Shenzhen, across the border from Hong Kong, catches on.

China Merchants Bank said this week it has already set up nine of its ATMs in the city so that users can withdraw funds after identifying themselves using its new facial recognition software.

The project will soon be rolled out citywide, with plans to cover all of the bank’s 12,000 ATMs in China by year’s end, it said.

When customers select this feature at one of the machines, a real-time picture of them will be taken. This image will then be compared to a verified photograph of the same customer stored in the bank’s database.

Once verified, the user will be prompted to enter their phone number and personal identification number (PIN) as an additional safety measure before they can proceed with cash withdrawal transactions.

According to the bank, the new technology utilises a core algorithm that analyses facial features and shape, as well as the angle at which the photograph was taken, with a high degree of accuracy.