Bank of Sharjah has begun using facial authentication from Emirates Face Recognition (EFR) to approve customer fund transfers, and plans to extend the technology to account opening and other digital banking services.
The two companies signed a partnership agreement at the AI Everything Abu Dhabi event, with Bank of Sharjah Chief Operating Officer Sridhar Karlapudi and EFR Chief Executive Zack Charkas in attendance. EFR is a UAE-based provider of facial recognition, biometric verification and AI-based services for public and private sector organizations, with a focus on customer onboarding and authentication.
Under the agreement, Bank of Sharjah, founded in 1973 as the first commercial bank in the emirate, will use EFR’s facial biometric technology to identify and verify customers in its digital channels. Facial authentication for fund transfers is already live, and the bank said the feature is seeing rapid customer adoption. It plans to add the technology to more services over time.
The next phase is tied to an upcoming Bank of Sharjah mobile banking app and web journey. Planned features include instant account opening, other digital services, and automated updates to know-your-customer (KYC) records, the identity information banks must keep on file for each customer. The bank said the changes would let customers complete key banking services digitally without visiting a branch.
UAE banks have been moving customer authentication away from text messages and into their own apps. Following instructions from the Central Bank of the UAE to phase out one-time passwords sent by SMS and email, banks began switching to in-app verification in July 2025. In notices sent on December 31, 2025, several of the country’s largest banks told customers that from January 6, 2026, online card purchases would be approved only through their mobile apps. Some lenders planned to keep SMS codes for customers who requested them in writing, with liability for fraud shifting away from the bank.
Karlapudi described EFR as “an innovative national company” that “shares our ambition to deliver efficient, secure, and seamless banking solutions,” and said the partnership “represents an important milestone in our digital transformation journey.”
“Through EFR solutions, we aim to help organizations streamline critical customer journeys, strengthen security, and deliver seamless digital experiences,” said Charkas.
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
