Korean Bank Uses Nuance Gatekeeper Biometrics to Protect Phone and Video Calls

The Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) is the latest financial institution to adopt the Nuance Gatekeeper voice biometrics solution. Nuance Gatekeeper uses voice recognition to verify the identities of customers who call in to the bank’s contact center.

IBK is not the first bank to take advantage of Gatekeeper, though the deployment is unique insofar as it is the first client to use the solution to protect both phone and video calls (instead of phone calls alone). In the case of a video chat, the solution will function in much the same way that it does during a traditional phone call, and will authenticate the customer based on physical traits and vocal characteristics like intonation and pace.

The two companies are hoping that Gatekeeper will help make digital channels safer during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nuance noted that the volume of fraud attacks has gone up anywhere from 200 to 400 percent (depending on the industry) as customers have turned to remote services now that in-person appointments are no longer an option. IBK deployed Gatekeeper in June, and has already used it to enroll more than 100,000 customers.

“Face-to-face banking transactions are far less frequent now as a result of the pandemic, and we’ve made it our top priority to ensure customer safety, convenience, and experience is maintained despite that,” said IBK Customer Service Strategy Manager Shinwoo Kang. “This type of advanced, AI-enabled biometrics technology is the future of financial transactions in Korea, and we’re proud to already be delivering on that for our customers.”

“IBK is the first bank we’ve seen leverage biometrics for voice authentication during video calls—a trend we anticipate will only increase in the future,” added Nuance VP and GM Brett Beranek. “This is a perfect example of how to leverage AI to adequately protect consumers during a time of increased, advanced fraud attacks.”

Gatekeeper debuted in late 2019. Nuance delivered the solution to the National Australia Bank in May, and then updated the platform to improve its performance with senior callers less than a month later. Gatekeeper also took home the prize for Most Innovative Biometrics at the 2020 InfoSec Awards.

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December 16, 2020 – by Eric Weiss