NatWest brings biometric approval to business payments

NatWest has announced the launch of a biometric payment approval feature, which allows business and commercial banking customers to make payments of any size through their Bankline Mobile app using Face ID or Touch ID, without the need for a card reader.

The feature also allows businesses to authorise multiple users to setup payments, which business owners can then subsequently approve on the go through their app, providing additional flexibility and ease over payment management.

Customers can make a payment thanks to three unique security factors: once they have registered their device, they can then set up and approve a payment using biometric authentication – such as Face ID or Touch ID – before entering their six digit Bankline Mobile Keycode to complete the process.

The bank has worked with leading external partners to ensure that the feature is completely secure and complies fully with the forthcoming Payment Service Directive (PSD2) regulations that govern Secure Customer Authentication, due to come into effect later this year.

The lender is initially rolling the improvement out to iOS users now, with availability on Android and other platforms expected to follow in the second half of the year.