Bank ABC Becomes First Bank in the Middle East to Employ Biometric-Based Digital KYC Functionality

Bahrain – Bank ABC, MENA’s leading international Bank announces partnership with Jumio, the leading end-to-end AI-powered identity verification and authentication provider. The partnership enables Bank ABC’s new mobile-only bank to compliantly onboard new individual customers using Jumio’s award-winning biometric-based identity verification technology.

Headquartered in Bahrain and serving customers across five continents, Bank ABC is set to launch one of the region’s first mobile-only banks. It has invested in establishing digitised operations including a fully digital KYC capability, and simplifying and streamlining the onboarding process is central to these efforts.  

“Bank ABC is committed to leveraging the benefits of AI technologies to create seamless customer journeys for accessing banking services securely,” said Sael Al Waary, Bank ABC’s Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer.

Earlier this year at the 3rd Middle East and Africa FinTech Forum, Mr. Al Waary said: “Across the region, banks and other financial institutions are facing enormous disruption from technology. But change should be embraced, not feared. Technology will revolutionize the way we do business. More importantly, it will empower people across the region, and be a force for true financial inclusion.”

“We’re proud to be the first bank in the Middle East to leverage face recognition-based biometrics and machine learning to enhance the KYC and identity-proofing processes,” said Yousif Almas, Group Chief Innovation Officer at Bank ABC. “As more and more customers move online and transact via their mobile devices, it’s critical for Bank ABC to deliver a simple, fast and intuitive onboarding experience that takes minutes, not hours or days.”

Bank ABC’s integration of Jumio’s Identity Verification enables the Bank to verify online customers by having them first capture a picture of their ID card with a smartphone and then take a selfie, with certified liveness detection functionality. This process ensures that the user is who they claim to be and is present during the transaction. As Bank ABC expands digital operations globally and in the MENA region, Jumio will support such growth with its ability to verify IDs digitally across geographies.  

“Jumio is excited to partner with Bank ABC and help the company revolutionize digital banking in the Middle East,” said Robert Prigge, Jumio’s president. “We’re happy to contribute to their mission of delivering a level of service that matches, or exceeds, the market practice internationally by providing the leading-edge identity verification services that vet the digital identities of new customers — quickly, securely and compliantly.”

Bank ABC is a leading player in the region’s banking industry and provides global innovative Wholesale Banking coverage and products that include Corporate and Financial Institutions coverage, Transaction Banking (Trade Finance and Cash Management), Project and Structured finance, Syndications, Treasury and Financial Markets products and Islamic Banking. It also provides retail banking services through its network of retail banks in Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria.   

Leveraging advanced technology including augmented intelligence, AI, biometrics, machine learning, certified 3D liveness detection and human review, Jumio helps organisations meet regulatory compliance including KYC, AML and GDPR and definitively establish the digital identity of their customers. Jumio has verified more than 170 million identities issued by over 200 countries and territories from real-time web and mobile transactions. Its solutions are used by leading companies in the financial services, sharing economy, digital currency, retail, travel and online gaming sectors. Based in Palo Alto, Jumio operates globally with offices in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific and has been the recipient of numerous awards for innovation.

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