ISTANBUL, Turkey, February 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
İşbank S.A. is the largest commercial bank in Turkey and provides a wide range of banking
services to the retail and commercial market. In 2010 İşbank
decided to start an ambitious project to implement the largest
network of biometric ATMs in the EMEA region. The bank's target was
to increase security and convenience of ATM services. After
carefully studying the available technologies, İşbank selected
Hitachi's Finger Vein authentication system as the most suitable
solution for deployment across their network. The bank worked
closely with MIG International, a multinational technology and
system integration company, to deliver and support the upgrade of
their ATMs across their network in Turkey using this award winning technology.
Currently İşbank has completed implementation of around 3,400
Finger Vein scanners including 2,400 units in ATMs and 1,000 units
in branches in all cities across the Turkish territory. The new
authentication service called 'Biyokimlik' (Bio-identity) is
available for card and non-card transactions for İşbank customers.
İşbank is planning to expand this service to create the largest
biometric POS (Point-of-sale) network in the world. Currently
biometric POS devices using Finger Vein technology are being tested
in the field with several merchants. İşbank presented this
innovation to the world during the last CeBIT Turkey event in
2011.
Sabri Gökmenler, IT Division Head at İşbank, responsible for the
implementation of the Finger Vein technology, explained: "İşbank
has a long history of innovation in banking in the Turkish
financial sector and has always been the market leader regarding
the introduction of new services and technology. The bank
sees the implementation of biometrics at ATMs as a natural
evolution in the use of technology to provide new levels of
security and flexibility for our customers. One of the main
benefits of using finger vein technology is that customers can
withdraw cash from the ATM without the need to use a card."
Hakan Aran, CIO at İşbank
explained: "Our customers seem to be genuinely interested in the
idea of using biometrics in banking and payments transactions and
İşbank will continue to innovate with new services based on
biometrics. The bank recently launched an innovative
'pay-by-finger' concept using finger vein technology at the Cebit
Turkey Technology Fair and we received very positive feedback from
our customers."
For Hitachi, this project marked the largest success to date
outside of the Japan domestic
market, where Hitachi completely dominates the landscape for the
use of biometrics in banking. Of the 46% of ATMs in Japan, which use biometrics (Source: Japan
Financial Services Agency, 2011), the majority are using Hitachi's
Finger Vein system, so that more than 75,000 finger vein scanners
have been shipped for use in ATMs in the country (according to
Hitachi-Omron Terminal Solutions, Corp., 2011).
İşbank followed the lead of the Polish banking sector.
Poland was the first market in Europe to adopt Finger Vein technology in
banking and Tadeusz Woszczynski,
Head of the Security Solutions Group for Hitachi Europe in Poland said: "The large implementation of
finger vein scanners on ATMs in Turkey followed on soon after the
implementations by a number of Agricultural Banks in Poland. We were able to apply the
lessons learned in the Polish market to the case of İşbank in
Turkey. Since we had already
resolved most of the technical challenges for deploying biometrics
on a variety of different ATMs both indoors and outside, the
timelines for the implementation were shortened and İşbank was able
to offer biometric services within a few months of their decision
to proceed."
Peter Jones, Deputy General
Manager, responsible for Finger Vein related Solution Business in
EMEA for Hitachi Europe, stated:
"Turkey is a dynamic, demanding
and fast-moving market and Hitachi was delighted that İşbank
selected our technology for their biometric banking project. Our
wide experience of biometric banking business in Japan means that we can react quickly to the
demands of the varied EMEA market and we are able to scale our
operations to match the business goals of ambitious players such as
İşbank. We are looking forward to future cooperation with the Bank
as they expand their portfolio of biometric applications."
Hitachi worked closely with MIG Int regarding the design,
conception and integration of finger vein scanners into a variety
of Is Bank's ATMs from both Wincor Nixdorf and NCR. Michael
Gorgi, CEO of MIG explained: "Finger vein modules are very compact
in size and we were able to integrate with all of the different
types of ATMs in use by the bank. We worked with İşbank
during their evaluation of other vein biometric systems and
Hitachi's finger vein solution was the only one that met all of the
requirements in terms of size, usability and security
features."
Editor's notes:
- About Finger Vein Authentication Technology
Feature and mechanism of finger vein authentication system: The
finger vein pattern recognition technology uses the vein pattern of
the finger as the key biometric feature. The finger vein pattern is
impossible to counterfeit because the vein is inside the body. With
some of the existing biometric systems, it is possible to acquire
data without the knowledge of the individual [e.g. finger-print,
facial recognition, iris-scan etc.] It is not possible to acquire
the finger vein biometric feature without knowing consent of the
individual, which means that from a societal aspect, finger vein
pattern recognition is safe and secure for the individual.
In operation, the process of data collection is based on a
contact-less principle. Light penetrates through the finger using a
light-transmission technique to allow the detection of the vein
pattern. The vein pattern is image-processed using a special
algorithm resulting in digital data that can be stored in a
relevant data repository. The reading device is compact and can be
applied in a variety of ways including for car entry, personal
authentication, PC login, door access systems and validation for
ATM machines.
For more information about the technology, please visit
http://www.hitachi-eu.com/veinid
About Hitachi Europe Ltd.
Hitachi Europe Ltd., is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi,
Ltd., Japan. Headquartered in
Maidenhead, UK, it has operations
in 11 countries across Europe, the Middle
East and Africa and employs
approximately 460 people.
Hitachi Europe comprises of nine
business areas: rail systems; power and industrial systems;
information systems; digital media and consumer products; display
products; industrial components and equipment; air conditioning and
refrigeration systems; manufacturing systems; and procurement and
sourcing. Hitachi Europe also has
three Research and Development laboratories and a design centre.
For more information about the company, please visit
http://www.hitachi.eu.
ABOUT HITACHI, LTD.
Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT / TSE: 6501), headquartered in
Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global
electronics company with approximately 360,000 employees worldwide.
Fiscal 2010 (ended March 31, 2011)
consolidated revenues totaled 9,315 billion
yen ($112.2 billion). Hitachi
will focus more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which
includes information and telecommunication systems, power systems,
environmental, industrial and transportation systems, and social
and urban systems, as well as the sophisticated materials and key
devices that support them. For more information on Hitachi, please
visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.
ABOUT Is Bank A.S.:
İşbank is Turkey's largest
private bank in terms of total assets and deposit base. Together
with its subsidiaries, İşbank has been one of the most valuable and
trusted institutions in the country for 86 years thanks to its
customer-focused, innovative and modern business approach. İşbank
also has the most extensive network among private banks in
Turkey with nearly 24,000
employees, 1,127 domestic. branches and 4,137 ATMs.. For more
information, please visit the company's website at
http//http://www.isbank.com.tr
ABOUT MIG Int.
MIG Int. is a technology holding headquartered in Vienna, Austria with several legal entities in
the EMEA region. MIG designs, produces and directly markets a broad
range of technologies including RFID, Biometrics and Security
solutions that create unique and innovative offerings for its
clients. MIG also actively cares about the protection of the
environment by investing in innovative technologies that promote
the renewable and sustainable energy (Wind & Solar) in the
Mediterranean region. For more information, please visit the
company's website at http://www.mig-int.eu - Contact: DI Gorgi
+43-664-1-777-547.
Media contact:
Daniela Karthaus
Hitachi Europe Ltd.
Telephone: +44(0)1628-585379
Email: daniela.karthaus@hitachi-eu.com
SOURCE Hitachi