Airtel Payments Bank and NPCI rolls out face authentication for AePS

Airtel Payments Bank collaborated with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to roll out Face Authentication for AePS (Aadhaar-enabled Payment System) at its 500,000 banking points. Airtel Payments Bank is amongst the first four banks to offer Face Authentication for AePS in the country. 

NPCI’s AePS allows customers to carry out financial and non-financial transactions at any banking point using their Aadhaar number or virtual ID to access their Aadhaar-linked bank account. Until now, transactions were being authenticated using the customer’s Aadhaar number and fingerprint or Iris match in the UIDAI records. 

The new facility will enable customers to validate the transaction by undertaking face authentication along with the Aadhaar number. The authentication is processed using the Face Authentication RD Application by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). 

“We commend UIDAI for introducing face authentication as an additional mode for Aadhaar-based authentication. It’s delightful to see Airtel Payment Bank implementing this feature for AePS transactions, which will enhance the reach of Aadhaar-based transactions across the country,” said Praveena Rai – Chief Operating Officer of NPCI. 

“We are delighted to collaborate with NPCI to offer this new facility to our valuable customers. Face authentication is an important addition to our existing bouquet of secure and simple banking solutions to drive financial and digital inclusion in the country,” Ganesh Ananthanarayanan, COO of Airtel Payments Bank said.