NZ Post signs up first big bank for online ID service
New Zealand Post is set to provide online identity verification for one of the country’s largest banks from later this month. The Post revealed yesterday that the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) is the first of the big banks to use its RealMe facility.
It means anyone with a verified RealMe account will be able to use it to open a range of BNZ bank accounts online, without having to go to a bank branch with identity documents to prove who they say they are.
RealMe was launched last year in partnership with the New Zealand government’s Department of Internal Affairs to use biometric verification to authenticate identity.
BNZ retail director Andy Symons said signing up to RealMe was part of a strategy at his bank to allow more convenience for customers.
“RealMe capability further enables us to offer a truly end-to-end digital experience for the increasing number of customers who want to do their day-to-day transactional banking when and where they choose,” he said.
“Verifying new customers’ identity is a very important foundation for a secure banking system. RealMe technology makes life faster and easier for new BNZ customers while satisfying the high standards of identity verification required under New Zealand law and importantly ensuring customers retain total control of how and who they provide their personal information to.”
RealMe
RealMe is an innovation that sees New Zealand Post making the most of the high public trust in its brand to create new business in the digital world.
The service involves people completing a one-off identity check by visiting one of New Zealand Post’s PostShops, and thereafter they can register for a range of services online provided by banks and other businesses without having to complete identity checks for each one.
The free-of-charge service does require identity to be re-verified every five years. But as well as BNZ financial services, it makes access to central and local government online services more convenient online.
New Zealand Post says identity information within the RealMe system is kept secure because it is held by the Department of Internal Affairs, rather than within RealMe or New Zealand Post databases.
Mandy Smith, the head of agency services at New Zealand Post Group, momentum around the service was building quickly in the private sector, particularly after new anti-money laundering rules came into force last year.
She said of the bank signing up: “It’s an exciting development that will make it easier for customers to bank with BNZ.”
