Video selfie ‘more secure’ for new customers: BNZ
Bank of New Zealand will let new customers prove their identity and open bank accounts online by videoing their passport and taking a ‘‘video selfie’’. Identity verification has become stricter around the world due to regulations such as anti-money laundering legislation. But the bank said the option was an alternative to new customers having to visit a branch. ‘‘To join up, you just take a video of your passport and a selfie video while you repeat a phrase supplied by BNZ as part of your online application,’’ BNZ chief operating officer Howard Silby said. The service didn’t compromise security because using video for identification was ‘‘more secure and harder to defraud’’, he said. BNZ staff would still verify all sign-ups, ‘‘checking identification behind the scenes’’, he said.