Mexican Bank draws in the unbanked through biometric authentication.

• Position: Marketing News - Brief article

A Mexican bank has reached out to unbanked customers through the use of biometric identification. With 8 million customers using the system, Banco Azteca, Mexico City, is believed to deploy the world's largest biometric banking application. Most Banco Azteca branches are located inside retail stores operated by Grupo Elektra.

The system was initiated in 2001 because the bank needed an alternative system to authenticate its customers, most of whom are of low-income communities without driver's licenses or some secure form of identification.

The technology, which was supplied through DigitalPersona, Redwood City, Calif., has enabled 75 percent of Banco Azteca customers to establish and maintain savings and credit accounts for the first time. The...