Sochi, 18 October, Rossiyskaya Gazeta: The Bank of Russia and Rostelecom, operator of the unified biometric system, presented the first mobile application for bank clients’ remote identification at Finopolis Forum of Innovative Financial Technologies.

The software is called Klyuch (Key), it is available for Android OS (ready for download); the version for iPhone users will be released before the end of this year, Director of Bank of Russia’s Financial Technology Department Ivan Zimin said.

The application works in conjunction with an account at Gosuslugi; it scans the user’s voice and face. Using it, one can pass the identification process at a bank that is connected to the biometric system, without ever visiting its office. Now there are 20 of those banks, with a hundred more scheduled to join in the near future. A client must personally visit one of the banks beforehand with their passport, in order to provide the biometric samples. The option is available since 30 June. The service has already been used by several thousand customers, who can now remotely open bank deposits and take loans, said Ivan Berov, Director of Strategic Innovations at Rostelecom.