Mandatory biometric registration for bank customers makes rocky start

Biometric confirmation is now required for all online transfers of VND10 million (US$393) or more, and even lower amounts if a customer has already transferred VND20 million that day.

Customers need to register their biometric data on their smartphone by scanning their face or fingerprint and linking their ID card with the smartphone through near-field communications.

Vietcombank customer Nguyen Huu Thuong in HCMC tried to make a VND10 million transfer on Monday morning but the app repeatedly returned an error message.

Thuong had already completed the biometric registration, but the system still refused to let his transaction through. Many other customers complained of similar issues even in the evening.

A similar problem was also reported at other banks. Trang, an office worker, was not allowed to make a VND20 million transfer on her Orient Commercial Bank app and was told to wait for a full day as the system upgraded.

Some customers of TPBank also faced similar problems. A bank spokesperson said many customers made VND10 million transfers just to see if their face scan had been activated, and the huge number of such transactions caused some blockages in the system, but the issue was quickly resolved.

The State Bank of Vietnam said as of 4 p.m. only a small number of customers experienced problems.

Many customers were unable to make their biometric registration on Monday, with their bank app repeatedly showing error messages. Some decided to go in person to get their face scan done, crowding banks.

Hung, a customer, said that it took bank staff around 10 minutes to help him link his ID card with his bank app after he had himself struggled in vain for a long time to do it.