News

Catholic Syrian Bank installs its first biometric ATM in Kerala, India

September 25, 2011

The Catholic Syrian Bank has installed its first biometric ATM, using fingerprint-based authentication, in the Malappuram district in Kerala, India, according to the Hindu Business Line.

The bank will distribute normal ATM cards to account holders, which can be used in biometric mode at the Vortex Gramateller ATM, or in PIN mode at other ATMs. The ATM was developed by Vortex Engineering Private Ltd. in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras.

In addition to the normal ATM functions, features such as weather information, and commodity and stock prices can be integrated into the Vortex ATM with the use of an additional interface.

The ATM has a built-in uninterruptible power supply and battery back-up and works without air-conditioning in temperatures ranging from zero to 50 degrees Celsius. It also has optional solar operation.

The ATM is considered the bank's first step toward reaching the underbanked areas in a secure and cost-effective manner, according to the article.

The bank's assistant general manager, Jiz Kottukappally, will install 50 biometric ATMs at various locations by the end of the fiscal year.

CSB has also appointed the Organization for Women Empowerment and Rural Development to help educate residents on how to open accounts and perform transactions.

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