U.K. banks The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and The National Westminster Bank Plc. (NatWest) will be the first banks in the U.K. to offer Touch ID support in their iPhone banking apps, allowing their customers to login to their accounts with their fingerprint.
While banks and financial institutions in other countries around the world have been adding Touch ID support since iOS 8 debuted last fall, that hasn’t been the case in the U.K. But that’s now changed, according to the BBC, which noted the support from RBS and NatWest this week.
Users can now enable Touch ID logins for quicker access to their account information. Three failed Touch ID logins will require the user to manually enter their password.
Some features of the apps, such as money transfers, will require other verification in addition to the Touch ID login.
Touch ID is available on the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus, as well as the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3.
“There has been a revolution in banking, as more and more of our customers are using digital technology to bank with us,” said Stuart Haire, managing director with RBS and NatWest Direct Bank. “Adding Touch ID to our mobile banking app makes it even easier and more convenient for customers to manage their finances on the move and directly responds to their requests.”
RBS acquired NatWest in 2000. NatWest is the largest retail and commercial bank in the U.K.
