Biometric verification uses unique traits of people to verify their identity. These traits can be fingerprints, facial features, iris patterns, or voice recognition. In 2025, it is widely used in digital identity, financial compliance, and cybersecurity frameworks. Techniques like AI-powered recognition, liveness detection, and multimodal authentication are used. In this blog post, we’ll be detailing the history of biometric verification, the types of biometric verification, and benefits of using this technique.
What Is Biometric Verification?
Biometric verification is a secure identity authentication process which relies on a person’s unique traits, whether it be biological or behavioral. Since traits like fingerprints, facial structure, voice patterns, or iris recognition are distinct to each person and difficult to replicate, these systems provide a strong defense against financial crime.
In compliance and security systems, biometric verification is frequently used for KYC/AML onboarding, secure account access, and remote identity validation. The verification process is used in industries like banking, fintech, healthcare, and government services. In Vietnam, mandatory biometric authentication for bank accounts from mid-2024 led to a reported 72% drop in fraud-related accounts by September 2024. The success of biometric verification is shown thanks to this example.
What Are Common Biometric Identifiers?
Biometric identifiers are divided into categories of physical or behavioral traits. These traits should be measurable and consistent over time. Since these are nearly impossible to replicate, using them for verification is a great option. Fingerprints rely on distinct ridge and minutiae patterns that are unique to each person, and facial recognition, similarly, maps geometric features like the distance between the eyes or the contour of the jawline. Iris recognition is another technique which analyzes the intricate patterns in the colored part of the eye. Voice biometrics verify individuals based on tone, pitch, and rhythm. Behavioral biometrics collects patterns in how a person types, swipes, or even walks, and assesses accordingly.
A Brief History of Biometric Verification
Biometric verification was once a niche method for identification, now a widely used technique in digital compliance. The systematic biometric identification first began in 1901, when fingerprints were first introduced into police records. Later in the 1990s, thanks to technological advancements, iris scanning and voice recognition were used as well. In 2013, Apple’s Touch ID brought fingerprint authentication to the mass market, and biometrics became a part of everyday life. In 2024, banks using fingerprint or facial authentication reported a 62% decrease in unauthorized access attempts. Mobile banking platforms integrating biometric authentication experienced a 49% improvement in user retention. Now, in 2025, biometric verification is used in eKYC processes, border security, fintech applications, and online banking.
How Does Biometric Verification Work?
1. Enrollment
The process begins with enrollment, where a person’s unique traits are scanned using a secure capture device. This unprocessed biometric data is converted into a digital template using encryption and feature extraction algorithms so that it can’t be reverse-engineered. For future identity checks, this template becomes the reference point.
2. Live Capture
When the user wants to get verified later, a new biometric sample is captured in real time. For this step, usually advanced sensors and cameras are used to perform liveness detection. This way, the confirmation of the sample coming from a real person rather than a photo or deepfake can be made.
3. Comparison & Match
The system later compares the newly captured biometric data from the person with the previously stored digital template. For this step, usually AI-powered matching algorithms are used. If the data matches with the template, access or verification is granted. Thanks to technological advancements, the comparison can be made in seconds.
Types of Biometric Verification
1. Fingerprint Verification
This type of verification is one of the most well-known and reliable biometric methods. The technique uses ridge patterns on a person's fingers. It is commonly seen in smartphones, ATMs, workplace access control systems, and government ID programs. Fingerprint scanners offer high-speed authentication, great and suitable for physical and digital security applications.
2. Facial Verification
This method is a touchless authentication method that maps key facial features like the distance between eyes, nose shape, and jawline contours. It is widely use in smartphones, airports, eKYC processes, and secure access systems. Facial recognition uses 3D mapping and liveness detection to prevent acts like spoofing.
3. Iris Scanning
Iris scanning is known for its high accuracy, the technique can analyze the patterns in the colored part of the eye. Since it offers high accuracy, it is typically used for high-security environments like military installations, border control, and critical infrastructure access. These patterns collected are highly stable over a lifetime, so this method is counted as a very reliable and long-term solution for verification.
4. Voiceprint Verification
Voiceprint verification identifies people based on their vocal characteristics like pitch, tone, and speech cadence. It’s great for remote verification and used by call centers, banking applications, and mobile authentication. Voice biometrics can also integrate fraud detection algorithms to make it extra secure.
5. Behavioral Biometrics
Behavioral biometrics analyze patterns in user behavior like typing rhythm, mouse movements, touchscreen interactions, and walking gait. For this type, continuous authentication is needed, and users are monitored in real time to detect anomalies or suspicious activity. It’s becoming widely used in fraud detection, risk scoring, and financial transactions.
Benefits of Biometric Verification
There are many benefits of using biometric verification for confirming identity. It offers a highly secure and tamper-resistant method of confirming identity, since biological traits are unique to each person and difficult replicate. This method eliminates the need for passwords, PINs, or physical tokens, which reduces the risk of theft. With biometric verification, fast onboarding and login experiences are enabled. In sectors like banking, fintech, and remote services, biometrics support regulatory compliance for KYC and AML while also maintaining a low-friction user experience.
Challenges and Risks of Biometric Verification
1. Privacy Concerns
Biometric data directly identifies a person and can’t be changed easily, so it is seen as highly sensitive. Companies that collect this data should be adhering to privacy regulations like GDPR, CCPA, and local data protection laws to ensure proper consent, secure storage, and limited sharing. The results for failure are legal penalties, reputational damage, and loss of user trust.
2. Irreversible Data
Unlike passwords or PINs, biometrics can’t be reset if compromised. So, a stolen data like fingerprints or facial template can be misused permanently, which makes strong encryption, secure storage, and multi-layered security a must for companies.
3. False Positives/Negatives
The accuracy of biometric systems can be affected by factors like ligting, illness, injuries, or aging. This in result brings back false positives or false negatives. For these errors, advanced AI algorithms, multimodal verification, and fallback authentication methods are needed.
4. Algorithmic Bias
Some facial and voice recognition systems may bring back different percentages of accuracy depending on the person’s race, gender, or disability. This can lead to unequal treatment or access issues. To reduce bias and ensure fair verification, continuous testing and algorithm refinement is needed.
Biometric Verification vs. Traditional Methods
Biometric verification is a secure and user-friendly alternative to traditional authentication methods. Since passwords and PINs are guessable and prone to theft, using biometric traits for verification brings back safer results, with each trait being unique to that individual. Biometric systems allow instant access using touch, scan, or face recognition, which eliminates the manual entry needed for traditional methods. Different than passwords, biometrics can’t be reset. Also, biometrics are better for regulatory compliance requirements for KYC, KYB, and AML; however, traditional methods give limited assurance when it comes to preventing crime.
FAQ's Blog Post
Liveness checks strengthen biometric verification by confirming that the user is a real, present person—not a photo, mask, or deepfake.
Biometric systems handle privacy by encrypting templates, limiting storage, and complying with GDPR and other data laws.
Biometric verification reduces drop-offs by offering faster identity checks and minimizing document upload steps.
Fraudsters attempt bypassing biometric checks using deepfakes, 3D masks, voice clones, or synthetic ID techniques.
Sanction Scanner enhances biometric workflows with AI-based facial matching, ID checks, and real-time risk screening.
