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Citigroup Plans Thumbprint ATMs For India's Poor

Posted by kdawson on from the beware-of-gummi-bears dept.

Brad Lucier points out a Financial Times report (carried by MSN Money) that Citigroup is rolling out a network of biometric ATMs aimed at illiterate Indian slum dwellers. From the article: "The machines will recognize account holders' thumbprints, eliminating the need for a personal identification number, and will have color-coded screen instructions and voiceovers to help guide them through transactions... Though India's population exceeds 1 billion, Citigroup estimates that there are only about 300 million bank accounts in the country... 'It's not a philanthropic exercise,' [PS Jayakumar, a Citigroup business manager in India] said. 'For it to be sustainable, we should break even and make a little bit of money.'"

3 of 123 comments (clear)

  1. Hm by malkir · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So instead of thieves stealing your wallet, they'll just cut off your thumb instead!

  2. Gummy Bear Sales to Skyrocket? by The+MAZZTer · · Score: 3, Insightful

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/05/16/gummi_bear s_defeat_fingerprint_sensors/

  3. This might be an insensitive question but... by JustNiz · · Score: 3, Insightful

    why is the bank assuming (or even finding) that poor people can't remember pin numbers?