Two smart fixes to take video KYC to the next level
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Imagine opening a bank account or applying for a loan from the comfort of your home—no branch visits, no paperwork, just a quick video call. That’s the power of Video KYC (VKYC), a game-changer in India’s banking sector since its launch in 2020.
What started as a pilot project quickly became the backbone of digital banking during the pandemic, slashing onboarding times and making financial services accessible across the country. Also read: India’s KYC crisis: A bank dedicated to welfare payments could resolve it Productivity skyrocketed from 70 KYCs per month to 700, revolutionising digital banking. Yet, like any system, VKYC isn’t without its challenges.
To further enhance customer experience and strengthen fraud prevention, I propose two key upgrades—simple yet powerful changes that can make the process faster, smoother, and more secure. VKYC employs a liveness check. It ascertains that the customer on the screen is alive, physically present, and is who he says he is.
The current liveliness check in VKYC involves asking customers 2-5 random questions to confirm they’re real, not bots or fraudsters. While effective, this step often leads to miscommunication and rework. For instance, a customer might say they live in “Navi Mumbai," but their KYC documents list the district as “Thane" or “Raigad." Such mismatches cause delays and frustration.
The solution? Replace the Q&A with a dynamic verification code. Customers simply read out the code displayed on their screen. This quick step confirms liveliness without room for error.
