Project Summary 

• Feasibility analysis and high-level design for large-scale biometric identification and verification systems, using biometrics to facilitate delivery of financial services to the developing world

IBG Responsibilities  

• Defining relation of biometric and card-based identification systems 
• Evaluating countries most suitable for deployment 
• Developing piloting strategies 
• Defining relation of biometric and card-based identification systems 
• Evaluating countries most suitable for deployment 
• Developing piloting strategies 
• Identifying categories of private and public sector partners 
• Identifying technologies best suited to large-scale, nation-wide deployment

International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group and the largest multilateral source of loan and equity financing for private sector projects in the developing world, engaged IBG to evaluate the feasibility of deploying biometrically enabled financial service solutions to the developing world. IBG's primary responsibilities were to research, evaluate and document findings, with an emphasis on the following:

• Defining the criteria by which areas amenable to the deployment of biometrics were identified 
• Assessing the capabilities of core biometric technologies in large-scale identification and verification applications
• Assessing the role of card-based biometric solutions in nation-wide biometric deployments 
• Defining pilot strategies to determine the viability of recommended solutions

In addition, IBG was responsible for assessing the viability of various large-scale biometric financial service offerings, identifying specific opportunities for deployment in developing countries, and locating suitable investment and technology partners. The uses of biometrics identified include consumer banking, mobile banking and ATMs, worker remittance, government pensions, payroll distribution, utility payments, and insurance payments. The scale of these projects, which may include both verification and identification components, is expected to range from the tens to hundreds of millions of potential users.