BNZ lets customers open account with selfie-video

Opening a bank account just got a millennial makeover. Photo/Supplied.

In a New Zealand first for banking, BNZ customers will be able to sign up for a personal account by way of a selfie video.

The new sign-up process, announced today by BNZ, will eliminate the need for customers to visit a branch at all.

Howard Silby, BNZ's chief operating officer for customer, products and services, said customers have been asking for a faster and simpler process.

"We're bringing this process completely into the digital age, giving more people more options, and making it faster and simpler, which is what customers tell us they're after," Silby said.

"All you need is your New Zealand passport and a smartphone, tablet or PC with a camera.

"To join up, you just take a video of your passport and a selfie video while you repeat a phrase supplied by BNZ as part of your online application. We take care of the rest."

"All you need is your New Zealand passport and a smartphone, tablet or PC with a camera. Photo / Supplied

But the speed of the process won't come at the expense of security. In fact, using video will be more secure and make defrauding harder.

As an additional layer of security, BNZ staff will still verify all sign-ups, checking identification behind the scenes. The process just takes a couple of minutes for customers to complete and in most cases, they can expect their new BNZ account to be verified and working by the next business day.

"If you sign up to any new service these days, you expect it to be a digital process – just download an app or visit a site, put in some details, then start using it. Customers are comparing this kind of experience with most things they do, including joining a bank.

"We have a culture of innovation at BNZ, and we make these comparisons too. We use digital tools to make banking as simple and as fast as possible. We strive to be as good or better than any other digital service our customers use.

"I see the new sign up process as a building block for the future of a more seamless digital banking experience for more customers," Silby said.