INTERVIEW: Javier Mira, CEO of facial recognition technology vendor FacePhi (pictured), targeted growth in Asia to meet rising demand for mobile authentication from the financial and telecoms sectors.

The Spain-based company built its business providing authentication services for banks, which Mira noted are increasingly using mobile to prove the identity of new and existing customers without them visiting a physical store or branch.

Biometric methods offer a secure way to verify transactions and open new accounts “in a very easy, seamless way,” he said, adding “there’s an extremely high demand for this type of technology because of identity fraud”.

Unlike other facial recognition systems, such as Apple’s Face ID, Mira said FacePhi offers companies the opportunity to serve all their customers regardless of operating system.

Today, 70 per cent of FacePhi’s business is in Latin America. But Mira noted the company recently opened an office in South Korea and aims to enter China “as soon as possible”. He named the US as another target for growth.

For more detail on how FacePhi’s facial recognition system works, click here.