Hong Kong start-up Neat uses selfies to verify payment account users’ identitiesUsers able to top up app wallet from traditional bank accounts or by ‘pulling’ in cash from app. “This is a mobile bank account, you do everything through the smartphone, so this is how we can compete in a market that is prohibitive, as we are 16 times cheaper than a bank in terms of running costs,” the former banker said.
The Neat app and accompanying payment card will use facial recognition technology to verify a user’s identity. Photo: Felix Wong Taking a selfie might be considered an odd way to open a payment account, but it is a perfect fit for Hong Kong start-up Neat as it targets millennials who would rather pay through their smartphones than take out credit cards. Neat founder David Rosa said the app and accompanying payment card would use facial recognition technology to verify the person on the Hong Kong identification card was the same person opening the account.
