Facial recognition scanners pop up in Xiamen

The coastal city of Xiamen in East China's Fujian province is introducing facial recognition technology in government buildings, banks and hotels across the city to make life more convenient for local residents.

Many cities in China are experimenting with facial recognition systems, but Xiamen is rolling out the technology much quicker as it looks to become a blueprint "smart city", setting an example for others to follow.

The city's housing provident fund management center is the latest institution to pilot a facial recognition system to improve its services.

Previously, residents who wanted to access the center's services via its official app had to go through a series of registration procedures such as inputting their names, ID numbers, phone numbers, addresses and housing provident fund account numbers.

After integrating facial recognition technology into the app, new users only have to scan their faces and then input their names and ID numbers to complete the registration process.

Banks across the city are also adopting facial recognition technology. The Agricultural Bank of China has introduced the technology to an ATM in one of its branches in Xiamen. 

Rather than using their bank card, customers can now simply scan their faces, then input their phone number or ID number, followed by their PIN number. They can withdraw a maximum of 3,000 yuan ($457) per day from the ATM using this method.

A customer withdraws money from an ATM in a branch of the Agricultural Bank of China in Xiamen via facial recognition technology. [Photo/sunnews.cn]