Yeah… that’s me and the UBA Mobile App.

For the longest time, I thought it was just for checking my account balance, sending money, and maybe topping up airtime if I was feeling like it.

Then, on a boring sunny afternoon, I started clicking around, and boom, it turns out that I have been treating the app like a calculator with transfer features.

So, in case you’ve also been sleeping on it like I was before, let me put you on 7 surprisingly useful features that have been hiding in plain sight on the UBA Mobile App.

1. Biometrics for Transfers & Log In (Face ID & Fingerprint)

Forget typing your password every time, like it’s 2010. With biometrics, you can log in or authorize transfers using Face ID or your fingerprint.

It’s faster and more secure

2. Add Multiple Accounts

If you have more than one UBA account, for personal use, business, or side hustle, you can link them all on the same mobile app and switch between them without logging out.

3. Group Transfers

To send the same amount to multiple people, instead of repeating the process over and over, you can create a group transfer, which makes the process less stressful.

This is perfect for team payouts, group contributions and other payments.

4. 2FA on Transactions of ₦200k and Above

High-value transactions deserve extra security, and UBA delivers with Two-Factor Authentication.

Once you cross ₦200,000, you’ll get an extra layer of verification to keep your money safe. You can choose from the options of biometrics, OTP or, secure pass.

5. Cardless Withdrawals at ATMs

To withdraw from an ATM without using your card, you can use the app to generate a secure code and withdraw cash from a UBA ATM instantly.

6. Log Transaction Disputes

On the UBA mobile, one can log a dispute for failed or incorrect transactions right from the app and track the status. This eliminates the need to go to a physical branch and the countless mail trails of resolution

7. NIBSS QR Payment

To make payments directly from your account, there is a feature to scan the NIBSS QR code.

This means you have cut out typing account numbers over and over again.

The UBA Mobile App isn’t just an app. It’s a full-service bank that fits in your hand. From the security features to time-saving tools, it’s built to make life easier and a little cooler.

I leave you to this. Next time you open it, don’t just check your balance and leave. Take time to explore and you might just discover a feature that makes you wonder how you have been banking without it.

Yet to download the UBA Mobile App? Click here for Android and here for iOS.

Using the right technology as a catalyst, these sectors can support financial inclusion and widespread economic growth.

Gur Geva, founder and CEO of iiDENTIFii, a world-leading biometric authentication platform, says, “Biometric technology is a crucial consideration in Nigeria’s ongoing digital expansion. If financial institutions, telecommunications companies and the public sector adopt enterprise-grade biometric authentication, they can provide services to Nigerian consumers safely, efficiently and at scale.”

iiDENTIFii is in the process of rolling out its offering in over 20 countries across Africa following increased demand from both new and existing clients who require a trusted identity verification (IDV) partner in various jurisdictions.

Biometric authentication technology is changing how we identify ourselves with our mobile devices. Using leading technologies, companies such as iiDENTIFii ensure that banks, insurers, telecommunications companies and government institutions are certain that the person on the other end of the screen is identifiable, verifiable and human.

Geva adds, “As the only IDV company in Africa that provides enterprise-grade level services, we understand the far-reaching benefit of biometrics in protecting the assets of companies and consumers and fighting financial crime. We believe the requirement for digitised biometric authentication in Africa is immense. The region is a sleeping giant when it comes to accessing traditional bank accounts, digital banking, and affordable financial services.”

Recent figures from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) state that the number of active mobile subscriptions in the country has reached about 222,571 million in December 2022 and teledensity of 116.60 per cent.

This level of digital adoption needs to be met with intentional digital security measures. Added to this, Nigeria’s recent greylisting provides an opportunity to interrogate cyber security in the region and how biometric authentication can deter financial crime.

This technology also plays a powerful role in digital and financial inclusion. Historically, biometric identification has been for the privileged few – the technologically advanced with access to hi-tech, leading-edge equipment – providing access to services that are typically not for the digitally excluded. However, remote digital biometric authentication has a crucial role in bridging the digital divide.

Geva adds, “The digitally excluded are missing out on access. Without access, the keys to both social and financial inclusion are unreachable. Those who do not have access to newer technologies are disadvantaged in healthcare, education and financial support. These areas have a significant negative impact on an individual’s overall quality of life. For this reason, we actively consider unserved and underserved communities in our solutions.”

This inclusive digital identity approach can open doors to critical government services such as labour markets, government benefits and financial services, without the risk of impersonation or fraudulent funding. This extends to those with limited ability to engage in the digital world. “We applaud Nigeria’s focus on digital literacy in the country and are proud to say we are one of the only IDVs that can operate on mobile devices that aren’t smartphones.” There is also the matter of diversity and innate technology bias, which iiDENTIFii targets through their technology, “Our focus in Africa has enabled us to create an extensive library of faces that reflects our continent.”

Undoubtedly, Nigeria’s ICT sector and overall online activity will continue to grow exponentially. Trusting and authenticating the digital identity of individuals communicating and transacting online will continue to become more and more paramount and essential.

Geva concludes, “Nigeria’s ICT sector is making great strides in enabling growth and literacy. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with industry and government stakeholders to drive safety and positive change.”

Recording and recalling faces is so intuitive that there is even a condition called prosopagnosia, which occurs when someone struggles to remember faces.

Not surprisingly, scientists have discovered our brains have areas dedicated solely to managing information about faces.

Humans are very social creatures, and we rely on quickly identifying friends from foes in a group of faces.

Ever since we invented computers, we’ve aimed to endow them with the same abilities. Today, we have computers that understand human speech, translate languages, and recognise our faces.

Facial recognition biometrics are today more accurate than the human eye can ever be.

Facial recognition is already used extensively to identify individuals, help prevent crimes such as fraud and make it easier for people to authenticate and access services through their digital identity. We already unlock our phones with a glance nearly 400 times a day.

Imagine if we could pop into the doctor’s office or breeze through airports using our faces to unlock everything, safely and securely.

Until recently, there have been two key limitations around facial recognition. The first is scale. Finding a face amongst thousands, millions, or billions without any reference, like an ID, to narrow the search, is like looking for a needle in a haystack. It’s very intensive and time-consuming, sometimes more so than what makes the process worthwhile.

Then there are important privacy concerns. For such a system to work fast, it often relies on other personal data, such as your ID, e-mail, or mobile number. If someone were to access that data used alongside your photo, they could learn a lot about you.

Exciting new developments in this space are resolving these issues. Specifically, a technology called CryptoNets using fully homomorphic encryption is changing how fast and securely computers can identify a face. It’s a very technical breakthrough, so let’s keep it simple.

CryptoNets uses artificial intelligence and new types of encryption to deliver on two fronts. It is very fast, locating a face among countless others in milliseconds without the need to have any other data to narrow the search.

It is also highly efficient, requiring far fewer computing resources than other types of facial recognition when making one-to-many comparisons or the traditional one-to-one face comparisons.

The technology is also great for privacy. Information encrypted through CryptoNets becomes anonymized data and no longer contains personal information. It is useless without the system, which itself doesn’t need to decrypt the information to use it.

So, there is no point in stealing that personal information. Notably, CryptoNets technology converts material such as photos or voiceprints into a different data format that cannot be used outside the CryptoNets context.

The result is a new biometric technology that is much faster, far more secure, naturally compliant with personal information laws such as POPIA and GDPR, and applicable to different forms of recognition.

CrytoNets technology also supports voice, fingerprints and so on. And because of how it works, CryptoNets can quickly identify someone using only one element, such as a photo (no need to give your ID number every time you verify yourself), and does so in near real-time, so it works even in large crowds.

Now, many of us become nervous when we think of facial recognition. There is always scope for abuse and mistakes. But facial recognition is not going away – it’s just too helpful. So, we should instead ask how we can make it more responsible and respectful of our privacy.

CryptoNets technology achieves privacy and efficiency goals with incredible results. As it grows more popular, it will improve biometric recognition of all types while keeping our personal information safer. It aligns nicely with a wave of improvements in the sector that promotes better ethics and greater accuracy.

Facial recognition is controversial for many reasons. These are being resolved through breakthroughs such as CryptoNets. From fraud prevention to opening your front door with your voice, it will improve many aspects of our lives in fantastic ways without compromising our safety and privacy.

Digital identity orchestration Company, Contactable, will be the first organization in Africa to pioneer this technology as part of its extended product offerings in the market.