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Korea’s KB Bank uses Trustonic in-app protection to enhance mobile banking experience
April 2020 by Marc Jacob
Trustonic announces the successful implementation by KB Kookmin Bank (KB Bank) of Trustonic Application Protection (TAP™) to enable a simpler authentication experience for users of its KB Star Banking app. By combining TAP with its new digital authentication certificates, the bank is dramatically simplifying customers’ access to banking services and enabling them to authenticate higher value transfers in-app, without the need for cumbersome user authentication practices like security tokens.
The largest Korean bank by number of mobile users, KB Bank provides online and mobile banking services to over 10 million customers. Trustonic’s mobile application protection is enabling the bank to provide faster, simpler and more secure digital banking services by isolating authentication certificates in the hardware security of today’s smartphones. Since launching in summer 2019, the app has acquired 3 million active users, and adoption among KB Bank customers continues to grow rapidly.
Enhancing user experience & enabling high-value transactions with advanced security
Historically, public certificates need to be regularly renewed by the app user, which can be frustrating and time consuming. Now, because the new KB Mobile Certificates have the advanced in-app protection provided by TAP, they do not need to be renewed unless revoked by the customer or unused for one year. This significantly simplifies and enhances the user experience.
High-value in-app payments are now possible because of this advanced protection.
KB Bank customers can transfer up to 2 million won (approx. $1,700 US) using their account password, and up to 50 million won (approx. $41,000 US) with a password and six-digit PIN. Amounts between 50 million won and 500 million won (approx. $413,000 US) can be verified by entering their password and PIN before receiving an additional authentication code via an automated phone call.
Improving in-app functionality through trust
The TAP in-app protection platform protects mobile applications by securing sensitive code, data and processes in a highly protected environment. The environment dynamically upgrades over the course of an app’s lifecycle to take advantage of the most advanced hardware and software security technologies available on smartphones. Banking, payment, acceptance and fintech app developers benefit as they can use the TAP SDK to build secure next-generation experiences.
