Hitachi and Barclays Bank have partnered to open a new level of security for finances and banking in the UK. Instead of having to use a series of passwords and numbers, users will be able to log on to their accounts by placing one of their fingers into a scanner. Identification comes from the unique patterns of veins in the users’ finger. Cash machine pilot programs have already been successful in Japan and Poland.

The technology is quite distinct from fingerprint recognition. A portable scanner, the size of a tennis ball, is plugged into the computer’s USB port and uses near-infra-red light to check the unique pattern of veins inside the finger. Only a living finger is accepted by the scanner, reducing the grim possibility of a criminal hacking off a finger for theft of accounts.

Banks are always looking for new ways to combat fraud, especially as users become frustrated with remembering multiple passwords and PINs, or having to use electronic number generators whenever they log on. While secure, the “finger vein authorization” is an expensive option and will only be offered to corporate clients. The scanner is not yet ready for the popular market, where customers are averse to paying extra. The size of the scanner is also a concern as consumers use smartphones in increasing numbers to manage their accounts.

Hitachi, which has been researching the technology for 15 years, said vein patterns are established in the womb and remain stable for most of a person’s life. Once the system is up and running in 2015, it will not store biometric details in a central location and there will be no public record. And if engineers can make the scanners smaller and more cheaply, people could start “finger banking” in homes across the UK. Barclays hopes that the technology will simplify banking while keeping the details of its customers safe.