Shinkin has installed the Hitachi vascular biometric system to control access to the trading, operations and server rooms at its new facility in New York.

The system eliminates the need for keys or cards. When entering a room users have to punch an ID number into a keypad before placing their finger on a reader, which validates the vascular pattern.

Hitachi says the technology uses light to read the unique pattern of veins inside the finger. The system allows the identification of the pattern without touching the sensor directly.

The device can also be used for access control and authentication such as for PC login, residence and vehicle entry and ATMs. Last year Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) implemented technology as the user ID system for ATMs located in am/pm convenience stores throughout Japan.

Last month Dutch financial services group ING said it was using biometric fingerprint technology to control dealer access to workstations on its trading floors. The ING system was installed by Dutch consultancy BioXS and uses biometric matching software from US-based BIO-key alongside fingerprint readers from Zvetco.