According to press reports Hitachi is set to begin testing the system with 200 employees in September to determine whether the technology is commercially viable for introduction in banks and shops.

The system identifies the veins on a person's finger when it is held over a scanner and matches the image with customer data already stored in the application.

The vein authentication system has been available in the Japanese market since October 2006 and has already been deployed by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation as the user ID system for ATMs located in am/pm convenience stores throughout Japan.

Japan's Shinkin Central Bank has also installed an access control system based on the finger vein authentication technology at its New York branch.