Standard Chartered Bank's Singapore unit has unveiled a payment card featuring an embedded security token for online transactions.
Earlier this year the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) outlined plans to start issuing online tokens with enhanced features such as "transaction signing" as part of an industry-wide security push.
Standard Chartered says that it is first out the blocks, giving online and mobile banking customers the option to replace their existing credit, debit or ATM cards with the security-token one.
The card contains a 12-digit key pad which customers use to enter transaction specific information - such as the last four digits of an account number - to generate a security code which appears in a display. This number is then entered online to verify the user.
The token feature will be used from January for logging in to online and mobile banking, adding third party payees, transferring or making payments in amounts above a defined threshold, increasing daily transfer or payment limits, updating personal details, and changing online banking passwords.
V Subba, regional head, retail banking products, Singapore and Southeast Asia, Standard Chartered, says: "In Singapore, many customers bank with multiple banks. We brainstormed on ways to make it convenient and yet secure for customers. The question was: instead of sending customers another bulky token, could we replace something which already exists in the customer's wallet? That was when credit, debit and ATM cards, immediately came to mind."