Banks must offer clear, workable alternatives when biometric face verification is not an option. The Monetary Authority of Singapore’s requirement for multifactor authentication is non-negotiable — security cannot be sacrificed — but neither can accessibility. Recent correspondence from Mr Shalom Lim Ern Rong made that painfully obvious: medically vulnerable customers cannot be an afterthought. They need solutions that fit their bodies, not the other way around.
The policy position is straightforward. Singpass face verification may be used as one authentication factor, but banks are expected to provide alternatives for users who cannot use facial recognition for medical reasons. MariBank’s outreach to Mr Lim, and the Government Technology Agency’s follow-up, show the right spirit. Still, the experience of a single user exposed a broader operational gap. That gap must close — fast.
Anecdote time. A small business owner, already stretched thin, faced a sudden lockout after attempts to register for online banking faltered because face verification repeatedly failed. Panic, helplessness, and the phone calls that went nowhere: all familiar scenes. The person on the other end finally said words that cut through: “But I can’t use my face.” No training manual had prepared the frontline staff for that exact line. The result was lost time, unnecessary stress, and an immediate loss of trust. Emotions ran high. That reaction is not surprising; it is human.
What should banks and public agencies do differently? The answer is precise and practical. Offer multiple, well-documented alternatives: SMS or email one-time passwords, hardware tokens, the option to register with a trusted representative, manual verification at a branch or via a designated phone process, and support for assistive technologies. Each alternative must be validated, secure, and easy to activate. Complexity and security do not have to be adversaries. Thoughtful design binds them together.
Specific guidance for customers and SMEs follows. First, proactively declare any medical condition that affects the use of biometric authentication when opening an account or during online registration. Banks can and should add a checkbox and a short, private way to flag accessibility needs. Second, register secondary contact channels and nominate authorised signatories. Third, use the official Singpass support channels when face verification stalls: the Singpass Helpdesk at 2026-02-04