Andy Burnham and business leaders launch biometric working group

The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has established a working group to explore the potential use of FinGo Vein ID biometric technology for the region’s transport, education and healthcare services.

The group will be chaired by Mike Blackburn OBE, director of The Growth Company and Marketing Manchester. Blackburn is joined by partners including:

• Nick Dryden, Simon Binns, Katie Brownridge, FinGo
• Andrew Toolan, Head of Business Development, Manchester’s Inward Investment Agency (MIDAS)
• Nicola Kane, Head of Planning, Insight & Innovation, Transport for Greater Manchester
• Jenny Singleton, Director of Student Services, Manchester Metropolitan University
• Nicholas Allward, Assistant Director of Business Services, Manchester Metropolitan University
• Rachel Kenyon, Business Engagement Officer, University of Manchester
• Steve Cochrane, Partnership Director, Oxford Road Science Corridor.

Vein ID technology utilises users’ unique finger vein pattern to provide secure, identity-enabled transactions. The company behind the technology, FinGo, believes the biometric solution could connect people to key services in the region more seamlessly and securely.

It was initially launched in the hospitality sector for payments, and has been adapted for identity purposes in recent months. Manchester City Council was the first local authority in the UK to approve FinGo for verifying age in licensed premises, currently in use at The Alchemist Spinningfields. It has also been used in hospitality venues to securely collect customer details for NHS Test and Trace purposes.

The Mayor has highlighted the technology’s potential to better connect people to public services in the city-region. The secure, inclusive identity solution could easily integrate into existing transport, education and healthcare systems, to support the region’s social inclusion, low carbon and digital innovation aims.

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “There’s real promise for biometric technology to positively impact the way we live, work and move around the city. The working group will determine how best to integrate FinGo into Greater Manchester’s public services, particularly in connecting young people to the transport and education services they use every day. It’s something we’re very excited to explore and there’s an opportunity here for Greater Manchester to pave the way forward to be the first region to embrace Vein ID city-wide.”

Simon Binns, Chief Commercial Officer of FinGo, commented: “Manchester has always been a place where real change happens, and is now on the cusp of being the first city globally to host a city-wide biometric solution. There’s a chance here for Greater Manchester to be an example of how Vein ID technology can improve people’s lives, making transport through the region more seamless, linking young people to opportunities, and joining the dots in our healthcare system. FinGo is especially grateful to the Mayor for recognising this potential, and we look forward to exploring what could be possible in the city-region with the group.”

Mike Blackburn OBE, Chair of the Working Group, said: “By getting the right people around the table, across our education, science and transport networks, the working group is keen to assess how this innovative technology could be mapped out across Greater Manchester. This is a solution that should be shaped for our communities and in line with their needs, in GMCA’s drive to improve how we live, work and play post-pandemic.”

Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Innovation and the knowledge economy will play an important role in the city and wider region’s recovery from the economic impacts of Covid-19 and its future prospects.

“It’s great to see a Manchester-based company at the forefront of biometric technology which looks set to have some exciting practical implications and helps underline our growing status as a tech hub.”