Nov 24, 2023

Incode provides a fully automated AI-powered platform that drives conversion while offering advanced fraud protection with the highest privacy and safety standards for global financial services, gaming, hospitality, government, and entertainment organizations. The company’s flagship offering, IncodeID, is the cybersecurity industry’s first reusable ID, empowering end users to reduce digital footprints by condensing PII within a singular, transferrable identity. Incode creates a seamless and secure customer experience that solves onboarding challenges with sophisticated “know your employee” (KYE), “know your business” (KYB), and age verification capabilities, passwordless authentication features, payment verification along with anti-fraud and anti-money laundering (AML) tools. The platform also delivers a custom suite of Generative AI-based re-engagement tools to help boost customer conversion and power a world of digital trust. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Incode Technologies founder and CEO Ricardo Amper to learn more. Ricardo Amper’s Background And Formation Of Incode Can you tell me more about your background and how the idea for Incode came together? Amper said: “For over two decades, I have founded and led disruptive companies across multiple industries. In 2000, I established La Burbuja Networks, a social media company based in Mexico, my home country. Three years later, I co-founded Amco Foods, which consumer packaged goods conglomerate Grupo Bimbo (MEXI: BIMBO), owners of global household brands including Sara Lee, Wonder, Thomas, and Entenmann’s; later acquired. I then took over my family’s business, Grupo Amco, a chemical product distribution company. After strategically repositioning and reinvigorating the company by developing proprietary big data and machine learning systems, I sold the business to Brenntag (IBIS: BNR), the largest chemical distribution company in the world. “ “I have always been interested in using big data, AI, and machine learning to disrupt and transform industries. For example, during my time with Grupo Amco, I designed OneView, an ML-based predictive big data chemical system. I launched Incode Technologies in 2015 as a photo-sharing app for users to scan and share photos. After realizing that photo-sharing had room for misrecognition and privacy issues, I developed a facial recognition platform for consumer mobile devices. Incode’s platform was so unique that Apple asked me to appear onstage with Tim Cook to demonstrate machine learning on the iPhone. Seeing the rapidly growing intersection between reusable identity and identity verification, coupled with the lack of trust in the space, I pivoted Incode to focus on the identity-proofing space with a privacy-first approach. I envisioned transforming the digital identity marketplace and how humans experience their identity journeys. A few years later, Incode now supports every stage of the customer journey with more than 50+ modules as the leading provider of world-class identity solutions. We’re committed to disrupting the trust industry by revolutionizing onboarding and authentication across all major verticals and providing accurate, flexible, and easy-to-integrate proprietary technology.” “Incode’s fully automated platform goes beyond identity verification, enabling enterprises to oversee the full lifecycle of user identities from initial verification to ongoing access management and intelligence – all while seamlessly covering the entire customer funnel, including Identity Verification, Risk Control, and Analytics for Onboarding and Authentication use cases to eliminate bias, reduce fraud and increase conversion rates with industry-leading privacy and safety standards.” Importance Of Next-Gen Identity Verification Platforms Why do different sectors need next-gen identity verification platforms? Amper shared: “The evolving threat landscape and the need for better user experience have driven a shift in identity verification. Threat actors continue to become more sophisticated, leading enterprises to implement new, innovative products and solutions to protect their sensitive data. Organizations across industries, including banks, airlines, hoteliers, stadiums, and hospitals, are adopting biometrics as a customer-facing identity verification solution to streamline and improve privacy, security, and the overall user experience.” “Companies that store sensitive data are also struggling to find ways to correctly and securely manage this data, especially given recently introduced user privacy laws and compliance put in place in the US. Enterprises are facing fragmented privacy regulation and data leaks across various local governments. Centralized, legacy models create these challenges. With the support of AI and automation, at Incode, we provide a more seamless and frictionless onboarding experience for customer identity verification. Traditional and outdated systems require internet access and don’t have capabilities for verification on the edge, which causes friction in the user experience. Efficiently and securely storing data directly on the device allows users to control the shared data and access that information seamlessly.” “Biometrics drives fraud-resistant AI/ML solutions without bias, errors, delays, or privacy concerns. Biometrics is a top solution for fraud detection and preventing spoofing attempts in crypto, banking, e-commerce, and enterprise. In the coming years, we’ll see rapid biometrics adoption to detect fraud quickly and seamlessly without compromising the customer experience or employee privacy. This advancement benefits onboarding new accounts at scale and verifying payments and other transactions. Biometrics also helps with legal and regulatory compliance, including anti-money laundering (AML) laws that prevent online criminals and terrorist organizations from successfully conducting illegal and malicious activities.” “Businesses use biometrics for age verification to instantly verify a customer’s age to confirm he/she/they meet(s) legal requirements for age-restricted products or services. This process attests users meet a platform’s age requirements without compromising their privacy or exposing personally identifiable information (PII).” “Next-generation identity verification solutions bring Identity Verification, Risk Control, and Analytics for Onboarding and Authentication use cases under the same roof for a one-stop-shop that offers maximum accuracy in identity proofing. We’ve found that hands-on customer involvement and the process of blending security and ease of use has created industry-first solutions for our customers and their services – bringing best-in-class accuracy for the detection of not just the biometrics but the documents verifying those identities.” Core Products What are Incode’s core products and features? Amper explained: “Incode’s flagship product is Incode Omni – an end-to-end, fully automated Integrated Identity Platform (IIP) reimagining identity verification technology with biometric authentication to eliminate fraud and improve conversions. Instead of comparing face IDs and sensitive identifying documents with an entire database, Incode’s technology accurately verifies a user’s identity using only their own identity. By leveraging cutting-edge technology that guides the user from beginning to end of their ID scan process and properly adapting to whatever angle they might be using while doing so, Incode’s industry-leading platform makes auto ID capture easier than ever for the user. With this, Incode users don’t have to press any buttons, and their results appear in real-time, whereas some more traditional tools on the market may take longer to process the data, and users may only come to find out they failed the process in the first place. Once verified with an auto-captured selfie on Incode Omni, users can use that same verification for multiple use cases, further highlighting the platform’s flexibility and versatility.” “Incode Omni helps administrators eliminate privacy abuse and bias by automating call-center-based, manual, error-prone verification and authentication. The instantaneous, accurate platform processes biometric data directly on the device at an industry-leading level, delivering low-latency performance while limiting the handling of an individual’s information in off-premises infrastructure. Incode also offers developer resources for purpose-built, fully integrated modules necessary for frictionless experiences, ensuring rapid innovation and scalable commercial models. Users also receive powerful orchestration to customize and automate over 50 IIP modules and enjoy the benefits of Incode’s secure partnerships with public institutions.” “As we’ve shared, Incode’s fully automated AI-powered platform solves onboarding, which combats spoofing and fraud and complies with KYC standards. With this feature, users can spot if the user is a living, physically present person, or a photo or video.” “Incode’s Identity Revolution highlights the drawbacks of traditional identity authentication, leveraging AI/ML technology to provide improved, contemporary solutions.” Evolution Of Incode’s Technology How has Incode’s technology evolved since launching? Amper noted: “Biometrics are mainstream, and the opportunities for it to improve user experience are nearly limitless. The industry needs solution providers that prioritize privacy, security, and trust above everything, and Incode is leading the identity revolution. Incode is doubling down on incorporating all identity signals into its automation and orchestration abilities. Incode simplifies internal workflows through proprietary orchestration tools to allow customers to toggle different thresholds of risk tolerance to optimize the metrics most important to their organization. Using smart conditional logic to optimize user experience, Incode doesn’t require users to input unnecessary information for verification – only users with higher risk profiles identified within the platform will be required to go through additional steps. “Incode serves organizations with substantial user databases that put trust and safety above all else. Every customer is unique; Incode collaborates directly with internal teams to build what customers need through every stage of the customer journey, from Onboarding Capture to Fraud Checks with SSNs and electronic signatures to communicate user consent. Incode Workflows, introduced in 2022, provides users with instant, dynamic, and frictionless onboarding and allows businesses to tailor consumer experiences based on risk level, stopping fraud and maximizing time to revenue. We also developed Tamper Check and ID Liveness, which performs tests on ID documents and detects potential fakes and tampered or photoshopped documents, helping consumers avoid fraudulent online schemes of stolen identity. The idea that transformation is critical to adapting and surviving is embedded within Incode’s revolutionary technology and is vital to our overall mission.” “In addition to product growth and innovation, Incode strengthens its offerings through strategic partnerships and integrations. Most recently, Incode partnered with Black Ink Tech to make ‘One Identity Everywhere’ a reality by introducing a powerful solution that creates a global, ubiquitous digital identity that is simple to validate and universally available. Incode also partnered with Mama Money, a rapidly growing fintech company offering cross-border money transfers and banking services, to bring advanced identity verification systems to strengthen the fight against fraud and financial crime in the fintech industry. In the Public Sector, we function as both a customer and partner by connecting to their databases as our source of truth.” Customer Success Stories After asking Amper about customer success stories, he replied: “Sectors like financial services, hospitality, entertainment, and healthcare are globally adopting biometrics as a customer-facing identity verification solution to streamline access to new products and services while improving privacy, security, and the overall user onboarding experience.” “Event organizers and venues are also increasingly adopting biometrics to create safer, next-gen experiences for attendees. Last year, we began working with LIGA MX, Mexico’s top professional football division. LIGA MX implemented Incode’s advanced identity verification technology, FAN ID, across all stadiums in Mexico to create more connected, seamless experiences for more than 2 million fans and their families. Implementing FAN ID for game-day access offered fans peace of mind, knowing that anyone who enters a facility has completed the identity verification process and been cleared to attend LIGA MX matches. This is especially important given the uptick in violence at major league sports events, specifically LIGA MX, in March 2022.” “With Incode’s technology, LIGA MX has been able to onboard approximately five million fans, process 50,000 people per game, authenticate fans’ identities in less than five seconds, and implement Incode’s technology across 35 teams in more than 30 stadiums and at more than 400 games annually.” Differentiation From The Competition What differentiates Incode from its competition? Amper affirmed: “Incode began as a user experience-focused photosharing company, but after we gained recognition in third-party testing following our pivot in 2018, we began to see the value of fully owning our technology and not requiring customers to use multiple vendors to integrate into legacy systems. While some organizations are focused on digital IDs and others are focused on fraud prevention, Incode builds all elements of identity into a single platform with its fully automated identity verification and authentication platform that eliminates the tradeoff between speed and security. Based on the highest security and encryption standards, Incode’s iBeta Level 2 conformant solutions are reducing exposure to spoofing attacks and significantly streamlining identity processes. Incode’s unique technology also verifies a user’s identity with their own identity for a privacy-first approach rather than comparing sensitive data against an entire database. Due to this fundamentally different and rebellious approach to privacy, security, and performance based on biometric authentication, Incode is uniquely positioned to not only help its partners increase revenue and onboard more customers but also question outdated identity management structures and eradicate the problem of identity fraud, particularly as businesses and society move toward completely digital engagement.” “Our solutions are rooted in the fundamental belief that to truly engage in identity management, biometrics must be at the core, as digital data alone is insufficient. Rather than squandering the onboarding process, each instance becomes a template for future authentication. While larger banks may claim a similar approach with prolonged questionnaires and delays, we streamline the process with just a selfie, seamlessly connecting across their systems and teams. We’ve automated the entire process and enhanced it with extensive analytics, all aimed at optimizing the user experience while maintaining robust fraud prevention measures.” “Incode Omni addresses the inherent rigidity found in conventional tools, allowing customers to effortlessly replicate existing flows or tailor them to specific regions or user types. It’s highly customizable, requires no coding, and is universally championed by administrators. Incode is more than an identity verification company; it’s an identity orchestration platform that goes beyond onboarding.” “In the short term, Incode focuses on reducing fraud, boosting conversion rates, and reducing customer acquisition costs. We’re extending beyond large banks to small LLCs and shops with our push for eKYC. With our government integration, we verify business data and the officers associated with them, fostering trust and transparency. In the long term, our aspiration is to catalyze economic growth at the intersection of identity, much like the transformative impact of the iPhone in enabling widespread internet access.” Future Company Goals What are some of Incode’s future company goals? Amper concluded: “Incode is continuing to grow very quickly, and we’re obsessed with automation. In the near future, Incode is leveraging our full range of analytics and dashboard capabilities to grow our strategic partnerships and support the entire identity lifecycle of our users, ranging from mobile intelligence to fraud tagging, in a multitude of industries that are beginning to adopt biometric authentication technology. Biometrics, as a core component of verification and authentication technology, is critical to evolving towards a Web 3 and self-sovereign identity world – Incode is positioned to provide self-sovereign identity globally.” “In addition to our partnerships with Black Ink Tech and Mama Money, we have also partnered with Hoteza. With Incode, Hoteza offers guests a seamless and frictionless self-check-in process before they even arrive at the hotel, utilizing their cloud-based content management system and Incode’s fully integrated and secure optical character recognition and facial recognition technology, FaceMatch.” “Looking at the rapid traction that biometrics have gained in the past decade, Incode is excited to play the leading role in transforming the identity verification industry and shifting online transactions and onboarding processes to a more frictionless and privacy-centric user experience.” Additional Thoughts Any other topics to discuss? Amper concluded: “Incode believes privacy is the enabler of the next generation of physical identity, and we prioritize customer privacy above all else. We anonymize biometric features as a face template for sub-second comparison face matching. Many use cases employ 1:1 authentication, where a client provides a unique identifier, such as a reservation number when booking a hotel, and our solution matches your face’s anonymized biometric template connected to your booking code. We offer the flexibility to keep all sensitive information directly on a customer’s device to comply with varying local regulations or adapt to the specific needs and nature of the customer. At Incode, we emphasize automation and machine learning technology that puts privacy first. Data is processed more securely by opting out of human-in-the-loop verification and leveraging unbiased AI to verify and authenticate.” “Other tools in the industry traditionally process IDs and sensitive data through call centers with mass amounts of employees and servers, which increases exposure and risk to bad actors. Incode processes data directly on the device and utilizes an in-house developed algorithm to ensure maximum privacy, security, and accuracy and limit the number of hands touching a customer’s personal data. Incode’s Integrated Identity Platform, Incode Omni, ranks among the highest for accuracy, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).” Sponsors