While those in English speaking countries are still waiting for Samsung to finally activate their voice digital assistant Bixby, those who are in its native South Korea can add another functionality to theirs. The OEM has said it has reached an agreement with three banks that will let users access banking services through Bixby via Samsung Pay and Samsung Pass. The functionality will only be available to the new flagships Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ initially but hopefully will also be for other later models.
The three banks and what transactions you can use with Bixby are: Woori (bank account inquiry, transfer, currency exchanges), Shinhan (bank account inquiry, transfer), and KEB Hana (bank account inquiry, transfer, and exchange rate inquiry). Now you can just simply say, “Please transfer 50,000 won from my ___ bank account to my mother.” It is more convenient and will not require you anymore to go to the bank or use several different apps, just one wth Samsung Pay.
Using the service will require you to use the mobile transaction app and service Samsung Pay. You will also have to use the biometric authentication program Samsung Pass. When you’re doing actual financial transactions, you will be asked to authenticate and verify through iris screening. It is considered one of the most secure authentication processes so in theory, you don’t have to worry in case you lose your phone or get hacked or something.
The update is rolling out in South Korea and as said earlier, will only be available there. There is no news yet of expanding to another market, probably because they have to fix Bixby’s English language skills first.
SOURCE: Samsung
