The Co-operative Bank has launched a digital identity verification service for new customers.

The service allows customers to prove their identity online, which the bank said would speed up onboarding while getting rid of the need for a customer to visit a branch or post identification documents.

Users of the service will upload a government-issued identity document and take a selfie which is then matched to the user’s face using biometric technology. The bank claims it can take as little as 15 seconds to verify a user’s identity and address.

The Co-operative Bank said that the process, which has been launched in partnership with identity verification platform Onfido, meets regulatory requirements and will help to mitigate fraud.

The move comes after a recent investigation by Which? found that some banks are exposing their customers to security risks because of poor authentication methods. The Co-operative Bank and Santander were criticised for their use of SMS texts to verify customers as this can leave messages at risk of being hijacked by cybercriminals.

Santander and The Co-operative Bank told Which? that they are looking to move away from SMS.

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