Abstract:

Computer software engineering is one of the fastest growing and most promising fields today. The rapid advance in technology as well as the increase in demand for software has fueled this development. The United States Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) projected a 30 percent increase in job opportunities from 2012 to 2020 for these software developers (BLS, 2012). Computer software developers therefore, need to develop essential skills for creating new concepts to build useful products, right from the university. The final year projects undertaken by undergraduate students is an important platform for the development and sharpening of such skills, for the most needed technological solutions in our society.

This work presents a creative concept and prototype of an electronic banking (e-banking) solution aimed at enhancing secure transactions at users’ convenience. It focuses on providing an alternative access option - on-line biometric access in place of physical card access, for users. Biometric data cannot be readily stolen, forged or lost like cards. Fingerprint was adopted as the biometric for this system for easy and cost-effective deployment. This work was motivated by the need to create a less cumbersome, yet secure e-banking solution for a subset (about 60 percent) of the lower-level undergraduate student population who often forget or misplace their debit cards. The project was carried out in Covenant University Nigeria by a pro-active female computer engineering student. The solution, well accepted by over 90 percent of the student population, achieved a recognition accuracy of 95 percent.

Keywords:

Biometrics, Software development, E-banking.