Royal Bank of Scotland has launched a new feature for RBS and NatWest customers attempting to access their accounts through the banks mobile apps, enabling them to log in using their fingerprints.

RBS, which is 80 per cent owned by the government, is the first British bank to offer such a service. The Touch ID feature will be available to the nearly 1m iPhone users who have the RBS or NatWest mobile banking apps, allowing them to access their accounts without the need for a password.

The move was inspired by customer feedback in the banks online community forum Ideas Bank, and is a reaction to the decreasing number of customers visiting branches in person, and the growth in demand for convenient mobile banking.

Currently, over 167,000 RBS and NatWest customers access the app between 7am and 8am every day during their commute, while nearly 3m customers use the app every week.

“There has been a revolution in banking, as more and more of our customers are using digital technology to bank with us,” said Stuart Haire, managing director of RBS and NatWest Direct Bank. “Adding Touch ID to our mobile banking app makes it even easier and more convenient for customers to manage their finances on the move and directly responds to their requests.”