JP Morgan Chase has told staff moving into its new headquarters in New York that they must share their biometric data to access the multibillion-dollar building.
The investment bank had previously planned for the registering of biometric data by employees at its new Manhattan skyscraper to be voluntary.
However, employees of the US’s biggest bank who have started work at the headquarters since August have received emails saying that biometric access was “required”, according to communications seen by the Financial Times.
Biometric access requires staff to scan their fingerprints or eye to gain access through security gates in the lobby instead of swiping their ID badges.
The bank’s headquarters, which cost a reported $3bn (£2.25bn) to build, will eventually be a base for 10,000 employees once it is fully occupied later this year.
JP Morgan declined to comment but it is understood that the use of biometric data for access is designed to make the building more secure.
There are exemptions for some employees who will still be able to use a badge for access, the Guardian understands, although the criteria for who will use more traditional ID access is unclear.
Biometric enrolment is understood to remain voluntary at other JP Morgan offices, including London, where voluntary hand biometrics have been introduced at its Bank Street office.
This process involves an employee’s hand print being encrypted so the company does not have access to the data.
This system operates in a similar fashion to Apple’s Face ID option on iPhones, where the Silicon Valley company cannot access customers’ facial data.
Alongside the introduction of palm and eye scanners, the company has also launched the “Work at JPMC” mobile app, which works as a digital badge and hub for employee services.
The app allows staff to manage guest registration, navigate indoor maps of the building and pre-order meals from the building’s 19 on-site dining vendors.
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The implementation of stricter access protocols comes as US corporations, particularly those with significant operations in New York, look to increase security after the shooting last year of the chief executive of one of the US’s largest health insurers. Brian Thompson, the boss of UnitedHealthcare, was fatally shot not far from JP Morgan’s offices.
The move comes amid debate over the use of technology to track workers by their employers, including monitoring office attendance levels. Earlier this year all JP Morgan workers on hybrid work schedules were told they must return to the office five days a week.
The bank’s chief executive, Jamie Dimon, has described JP Morgan’s new 60-storey headquarters as a “beautiful physical manifestation” of the company.
Dimon, one of the world’s most powerful bankers, this week warned that the chance of the US stock market crashing was far greater than many financiers believed.
JP Morgan has been contacted for comment.
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