Account opening method and program

Abstract

An account opening method according to the present disclosure is executed by a first server 10 provided in an account opening system 2 installed in a first country. This account opening method comprises: acquiring information about a passport; acquiring first personal identification information for confirming the identity of a non-resident; acquiring second personal identification information from a second server 20 installed in the entity that issued the passport to the non-resident in a second country; comparing the first personal identification information with the second personal identification information; and permitting the non-resident to open an account if it is determined that the first personal identification information and the second personal identification information are the same person's personal identification information on the basis of the comparison result, and not permitting the non-resident to open an account if it is determined that the first personal identification information and the second personal identification information are not the same person's personal identification information.

Description

Account opening method and program CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-057871, filed in Japan on March 29, 2024, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to an account opening method and program.

[0003] Conventionally, when opening an account at a bank, an identity verification procedure is carried out before opening the account.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that when a user opens a new account in a bank system, a process for verifying the user's identity is carried out.

[0005] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-154916

[0006] When non-residents who do not reside in Japan come to Japan for travel or other reasons, it is inconvenient for them to carry around large amounts of exchanged Japanese yen. If non-residents such as tourists can open a bank account in Japan, they can deposit Japanese yen in the bank instead of carrying it around. This allows non-residents to withdraw the necessary Japanese yen using a cash card or make purchases using a debit card, which is very convenient for non-residents.

[0007] However, even if a non-resident who does not reside in Japan presents identification documents, it is difficult for a Japanese bank to determine whether the documents are not forged. For this reason, it has been difficult for Japanese banks to allow non-residents to open accounts.

[0008] The purpose of the present disclosure, made in consideration of the above circumstances, is to enable highly reliable identification of non-residents.

[0009] An account opening method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is an account opening method executed by a first server included in an account opening system installed in a first country, and includes: acquiring passport information used by a non-resident who does not reside in the first country when traveling from a second country to the first country; acquiring first personal identification information for verifying the identity of the non-resident; acquiring second personal identification information used when the business operator that issued the passport to the non-resident verified the identity of the non-resident from a second server installed in the second country at the business operator that issued the passport to the non-resident; comparing the first personal identification information with the second personal identification information; and permitting the non-resident to open an account if it is determined as a result of the comparison that the first personal identification information and the second personal identification information are identification information of the same person, and not permitting the non-resident to open an account if it is determined that the first personal identification information and the second personal identification information are not identification information of the same person.

[0010] A program according to an embodiment of the present disclosure causes a first server included in an account opening system installed in a first country to perform operations including: acquiring passport information used by a non-resident who does not reside in the first country when traveling from a second country to the first country; acquiring first personal identification information for verifying the identity of the non-resident; acquiring second personal identification information used when the business that issued the passport to the non-resident verified the identity of the non-resident from a second server installed in the second country at the business that issued the passport to the non-resident; comparing the first personal identification information with the second personal identification information; and permitting the non-resident to open an account if it is determined as a result of the comparison that the first personal identification information and the second personal identification information are identification information of the same person, and not permitting the non-resident to open an account if it is determined that the first personal identification information and the second personal identification information are not identification information of the same person.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the identity verification of non-residents can be performed with high reliability.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a first server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a second server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an operation of a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described.

[0014] An overview of a system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figure 1. The system 1 includes an account opening system 2 installed in a first country and a second server 20 installed in a second country. The account opening system 2 installed in the first country includes a first server 10 and a third server 30.

[0015] The account opening system 2 is a system that enables a non-resident who does not reside in a first country to open a bank account in the first country. The first country is not limited to a specific country, but may be, for example, Japan.

[0016] The second country is a country in which a non-resident who does not reside in the first country resides. For example, if the first country is Japan, the second country may be the United States, China, etc. Note that this is just an example, and the second country may be a country other than the United States or China.

[0017] The account opening method disclosed in this embodiment is a method for a non-resident who does not reside in a first country to open a bank account in a first country when traveling to the first country from a second country.

[0018] A non-resident who does not reside in the first country is said to be staying in the first country for a short period of time for travel, business, etc. Here, a short period of time means a period of a few days to a few months. Hereinafter, a non-resident who does not reside in the first country may be referred to simply as a "non-resident."

[0019] The first server 10 included in the account opening system 2 is a server installed at a business such as a funds transfer business. The first server 10 includes one or more computers. For ease of explanation, the first server 10 will be described as including one server device, but the first server 10 may also include multiple server devices that can communicate with each other.

[0020] The third server 30 included in the account opening system 2 is a server installed at a business operator such as a bank. The third server 30 is configured to include one or more computers. For ease of explanation, the third server 30 will be described as being configured as a single server device, but the third server 30 may be configured to include multiple server devices that can communicate with each other.

[0021] The first server 10 and the third server 30 can communicate with each other via a network including, for example, the Internet.

[0022] The second server 20 installed in the second country is, for example, a server installed in a business such as a travel agency or an airline. The second server 20 is configured to include one or more computers. For ease of explanation, the second server 20 will be described as being configured as a single server device, but the second server 20 may be configured to include multiple server devices that can communicate with each other.

[0023] The first server 10 and the second server 20 can communicate with each other via a network including, for example, the Internet.

[0024] (Configuration of First Server) With reference to FIG. 2, the configuration of the first server 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

[0025] The first server 10 includes a communication unit 11 , a storage unit 12 , an input unit 13 , an output unit 14 , and a control unit 15 .

[0026] The communication unit 11 includes a communication module that connects to a network. For example, the communication unit 11 may include a communication module that supports a LAN (Local Area Network). In one embodiment, the first server 10 is connected to the network via the communication unit 11. The communication unit 11 transmits and receives various information via the network. The communication unit 11 is capable of communicating with the second server 20 and the third server 30 via the network.

[0027] The storage unit 12 may be, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, an optical memory, or the like, but is not limited to these. The storage unit 12 may function, for example, as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 12 stores any information used in the operation of the first server 10. For example, the storage unit 12 may store system programs, application programs, and various information received by the communication unit 11. The information stored in the storage unit 12 may be updateable, for example, with information received from a network via the communication unit 11. A portion of the storage unit 12 may be installed outside the first server 10. In this case, the externally installed portion of the storage unit 12 may be connected to the first server 10 via any interface.

[0028] The input unit 13 includes one or more input interfaces that detect user input and acquire input information based on the user's operation. For example, the input unit 13 includes, but is not limited to, physical keys, capacitive keys, a touch screen integrated with the display of the output unit 14, or a microphone that accepts voice input.

[0029] The output unit 14 includes one or more output interfaces that output information to notify the user. For example, the output unit 14 includes, but is not limited to, a display that outputs information as an image, a speaker that outputs information as sound, etc.

[0030] The control unit 15 includes at least one processor, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination of these. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The control unit 15 controls each unit of the first server 10 and executes processes related to the operation of the first server 10.

[0031] (Configuration of Second Server) Next, with reference to FIG. 3, a configuration of the second server 20 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

[0032] The second server 20 includes a communication unit 21 , a storage unit 22 , an input unit 23 , an output unit 24 , and a control unit 25 .

[0033] The communication unit 21 includes a communication module that connects to a network. For example, the communication unit 21 may include a communication module that supports a LAN. In one embodiment, the second server 20 is connected to the network via the communication unit 21. The communication unit 21 transmits and receives various information via the network. The communication unit 21 is capable of communicating with the first server 10 via the network.

[0034] The storage unit 22 may be, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic memory, an optical memory, or the like, but is not limited to these. The storage unit 22 may function, for example, as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. The storage unit 22 stores any information used in the operation of the second server 20. For example, the storage unit 22 may store system programs, application programs, and various information received by the communication unit 21. The information stored in the storage unit 22 may be updateable, for example, with information received from a network via the communication unit 21. A portion of the storage unit 22 may be installed outside the second server 20. In this case, the externally installed portion of the storage unit 22 may be connected to the second server 20 via any interface.

[0035] The input unit 23 includes one or more input interfaces that detect user input and acquire input information based on the user's operation. For example, the input unit 23 includes, but is not limited to, physical keys, capacitive keys, a touch screen integrated with the display of the output unit 24, or a microphone that accepts voice input.

[0036] The output unit 24 includes one or more output interfaces that output information to notify the user. For example, the output unit 24 includes, but is not limited to, a display that outputs information as an image, a speaker that outputs information as sound, etc.

[0037] The control unit 25 includes at least one processor, at least one dedicated circuit, or a combination thereof. The processor is a general-purpose processor such as a CPU or GPU, or a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. The dedicated circuit is, for example, an FPGA or an ASIC. The control unit 25 controls each unit of the second server 20 and executes processes related to the operation of the second server 20.

[0038] (System Operation) Next, the operation of the system 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

[0039] When a non-resident who does not reside in a first country travels from a second country where he or she resides to the first country for purposes such as travel, the non-resident purchases a passport for travel from the second country to the first country. The passport may be, for example, an airline passport, a sea passport, or the like.

[0040] When a non-resident purchases a passport in the second country where he or she resides, the non-resident provides personal identification information for identity verification to a second server 20 installed at a business such as a travel agency or airline. The personal identification information may be, for example, a passport, a driver's license, or the like.

[0041] A non-resident may provide personal identification information by, for example, going to a counter of a travel agency, airline, etc. and presenting a passport, driver's license, etc. In this case, an operator of the travel agency, airline, etc. may input the personal identification information of the non-resident through the input unit 23 of the second server 20. When the control unit 25 acquires the personal identification information from the input unit 23, it stores the personal identification information in the memory unit 22.

[0042] Alternatively, the non-resident may provide the second server 20 with personal identification information by transmitting the information from the non-resident's terminal device to the second server 20. The non-resident's terminal device may be a smartphone, a general-purpose personal computer (PC), or the like. In this case, the non-resident may transmit image data of a photograph of, for example, a passport, a driver's license, or the like to the second server 20 as personal identification information. The control unit 25 of the second server 20 acquires the personal identification information transmitted by the non-resident's terminal device via the communication unit 21. The control unit 25 stores the acquired personal identification information in the memory unit 22.

[0043] The second server 20 is installed at a travel agency, airline, or the like in the second country where the non-resident resides. Therefore, staff at the travel agency, airline, or the like where the second server 20 is installed can perform identity verification of the non-resident with high reliability. If there are no problems with the identity verification, the staff at the travel agency, airline, or the like issues a passport to the non-resident for travel from the second country to the first country.

[0044] When the control unit 25 of the second server 20 issues a passport to a non-resident, the control unit 25 stores the non-resident's personal identification information and passport information in the storage unit 22 in association with each other.

[0045] Passport information includes, for example, information about the first country, information about the second country, information about the business that issued the passport, information about the date of entry into the first country, information about the date of departure from the first country, and the like.

[0046] Hereinafter, the personal identification information of the non-resident stored in the storage unit 22 of the second server 20 may be referred to as "second personal identification information."

[0047] When a non-resident opens a bank account in a first country, which is the destination country, the non-resident provides passport information used when traveling from a second country to the first country to a first server 10 installed at a funds transfer business operator or the like in the first country.

[0048] A non-resident may provide passport information, for example, by going to a counter of a funds transfer service provider or the like and presenting their passport. In this case, an operator of the funds transfer service provider or the like may input the passport information of the non-resident through input unit 13 of first server 10. When control unit 15 acquires the passport information from input unit 13, it stores the passport information in memory unit 12.

[0049] Alternatively, the non-resident may provide the passport information to the first server 10 by transmitting the passport information from the non-resident's terminal device to the first server 10. The non-resident's terminal device may be a smartphone, a general-purpose PC, or the like. In this case, the non-resident may, for example, transmit image data of a photograph of the passport to the first server 10. The control unit 15 of the first server 10 acquires the passport information transmitted by the non-resident's terminal device via the communication unit 11. The control unit 15 stores the acquired passport information in the memory unit 12.

[0050] Furthermore, when a non-resident opens a bank account in a first country of destination, the non-resident provides personal identification information for identity verification to a first server 10 installed at a business such as a funds transfer business operator in the first country. The personal identification information may be, for example, a passport or a driver's license.

[0051] A non-resident may provide personal identification information, for example, by going to a counter of a funds transfer business operator or the like and presenting a passport, driver's license, etc. In this case, an operator of the funds transfer business operator or the like may input the personal identification information of the non-resident through the input unit 13 of the first server 10. When the control unit 15 acquires the personal identification information from the input unit 13, it stores the personal identification information in the memory unit 12.

[0052] Alternatively, the non-resident may provide the first server 10 with personal identification information by transmitting the information from the non-resident's terminal device to the first server 10. The non-resident's terminal device may be a smartphone, a general-purpose PC, or the like. In this case, the non-resident may transmit image data of a photograph of, for example, a passport, a driver's license, or the like to the first server 10 as personal identification information. The control unit 15 of the first server 10 acquires the personal identification information transmitted by the non-resident's terminal device via the communication unit 11. The control unit 15 stores the acquired personal identification information in the memory unit 12.

[0053] Hereinafter, the personal identification information of the non-resident stored in the storage unit 12 of the first server 10 may be referred to as "first personal identification information."

[0054] When the control unit 15 acquires the passport information and the first personal identification information, it sends a request to a second server 20 installed at the business that issued the passport to the non-resident via the communication unit 11 to send the second personal identification information acquired when the business that issued the passport to the non-resident verified the non-resident's identity.

[0055] When the control unit 25 of the second server 20 receives a request to send second personal identification information from the first server 10 via the communication unit 21, it transmits the second personal identification information stored in the memory unit 22 to the first server 10 via the communication unit 21.

[0056] The control unit 15 of the first server 10 acquires the second personal identification information transmitted by the second server 20 via the communication unit 11 .

[0057] When the control unit 15 acquires the second personal identification information from the second server 20, it compares the first personal identification information stored in the storage unit 12 with the second personal identification information. Note that the first personal identification information and the second personal identification information may be personal identification information based on different documents. For example, the first personal identification information may be personal identification information acquired based on a non-resident's passport, and the second personal identification information may be personal identification information acquired based on a non-resident's driver's license.

[0058] The control unit 15 may, for example, compare the name, address, personal identification number, etc. contained in the first personal identification information with the name, address, personal identification number, etc. contained in the second personal identification information, and match the first personal identification information with the second personal identification information.

[0059] If the control unit 15 determines, as a result of executing the matching process, that the first personal identification information and the second personal identification information are personal identification information of the same person, it determines that the non-resident should be permitted to open an account.If the control unit 15 determines, as a result of executing the matching process, that the first personal identification information and the second personal identification information are not personal identification information of the same person, it determines that the non-resident should not be permitted to open an account.

[0060] In this way, by verifying the identity of the non-resident by comparing the second identity verification information obtained from the second server 20 installed at the operator in the second country where the non-resident resides with the first identity verification information, the control unit 15 can perform identity verification of the non-resident with high reliability.

[0061] If the control unit 15 determines, as a result of the verification process, that the opening of an account by the non-resident is permitted, it sends an instruction to open the account to a third server 30 installed at a business such as a bank via the communication unit 11. The instruction to open the account may include the non-resident's personal identification information and passport information.

[0062] The third server 30 opens an account when it receives the instruction to open an account from the second server 20. When opening an account, the third server 30 may set the expiration date of the account that it permits to be opened to the date of entry and departure, based on information on the date of entry into the first country of the non-resident and information on the date of departure from the first country of the non-resident, which information is included in the passport information included in the instruction to open the account.

[0063] In this way, by setting the expiration date of the account from the date of entry of the non-resident into the first country to the date of departure of the non-resident from the first country, the period during which the non-resident can use the account can be limited to the period during which the non-resident is staying in the first country, thereby preventing accounts opened by non-residents from being used for fraudulent purposes.

[0064] If a bank account can be opened in the first country, a non-resident who has traveled to the first country can deposit the currency of the first country as cash in a bank in the first country. The non-resident can then withdraw the currency of the first country using a cash card or make purchases using a debit card as needed. This improves the convenience of using the currency of the first country for non-residents staying in the first country.

[0065] The processing executed by the first server 10, the second server 20, and the third server 30 will be described with reference to the sequence diagram shown in FIG.

[0066] Step S101: A travel agency, airline, or other business entity in which the second server 20 is installed performs identity verification of the non-resident based on the second identity verification information acquired from the non-resident.

[0067] Step S102: If there is no problem with the identity verification, the travel agency, airline, or other business entity where the second server 20 is installed issues a passport to the non-resident for travel from the second country to the first country. The control unit 15 of the second server 20 stores the second identity verification information and passport information in the memory unit 22.

[0068] Step S103: The control unit 15 of the first server 10 installed at a funds transfer business or the like acquires passport information from a non-resident who has traveled from the second country to the first country.

[0069] Step S104: The control unit 15 acquires first personal identification information from the non-resident who has traveled from the second country to the first country.

[0070] Step S105: Upon acquiring the passport information and the first personal identification information, the control unit 15 transmits a request to the second server 20 to transmit the second personal identification information.

[0071] Step S106: When the control unit 25 of the second server 20 receives a request to send the second personal identification information from the first server 10, it sends the second personal identification information stored in the memory unit 22 to the first server 10.

[0072] Step S107: When the control unit 15 of the first server 10 acquires the second personal identification information from the second server 20, the control unit 15 compares the first personal identification information stored in the memory unit 12 with the second personal identification information.

[0073] Step S108: If the control unit 15 determines, as a result of the matching process, that the first personal identification information and the second personal identification information are personal identification information of the same person, the control unit 15 proceeds to step S109. If the control unit 15 determines, as a result of the matching process, that the first personal identification information and the second personal identification information are not personal identification information of the same person, the control unit 15 proceeds to step S110.

[0074] Step S109: If the control unit 15 determines that the first personal identification information and the second personal identification information belong to the same person, it permits the non-resident to open an account.

[0075] Step S110: If the control unit 15 determines that the first personal identification information and the second personal identification information do not belong to the same person, it does not permit the non-resident to open an account.

[0076] Step S111: If it is determined that the non-resident is permitted to open an account, the control unit 15 transmits an instruction to the third server 30 to open an account.

[0077] Step S112: The third server 30 opens an account upon receiving the instruction to open an account from the second server 20. At this time, the third server 30 may set the expiration date of the account that it permits to be opened to be from the date of entry to the date of departure.

[0078] As described above, in the first server 10 according to this embodiment, the control unit 15 acquires passport information used by a non-resident who does not reside in a first country when traveling from a second country to the first country, acquires first identity verification information for verifying the identity of the non-resident, acquires second identity verification information from the second server 20, and compares the first identity verification information with the second identity verification information. If the comparison determines that the first identity verification information and the second identity verification information belong to the same person, the control unit 15 permits the non-resident to open an account. If the comparison determines that the first identity verification information and the second identity verification information do not belong to the same person, the control unit 15 does not permit the non-resident to open an account. This allows the first server 10 installed in the first country to perform highly reliable identity verification of the non-resident based on highly reliable identity verification information, i.e., the second identity verification information acquired from the second server 20 installed in the second country where the non-resident resides.

[0079] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are included in the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each component or step can be rearranged so as not to be logically inconsistent, and multiple components or steps can be combined or divided into one.

[0080] Furthermore, since the present disclosure provides specific explanations based on embodiments, it should be noted that not all configurations and effects utilizing the present disclosure are necessarily described. Furthermore, it should be noted that the present disclosure is not bound by the motives and points of view that actually led the inventors to the invention. Therefore, even if the use of the present disclosure results in effects not described in the disclosure, or includes new motives and points of view, the invention naturally falls within the technical scope of the invention as long as it has the configuration described in the claims.

[0081] For example, in the above-described embodiments, the configurations and operations of the first server 10, the second server 20, or the third server 30 may be distributed among a plurality of computers that can communicate with each other.

[0082] Also possible is an embodiment in which, for example, a general-purpose computer functions as the first server 10, the second server 20, or the third server 30 according to the above-described embodiments. Specifically, a program describing the processing content for realizing each function of the first server 10, the second server 20, or the third server 30 according to the above-described embodiments is stored in the memory of the general-purpose computer, and the program is read and executed by a processor. Therefore, the present disclosure can also be realized as a program executable by a processor, or a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing the program.

[0083] In the above-described embodiment, the first server 10 is a server installed in a business such as a funds transfer business, and the third server 30 is a server installed in a business such as a bank. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the first server 10 and the third server 30 may both be servers installed in a business such as a bank. In this case, the first server 10 and the third server 30 may not be separate servers but may be the same server.

[0084] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 System 2 Account opening system 10 First server 11 Communication unit 12 Storage unit 13 Input unit 14 Output unit 15 Control unit 20 Second server 21 Communication unit 22 Storage unit 23 Input unit 24 Output unit 25 Control unit 30 Third server

Claims

1. A method of opening an account executed by a first server included in an account opening system installed in a first country, comprising: acquiring passport information used by a non-resident who does not reside in said first country when traveling from a second country to said first country; acquiring first personal identification information for verifying the identity of said non-resident; acquiring second personal identification information used when the business operator that issued the passport to said non-resident verified the identity of said non-resident from a second server installed at the business operator that issued the passport to said non-resident in said second country; comparing said first personal identification information with said second personal identification information; and permitting said non-resident to open an account if it is determined as a result of said comparison that the first personal identification information and the second personal identification information are identification information of the same person, and not permitting said non-resident to open an account if it is determined that the first personal identification information and the second personal identification information are not identification information of the same person.

2. An account opening method according to claim 1, wherein the passport information includes information on the date of entry of the non-resident into the first country and information on the date of departure of the non-resident from the first country, and when the account opening is permitted, the validity period of the account permitted to be opened is set to be from the date of entry to the date of departure.

3. An account opening method according to claim 1, wherein the account opening system further comprises a third server, and when the first server authorizes the account opening, the first server sends an instruction to open the account to the third server, and when the third server receives the instruction to open the account, the third server opens the account.

4. The account opening method according to claim 3, wherein the first server and the third server are the same server.

5. A program that causes a first server included in an account opening system installed in a first country to perform operations including: acquiring passport information used by a non-resident who does not reside in the first country when traveling from a second country to the first country; acquiring first personal identification information for verifying the identity of the non-resident; acquiring second personal identification information used when the business that issued the passport to the non-resident verified the identity of the non-resident from a second server installed in the second country at the business that issued the passport to the non-resident; comparing the first personal identification information with the second personal identification information; and permitting the non-resident to open an account if it is determined as a result of the comparison that the first personal identification information and the second personal identification information are identification information of the same person, and not permitting the non-resident to open an account if it is determined that the first personal identification information and the second personal identification information are not identification information of the same person.

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