Until a few years ago, employees of the banking sector were cautious about electronic documents believing that they are easier to forge than paper documents. Today, however, most of the information turnover is in electronic form, and the phrase "electronic signature" has become usual.

ES - A BASIS OF ELECTRONIC WORKFLOW

The Federal Law No. 63 "On electronic signature" establishes the principle of authenticity of handwritten and electronic signatures of the same person. There are three categories of signatures: simple, uncertified and certified. A username and password may serve as a simple electronic signature. The two types of the secure ES (uncertified and certified), as a matter of fact, involve the use of one and the same instrument -electronic digital signature. The main distinctive feature of certified signatures is that the means of their creation will need to be purchased from a certification centre having proper state accreditation.

How widely is this technology used in the Russian banks?

"For the purposes of internal workflow, the bank mainly uses simple electronic signatures in the form of codes or passwords. It is used in almost all of the bank systems (ABS, mail servers, client and analysis information). When clients are included in the workflow chain, the bank indispensably starts using secure electronic signatures, particularly in the Client-Bank remote banking system," says director of the banking products and methodology department of Investtrade-bank Kermen Nayfonov.

Senior manager of the transaction and savings products department of Absolut Bank Alexey Perov says that the electronic digital signature is usually used in the banking sector in electronic workflow, whether for reviews or approvals of any regulations. In this respect, Absolut Bank is in step with the times and uses ES for internal procedures. The expert notes that for the bank's internal purposes, ES can be implemented both on a separate carrier and system-wise in a particular user's software.

"In the modern information technologies development conditions, the electronic exchange of information requires a high level of protection, which is ensured by using of electronic signatures. It is employed in public administration, and is actively used by banks when exchanging information with their clients. About 90% of the small and medium-size business corporate clients of the Bank of Moscow are served through remote channels and, accordingly, use electronic signatures when sending documents to the credit institution. The use of electronic document exchange between the client and the bank reduces the cost of transactions, optimizes the cost of settlement services to clients, simplifies the client's interaction with the institution, and increases the speed of payments to contractors," says vice president - director of corporate business coordination department of the Bank of Moscow Andrey Vozmilov.

HOW TO AVOID RISKS?

Using of ES can significantly reduce the workflow time in the process of report formation and document sharing.

The downside is that this tool can be vulnerable.

"Unfortunately, since the data exchange process chain involves client connecting remotely using their own equipment and staff, it creates a significant risk zone. And here a key aspect of client work with regard to remote services is preventive work. After all, creating keys and certificates and transferring them to appropriate media is quite simple. However, it is much more difficult to ensure that the keys are used and stored properly by the customers and are not compromised. Therefore, when we start working with a client, and in the process of further banking services, clear systems of client training, timely information, as well as rapid response to the slightest signs of extraordinary situations (including a variety of fraud-monitoring systems) should be elaborated," says Kerman Nayfonov (Investtradebank).

"As a rule, ES is used in client work to confirm financial transactions in remote banking - internet banking, mobile bank for individuals and legal entities. To ensure that the clients use electronic signatures correctly and avoid mistakes, the bank provides detailed instructions on how and when to apply ES. If ES is used as a separate carrier, there is a risk of its loss or theft together with the documents, cards and other information that might allow the perpetrators to allegedly legally carry out major financial transactions. Precautions are standard in this case - taking care of the documents and other personals," says Aleksey Perov (Absolut Bank).

Andrey Vozmilov (Bank of Moscow) emphasizes, "The exchange of information in electronic form involves certain risks associated with the use of electronic signatures, in particular hacking the digital signature algorithm and the probability of theft of the ES carrier. Therefore, we recommend that organizations engaged in electronic data exchange with the bank comply with the necessary security precautions: use antivirus software, and restrict the access to the devices."

ES EVOLUTION

In many European countries electronic signature is actively used not only in business, but also by ordinary citizens. What are the prospects of ES becoming widespread in our country?

"Russia has long been planning to introduce a unified document - identity card, which is an electronic data carrier at the same time. The first steps to implement the project have already been made. In this light, ES has good prospects to become a requisite with vast geography. In my view, the problem with becoming widespread lies in the fact that our citizens are accustomed to working with papers and haven't yet developed the required level of confidence in the electronic signature. For example, in many structures and organizations where electronic workflow is already actively used, employees still require "live" signatures on paper," says Aleksey Perov (Absolut Bank).

"In Russia, the banks have long used electronic signature when interacting not only with clients and organizations, but also with individuals. With the development of mobile banking, this trend will only gain momentum. Various governmental organizations providing services to the public also increase the pressure in this direction, so the questions of geographical distribution of communications, particularly the Internet and mobile communications, are gradually coming to the fore," says Kerman Nayfonov (Investtradebank).

Given the interest of the country's government in the electronic signature, the latter perhaps becomes widespread and available in the near future, and paperbased documents will only be forwarded when classified as FOU (For Official Use).