Anna Bligh, the new chief executive of the Australian Bankers Association said it was critical to address perceptions of a lack of accountability. Speaking with The Australian, Bligh said discussions were needed on some "technical aspects", but the industry could not realistically command external respect unless senior leaders were accountable "for themselves and for their teams". The Australian says Bligh conceded that there had never been a time when banks were under such extreme and unrelenting scrutiny from regulators, federal and state parliament, and customers. ANZ has claimed first mover status among Australian banks for use of voice biometrics via mobile devices. From the middle of this year, customers transferring more than $1000 through ANZ's mobile apps will be able to use their voice to authorise payments, the bank said. A pilot program using voiceprint and biometrics company Nuance is set to start in May, with ANZ staff and select customers using the Grow by ANZ mobile app, ahead of a progressive rollout to ANZ goMoney and other digital services.