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The financial institution has notified employees assigned to its state-of-the-art main office in Manhattan that they have to provide their physical characteristics to gain entry the multi-billion building.

Shift from Voluntary to Mandatory

The investment bank had previously planned for the enrollment of biometric data at its Manhattan tower to be voluntary.

Yet, staff of the US's largest bank who have begun work at the main office since this summer have been sent emails stating that biometric entry was now "required".

How Biometric Access Works

Biometric access requires staff to scan their fingerprints to pass through access portals in the main floor instead of using their identification cards.

Building Specifications and Capacity

The bank's headquarters, which allegedly was built for three billion dollars to develop, will in time act as a base for 10,000 employees once it is entirely staffed before year-end.

Protection Reasoning

JP Morgan opted not to respond but it is assumed that the implementation of physical identifiers for access is designed to make the premises safer.

Alternative Access Methods

There are special provisions for some employees who will continue to have the option to use a ID card for access, although the criteria for who will use more traditional ID access remains undefined.

Supporting Mobile Applications

Complementing the introduction of palm and eye scanners, the company has also launched the "Corporate Access" smartphone application, which functions as a electronic pass and hub for worker amenities.

The platform enables employees to coordinate visitor access, explore indoor maps of the building and schedule dining from the facility's 19 on-site dining vendors.

Industry-Wide Trends

The implementation of enhanced security measures comes as business organizations, notably those with significant operations in New York, look to increase security following the attack of the CEO of one of the US's largest health insurers in summer.

The executive, the leader of the insurance giant, was the victim of the attack not far from the bank's location.

Potential Wider Implementation

It is uncertain if the financial firm intends to implement physical identifier entry for personnel at its offices in other key banking hubs, such as the British financial district.

Employee Tracking Developments

The action comes amid controversy over the implementation of technology to track workers by their employers, including observing workplace presence.

Earlier this year, all JP Morgan workers on flexible arrangements were directed they are required to come back to the workplace on a daily basis.

Executive Perspective

The company's leader, the prominent banker, has characterized the company's recently opened 60-storey headquarters as a "beautiful physical manifestation" of the company.

The executive, one of the global financial leaders, this week cautioned that the chance of the US stock market experiencing a decline was far greater than many investors thought.