Digital Identity: Global Roundup

Brazil

Digital identity firm Caf is partnering with gambling company Eyas Gaming to establish the age and identity of players in Brazil, in real-time.

The Brazilian government is poised to formally regulate sports betting after many years.

United States

The US government has been criticised for its new cybersecurity strategy implementation plan for federal agencies ignoring actions regarding digital identity.

According to reports, those with close ties to federal cybersecurity policies say there is nothing substantive about digital identity is in the government’s strategy implementation plan.

Jordan Burris, head of public-sector strategy at ID verification provider Socure and another former federal official, took to LinkedIn to express his disappointment, notes Biometric Update.

Burris pointed out that US president Joe Biden in February called for action on digital identity in is high-profile state of the union address.

“Transparency and action are needed now,” Burris wrote. “Else we will continue to see nation-states and criminal enterprises win the day.”

United States

Digital identity startup Bureau has secured an additional $4.5 million series A funding from GMO VenturePartners, Gmo Payment Gateway, and existing investors. This additional backing complete this funding round at $16.5 million. With the completion of the latest round, total funding for the startup has reached $20.5m to date.

Founded in 2020, Bureau is a global identity decisioning platform for fraud prevention and compliance management. Businesses use the Bureau risk orchestration platform to manage compliance, and prevent fraud along the customer journey. The company serves customers across banking, fintech, insurance, the gig economy, and real money gaming among others.

Bureau has increased customer and revenue numbers sixfold in the past year with 300+ million identities verified through its platform. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in India, Singapore, and Dubai

Holland

Amsterdam-based traveltech startup NeoKe has secured €1.3 million in a pre-seed round of funding.

The firm says it will use the funds to enhance its technology and go-to-market plans as it pioneers developments for digital identity in the travel sector.

The startup’s two main products include Neoke Connect, an identity management and automation platform for travel companies, and Neoke Wallet, a digital wallet that enables travellers to securely store and exchange their personal data at their discretion.

The investment came from Dreamcraft Ventures, ff Venture Capital, GHARAGE: Vision Hub of Gebr.Heinemann, and Plug & Play.

United Kingdom

The Open Identity Exchange (OIX) says data from mobile telcos could enable greater levels of inclusion for millions in the UK who currently struggle to prove who they are when trying to access products and services.

OIX is urging all digital ID service providers, and other organisations that will need to undertake ID proofing, to consider combining mobile telco data into their processes.

Its research found that at least six million people in the UK are ‘ID Challenged’. This means that they struggle to prove who they are in both the private and public sectors, and find themselves excluded from access to the products and services they are entitled to.

With the UK government’s recent announcement that eight government departments are now using its digital ID platform, GOV.UK One Login, with others set to be onboarded over the coming months, OIX believes that mobile telco data must be considered to broaden its reach to people who do not have traditional documents or online banking and non-bank credit accounts.

Bangladesh

National Credit and Commerce Bank (NCC) of Bangladesh has rolled-out Thales Luna Hardware Security Modules (HSMs) across its existing infrastructure to meet the security requirements of the recently launched Interoperable Digital Transaction Platform (IDTP), also known as “Binimoy.” The tamper-resistant hardware is the ‘root of trust’ for NCC Bank’s real-time transactions.

In November 2022, the Bangladesh Government launched the IDTP, allowing entities to move funds between bank accounts, mobile financial services, and payment system providers in real-time and at a lower cost. The platform connects customers, merchants, payment processors, e-wallets, banks, and more, supporting the government’s goal of a cashless society.

United States

Digital identity and credentials network ID.me and identity and background services provider Sterling have extended their exclusive agreement through to July 2028.

Through the initial investment and collaboration since 2021, ID.me and Sterling developed a joint solution that enhances pre-employment screening and strengthens hiring practices. It enables employers to confirm candidate identity through multiple methods – telecom/device, government issued ID and biometric face matching.

In May 2023, the ID.me and Sterling identity offering became the first omnichannel solution to earn Kantara’s Trustmark for Identity Assurance Level 2 (IAL2), meeting federal digital identity guidelines set by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This certification enables federal, state, and local US governments to deliver omnichannel, NIST-compliant access to identity verification through the ID.me and Sterling solutions.

United Kingdom

The UK’s only bank-verified digital identity service provider (IDSP), OneID, has partnered with digital ID verification company IDVerse (previously known as OCR Labs Global) to provide global coverage and additional ID evidence options for OneID customers and individuals.

IDVerse has received 20 certifications for Right to Work, Right to Rent and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) from the UK’s Digital Identity & Attributes Trust Framework (DIATF). This gives OneID customers a broad range of UK Government ID profiles to choose from, it says.

OneID will use IDVerse’s Zero Bias AI technology to offer additional capabilities to support business-critical transactions relating to financial services, employment screening and e-signing. IDVerse uses generative AI to train deep neural network systems to protect against discrimination on the basis of race, age and gender and has achieved 99.99 per cent accuracy in independent lab testing.

United Kingdom

A new survey reveals that 75 percent of people in the UK would feel safer and more comfortable allowing strangers, such as tradespeople and estate agents, into their home if their identity and credentials could be checked online.

The survey of 1,079 UK residents carried out online by ProperPR on behalf of ID Crypt suggests that a digital identity platform from which the true identity of, for example, tradespeople who are entering the home, could be checked and confirmed would be welcomed by the general public.

Currently, only half of people say they ask for ID before letting someone in, and only a quarter ask for proof of employment. Even if ID was provided, 59 percent say they would not be fully confident that it is legitimate because physical IDs can be easily faked.

As such, 76 percent would be in favour of digital IDs that provide a trustworthy record of a stranger’s identity and professional credentials, regardless of their job role or sector.

United Kingdom

The Eurostar ‘SmartCheck’ biometric gates have officially launched for passengers travelling through London’s St Pancras International Station on premium rail plans, after being in trials since the end of 2021.

The contactless pre-departure gate system eliminates the need for manual passport checks as travellers exit the UK.

Before the implementation, Eurostar was facing an increased processing time of 30 percent due to post-Brexit border checks, according to Business Traveller. The check-in system has the potential to eliminate border congestion that has increased with post-Brexit passport checks.

The lanes incorporate biometric technology from iProov with Entrust‘s IDVaaS technology for digital travel credential management. Travellers pre-register by submitting a selfie and scanning the NFC chip in their passport, a capability provided throughout the trials by Inverid. This follows Entrust’s recent contract win with the UK Home Office to expand digital verification for immigration.

The trial will be reviewed and analyzed in autumn before expanding before Eurostar considers extending it to regular passengers, other stations, and border control partners.