Brazil
More than 214 million Brazilians will soon be using blockchain technology for digital identity, the government recently announced.
Rio de Janeiro, Goiás and Paraná will be the first states to issue identification documents on-chain through a private blockchain developed by Serpro, Brazil’s national data processing service. The entire country should be able to issue identity documents through blockchain technology by November 6, according to a decree on September 25.
As per the local government, the national ID project is crucial in targeting organised crime, allowing government sectors to work together, offering a simpler way to access services and streamlining administrative records.
Argentina
The Buenos Aires city government is also launching a blockchain-based digital ID service named QuarkID. This service aims to securely store official documents such as marriage and death certificates. The technology behind this service is built on Matter Labs’ zkSync Era rollup and incorporates elements from the Argentina-based startup Extrimian.
As The Block on September 28, starting in October, Buenos Aires residents can download the QuarkID wallet to store and access their personal identification documents. The service is set to expand its offerings in November to include additional documents like proof of income, academic attendance certificates, and benefit claim documents.
The digital ID service uses a decentralized identity protocol and is partly powered by technology from Extrimian. The application itself is built on Matter Labs’ zkSync Era rollup, a layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum.
United Kingdom
October 10 is the next Think Digital Identity for Government conference in Westminster, London. There is still time to register for the conference and hear from government identity expert speakers from the Government Digital Service (GDS), DWP Digital, Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Ministry of Defence, NHS and many industry bodies and experts.
United States
Prins AI, which uses AI to create digital identities for enterprises, brands, celebrities, and individuals, closed a $100m Series B financing round.
The round was spearheaded by AAB VC. Following the earlier $22m Series A+ and $10m Series A funding, this latest funding further bolsters the company’s financial strength. In the next phase, Prins AI will continue to invest in the research and development of deep learning technology to launch “more accurate, natural, and efficient digital identity products, to expand its team, including recruiting more technical talent to enhance product development capabilities and enlarging the marketing and sales teams.”
The capital will be utilized to further enhance the functionalities of the platform and apply its technology across a myriad of scenarios including broadcasting media, brand marketing, eCommerce live streaming/short videos, educational entertainment, and more.
Chile
More than 200,000 consumers have reportedly verified their World ID in Chile as demand for the privacy-preserving digital identity protocol continues to grow following the Worldcoin project launch in July.
To help meet demand, project contributors at Tools for Humanity (TFH) have recently started operations in Vina del Mar and Concepcion. These locations are “in addition to established operations in the country’s capital of Santiago.”
United Kingdom
Yoti has released a new Digital ID app with Lloyds Bank, called Lloyds Bank Smart ID. Yoti says the app gives people a more private, secure and convenient way to prove their age or identity from their phone.
This follows the £10 million investment Lloyds Banking Group made in Yoti earlier this year. The investment supported the development of a new, reusable digital identity app to help combat the growing risks of identity fraud.
Lloyds Bank Smart ID is a reusable Digital ID which transforms the way people prove their age and identity. It allows people to share specific information with businesses who request it – such as name, date of birth or an ‘over 18’ proof of age – without having to show physical identity documents or share an excessive amount of personal data.
Global
The number of digital identity verification checks will surpass 70 billion in 2024, growing 16 percent on the previous year’s number of 61 billion, according to new research. This growth is being driven by businesses adopting stronger biometric verification methods to combat account takeover and card-not-present fraud, according to the report by Juniper Research.
The report forecasts that banking will see the largest volume of checks, with 37 billion in 2024, equating to 53 percent of the global identity verification market.
United Kingdom
The first proof of age credential accredited by the UK’s regulatory scheme, made by Luciditi, is being prepared to launch in the next few months.
Luciditi’s Age Proof digital ID card is accredited by the Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS), and is now entering its live testing phase, the company has announced.
A recent survey by age verification auditor Serve Legal shows that 94 percent of young people would like their proof of age to take the form of a digital ID. Nine out of ten would prefer a digital ID to a physical card. Digital age proofing cards also offer greater protection against forgery than physical documents, and provide greater data protection for young people with limited disclosure, the announcement notes.
Age Proof digital IDs use QR codes to indicate that the bearer is over 16, such as to buy an energy drink, over the counter medication or a pet, or over 18, allowing legal entry into pubs and gambling establishments, among other things.
Global
Identity and access management (IAM) firm Okta has purchased Uno, a design-focused consumer password manager, to support the rollout of its first consumer product, Okta Personal.
A blog post by the VP and GM of Okta Personal, Vivek Raman, says the Uno team will bring added experience in security, AI and digital identity to new consumer software. Okta Personal is a free password manager that lets users securely store, save, and autofill passwords for all their personal apps, across multiple devices.
United States
Samsung Electronics America is bringing mobile driver’s licences and state IDs to Samsung Wallet. Arizona and Iowa will be the first states to offer a mobile version of its driver’s licence to their residents. The update expands the Samsung Wallet experience by adding a convenient and secure way to use state-issued IDs and driver’s licences with a Galaxy smartphone, including the new Galaxy Z Flip5 and Z Fold5.[1] In early 2024, Samsung will also release a software development kit (SDK) so developers can integrate online age and ID information into their applications to help reduce fraud and friction with the verification process.
United States
Clear is bringing its reusable digital identity service to the financial services market with the new one-click know your customer (KYC) application.
The expansion of the Clear identity platform includes ID document and selfie biometrics and liveness checks to meet KYC requirements, and is intended to help consumers complete processes without adding friction that leads to drop-offs from the sign-up process.
There are already 17 million Clear users, and the software includes a custom workflow builder for KYC onboarding orchestration.
The application can be integrated into onboarding software through an API, SDKs, and no-code identity verification links.
