United Kingdom
NatWest has become the first UK bank to use bank-verified digital identity to enable people from different countries to prove their identity.
NatWest Bank will use OneID’s bank-verified digital identity solution for NatWest’s Structured Finance business in Sweden, Finland and Norway.
Now, any individual who has online banking in the UK, Sweden, Finland and Norway can verify their identity using their bank before signing a NatWest leasing agreement.
The switch to OneID comes after NatWest reviewed the existing verification processes for document and contract signing for its leasing business in the Nordics.
The traditional ‘text authorisation’ or ‘one-time password’ method typically added as a security measure to make sure the right person is signing a document was found inadequate for their requirements of both security and efficiency. It introduced friction and the possibility of fraud in a process where certainty and speed are paramount.
Instead of restricting people to just one method of verifying their identity, NatWest said it wanted to offer a single solution that would combine different methods of verification, allowing more people to benefit from the process.
Ukraine
Ukraine is seeking an independent evaluation of the Presentation Attack Detection (PAD) technology for face biometrics used in Diia, the country’s digital identity and e-government platform.
Biometric Update reports the PAD assessments will be performed for Diia.Signature, a qualified electronic signature for individuals used for signing documents, requesting services on the Diia app and portal as well as authorising different applications and websites. The e-signature service is authorised by providing ID documents and undergoing photo verification.
The tender was announced by the e-Governance Academy (EGA) of Estonia, the main partner for Ukrainian-Estonian digital cooperation. It is conducted within the framework of EU4DigitalUA, a European Union-funded project that is helping Ukraine develop the technical and legal aspects of its digital identity and align it with EU requirements.
Global
A new study from Juniper Research has found the remote onboarding of users will drive the growth in digital identity app downloads by 126 percent globally. This will expand the market from 2.3 billion apps installed this year, to 5.2 billion in 2029. This growth is largely driven by standardisation, such as the EU rolling out the eIDAS2 framework and the UK’s Digital Identity and Trust Framework; making it easier to build integrations between identity apps and third-party services.
Japan
Printing company Dai Nippon Printing (DNP) has become the first Japanese company to join the Open Identity Exchange (OIX).
By joining OIX, DNP said it “will be able to access and contribute to the latest thought leadership and working groups addressing key issues around trust frameworks for smart digital ID and interoperability across trust frameworks.”
Nigeria
World Bank is making some adjustments to the Nigeria Digital Identity for Development (Nigeria ID4D) project, which it sponsors.
The project was due to close on June 30 2024 with Nigeria required to have enrolled at least 148 million people for national digital ID. But this and other targets are yet to be met.
World Bank said that readjusting the project became inevitable after its two co-financiers said they would discontinue their involvement in the project if the World Bank stopped being the lead implementor.
“The World Bank is the lead implementer for this project which is co financed by French Development Agency (AFD) and European Investment Bank (EIB). Both AFD and EIB have closing dates in 2026 and 2027 respectively. Both co-financers have indicated that they will cancel their financing if the World Bank is no longer the lead financier and implementor of this project,” it said.
“As such, it is critical that the World Bank extend the closing date of the project to allow continuity across all co-financers and avoid any disruptions to good progress made so far and to safeguard the positive impact it has had on Nigeria’s digital identity infrastructure.”
Global
Identity verification firm TrustID is partnering with IDVerse, which produces generative AI identity solutions.
The partnership is designed to enhance the capabilities of TrustID’s identity verification services through IDVerse’s advanced generative AI technology to address the growing challenge of digital fraud, including deepfake attacks.
TrustID will incorporate IDVerse’s technology to improve the security features of its services for user onboarding and compliance with regulatory standards.
Europe
Dozens of airports across Europe are unprepared for the European Union’s upcoming biometric travel registration scheme, the Entry-Exit System (EES), according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
According to the airline industry trade body, smaller airports across Europe are still lagging in installing the fingerprint technology required by the EES. Starting this fall, non-EU nationals must submit biometric data upon crossing the border for the first time.
“Urgent and coordinated action” is needed if terminals are to be ready before the October 6 deadline, said IATA. Rafael Schvartzman, the organization’s regional head for Europe, called for a transition period to alleviate the long queues that are expected after the introduction of the EES, The Telegraph reports.
The travel industry has been warning that the introduction of the EES and the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) could lead to long delays at borders. Government UK foreign secretary David Cameron and French transport minister Patrice Vergriete recently called for a postponement of the system’s introduction.
