Nigeria
Nigerian digital identity verification and fraud detection startup Regfyl has secured $1.1 million in a pre-seed funding round.
Co-founders Tunde Ibidapo-Obe and Tomiwa Erinosho said their focus is to streamline anti-money laundering (AML) compliance for African fintechs and banks. The launch comes at a time where the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) reports that over 90 percent of fintech companies face difficulties in meeting AML requirements, reports Biometric Update.
“We’re not just applying Western models to African problems,” says Erinosho. “Our AI is trained on regional data to detect and prevent fraud unique to our markets.”
Global
Worldcoin, the blockchain-based eyeball-scanning identifier, has launched a new layer of security known as Face Auth.
The feature is a facial comparison tool designed to be activated exclusively by the person who has already verified their digital identification, or ‘World ID’.
Backed by Sam Altman, Worldcoin attempts to verify “humanness” by scanning a person’s iris using a spherical biometric device called The Orb. This generates a digital ID as well as a crypto token, which can be used to make transactions.
Worldcoin is already used by more than six million people worldwide, including tech platforms Discord and Reddit, which use it to allow users to log in to their services.
India
Assam has rolled out the implementation of APAAR ID, a 12-digit lifelong digital identity for school-enrolled students who possess a valid Aadhar ID. Directed by the state education department under the New Education Policy 2020, this initiative aims to streamline academic records, track student progress, and support students’ educational journeys.
Australia
The Australian government’s digital identity app is to be rebranded ahead of the mass expansion of a $1 billion national digital identity system.
The Tax Office has reportedly settled on myID as the new name for what has been known as myGovID app since its launch in 2019 and already used by 13 million people to verify their identity for service access.
The changeover will occur in November and users will not need to do anything differently, with branding to change via an app update and existing accounts to carry over.
myID will continue to serve as an app that allows users to prove their identity to access online government services. It is often compared to the traditional 100-point ID check but on a smartphone, as per Innovation Aus.
Global
Gartner has forecasted that by 2026, at least 500 million smartphone users will be regularly using a digital identity wallet (DIW) to make verifiable claims. This shift in identity verification is anticipated to significantly impact how personal credentials are managed and shared in the digital realm.
Identity verification (IDV), commonly utilised today, usually involves a user taking a picture of their identity document alongside a selfie. This method establishes a degree of confidence in a person’s identity during digital interactions when curated credentials either do not exist or provide insufficient assurance.
Akif Khan, Vice President Analyst at Gartner, said he market is entering a transition period as PDI [portable digital identity] solutions are starting to mature, which in the next five years, will reduce the demand for standalone IDV.
“The processes in place today are focused and limited to core identity data – name, date of birth, address, etc. As more processes move online, there is a need to tie many other attributes to a user’s identity, such as educational or workplace qualifications, proof of employment, not to mention healthcare data.”
Europe
A request from the European Commission to the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity addresses main strands for work on the European Digital Identity Framework, which was passed in May 2024. The second iteration of the framework established grounds for interoperability between the digital identities of member states by 2026. However, the requirements continue to be harmonised, with ENISA being called to support the establishment of national certification schemes.
The agency will be involved in implementing acts establishing a list of reference standards, specifications and procedures for the purpose of expressing detailed technical specifications of those requirements.
It requests ENISA to prepare a candidate European cybersecurity certification scheme for the EUDI Wallets and their eID schemes under the Cybersecurity Act.
The eUICC certification would be one possibility to support the certification objectives of the EUDI Wallets, in cooperation with the EU Member States.
Global
Identity verification provider IDVerse has announced the beta launch of Face Access, which conducts liveness detection and face matching in real time. Through this, the company said it aims to enable businesses to instantly reauthenticate users in a more optimised manner.
Global
Ping Identity’s 2024 Consumer Survey has revealed that 87 percent of consumers across markets are concerned about identity fraud, a 24 percent increase year over year, and 89 percent have concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) impacting their identity security.
The data shows the desire for seamless digital experiences is widespread, with 75 percent wanting changes to how they log in to apps and websites.
United States
Idemia Public Security has introduced new features on its Mobile ID app to improve the accessibility of digital identities for people with disabilities. The updates align with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and aims to ensure equal access for all users.
Idemia worked in partnership with US state governments and companies like Applause, a digital quality testing company, to address accessibility challenges. Applause collaborated with Idemia’s design team to identify issues, leading to the next phase of development, which will focus on further upgrading the app’s usability design.
Europe
The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) has submitted its feedback to the European Commission on the proposed Digital Services Act (DSA), emphasising the need for a balanced approach to protect minors online without compromising privacy, free speech, or parental rights.
In its comments, ITIF endorses the use of digital IDs for online age verification, highlighting them as secure and privacy-conscious alternatives. Digital IDs enable users to share only the necessary information, such as confirming their age, without disclosing sensitive personal data like their birth dates. This approach contrasts with biometric age estimation methods, which ITIF criticizes for their inherent inaccuracies and potential privacy issues. Despite being less invasive than traditional ID checks, biometric methods are seen as unreliable and problematic for long-term implementation.
Scandanavia
BankAxept AS, the operator of Norway’s largest digital identity BankID, is expanding its footprint in Europe. The company has acquired Criipto ApS, a Copenhagen-headquartered firm that helps businesses integrate electronic identities.
Along with BankID in Norway and Sweden, Criipto is an official provider of eID solutions such as Trust Network (FTN) in Finland and MitID in Denmark. With Criipto as its new subsidiary, BankAxept will be able to offer BankID services directly to businesses instead of a network of resellers.
With the acquisition, BankAxept also hopes to expand digital identity offerings to banks, governments and businesses just as the European Union is working on making digital identities mandatory in all its states.
