United Kingdom
The Government is introducing a new trust mark for assurance of identity verification services. The services that gain accreditation will be recorded with information such as company name and certification details, as reported first by UK Authority.
The Digital Trust and Attributes Framework is due to be revised and known as ‘gamma’, stating more comprehensive criteria which identity providers will have to be certified against if they opt for the government accreditation. Independent certification bodies will maintain their own registries, but ODIA aims to make it easier to search services’ registration and certification details on GOV.UK.
The public beta version of this service is reportedly scheduled for release this month, covering the proficiency standards for identity verification services for right to work, right to rent, and Disclosure and Barring Service checks.
The trust mark, with a unique six-digit number to verify users, will become available after the Data (Use and Access) Bill is passed, designed to work with the new digital service.
Spain
Spain-based digital identity and electronic signature provider Validated ID is being acquired by Signaturit Group, a European company offering identity verification, authentication, document check, KYC and audit trails. The value of the deal was not disclosed.
PSG Equity-backed Signaturit says that the acquisition will help the company offer eIDAS and GDPR-compliant products that appeal to regulated industries such as finance, healthcare and government. Validated ID has more than 150 integration partners across Europe, including SAP, Salesforce, and Microsoft. It serves more than 4,000 clients across more than 35 countries.
The company has headquarters in France and Spain and is expected to reach 70 million (US$ 72.3 million) euros of annual recurring revenue post-transaction, according to its announcement.
South Africa
Banks in South Africa say they plan to open more branches this year in order to facilitate access to Home Affairs services for those seeking to establish a smart ID card.
The Department of Home Affairs has been leading a programme to transition from old barcoded green identity booklets to a new biometric ID (smart ID) system. Already, there are more than 30 banks in South Africa that offer ID services, but many of major banking institutions say they look forward to opening more branches in the course of 2025 so as to ease ID obtention.
United Kingdom
The Government is planning to digitalise data shared during property sales to tackle hold-ups in transactions and streamline the house-buying process.
The changes aim to modernise the “cumbersome” process by allowing information that is often paper-based or not machine readable to be shared more easily.
The Government has announced a 12-week project to decide on the design and implementation of agreed rules on data so that it can easily be shared between conveyancers, lenders and other parties involved in a transaction.
A fully digitalised home buying and selling process would mean mortgage companies and surveyors can access the information they need immediately with identity checks only carried out once, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said.
The ministry will work with HM Land Registry (HMLR) and experts from the Digital Property Market Steering Group on the project. The Land Registry will also lead 10-month pilots with councils focused on opening up more data and making it digital.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka plans to adopt India’s DigiLocker system as part of a broader digital public infrastructure (DPI) initiative, following India’s successful implementation of digital identity solutions like Aadhaar.
The system consists of three core components: digital identity for storing and verifying personal records, fast payment systems for financial transactions, and comprehensive data exchanges for credential sharing across platforms.
According to Srikanth Nadhamuni, founder CTO of Aadhaar, India’s DigiLocker has processed 5.2 billion digitally verified records and serves 150 million users. The system enables storage and verification of various documents including digital ID cards, educational records, and vaccine passports, building on India’s experience with digital health credentials during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Global
The adoption of passkeys as an alternative to traditional passwords has seen remarkable growth, with Bitwarden reporting a 550 percent increase in daily passkey creation in December 2024 compared to the previous year. According to PasskeyIndex.io, the number of services supporting passkeys nearly doubled from 58 to 115 throughout 2024, reflecting the growing momentum that began with major platform providers transitioning to passwordless authentication.
South Africa
President Ramaphosa has announced plans to implement a digital identity system within the next 12 months to eliminate identity fraud, expand social and financial inclusion, and ensure seamless access to government services. The President also mentioned the launch of a modern Electronic Travel Authorisation system, driven by artificial intelligence, to automate tourist and short-stay visas
Europe
The European Commission has selected Deutsche Telekom AG and Scytáles AB to develop a privacy-focused age verification solution for integration with the upcoming European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet). The project marks a key milestone in implementing the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) initiatives.
The age verification system will provide access to age-restricted services without sharing unnecessary personal data, ensure accessibility for users with disabilities, meet EU privacy standards, integrate with existing digital services, and give users control over their personal data sharing.
Global
The global digital identity solutions market share is set for growth with a CAGR of 21.2 percent during 2025–2031. It was valued at $41.63 billion in 2024 and with projections indicating a surge to $159.93 billion by 2031, according to the Insight Partners report, Digital Identity Solutions Market Size and Forecast (2021 – 2031).
Congo
Singapore-based Trident Digital Tech Holdings has signed an implementation agreement with the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Digital Technology of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for the deployment of a national digital identity system.
It formalizes the initial collaboration between Trident and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, transitioning from strategic planning to contractual execution, according to a statement.
The agreement outlines specific deliverables, including the development and deployment of an integrated digital identity verification and authentication system based on a secure infrastructure for delivering government services.
St. Kitts and Nevis
St. Kitts and Nevis has chosen Cybernetica as strategic adviser as it implements a national digital identity system.
Cybernetica is recognised as one of the architects of e-Estonia and the Estonian digital government ecosystem. Cybernetica will provide strategic guidance and “expert support” in the development and implementation of a robust Digital Identity Authentication System, according to the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis.
The Digital Identity Authentication System, which is expected to launch by the end of 2025, will feature an electronic ID card powered by Idemia chips that will enable the country’s residents to identify themselves digitally and physically.
United Kingdom
OneID, a provider of bank-verified digital identification services, has secured £16 million to drive growth and expand operations and services to reach a growing customer base.
The funding round was led by ACF Investors and more than 200 UK, Swedish, and US Angel Investors.
The company will use its latest funding to enhance its product offering, expand into new market sectors, and reach new customers, according to a press release.
“At OneID, our goal is to make the world safer by making digital identity verification more efficient and accessible for businesses and users,” OneID CEO Paula Sussex said in the release. “We’ve had a tremendous year in 2024 across several use cases.”
OneID uses bank-verified data to simplify customer verification, enables a document-free digital verification process that can be completed within 12 seconds, and prioritises privacy by requiring consent to share personal data, per the release.
United Kingdom
A survey by Thales has revealed that a significant number of UK residents are storing their official ID documents digitally on their phones, raising concerns about potential fraud and identity theft.
The survey, which gathered responses from 1,000 consumers, found that one-third of Brits have a photo or scan of their official ID documents, such as passports and driving licences, on their mobile devices. This number increases to 46 percent among the 16–24 age group and 51 percent for those aged 25–34.
Additional findings show that one in five people have scans of their family or friends’ IDs on their devices, and 26 percent have their IDs stored in more than one digital location.
United Kingdom / United States
New research from iProov indicates reveals that most people can’t identify deepfakes – incredibly realistic AI-generated videos and images often designed to impersonate people. The study tested 2,000 UK and US consumers, exposing them to a series of real and deepfake content. The results show that only 0.1 percent of participants could distinguish real from fake content across all stimuli which included images and video.
Older generations are more vulnerable to deepfakes: 30 percent of 55-64 year olds and 39 percent of those aged 65+ had never even heard of deepfakes, highlighting a significant knowledge gap and increased susceptibility to the threat by this age group.
