Namibia
The ministry of home affairs, immigration, safety and security has announced the launch of the country’s first electronic identity card (e-ID).
The project, implemented in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), follows an August 2023 Cabinet decision which approved the introduction of contactless chip IDs, similar to bank cards with an electronic chip embedded.
“Since then, the government has been engaged with putting the required infrastructure in place and engaging the relevant stakeholders for their input,” said the ministry’s executive director, Etienne Maritz.
The biometric-enabled e-ID will include both biometric and demographic data. It is designed for real-time identity verification across sectors such as healthcare, education, banking, and elections.
South Africa
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has detailed its plan to roll out South African digital IDs and passports during a presentation in Parliament.
In its Strategic Plan for 2025 to 2030, the department explained it was working closely with the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) to develop a robust digital identity system.
“The digital identity initiative will streamline immigration processes and ensure that services are more efficient and secure,” the department said. “This system will use facial recognition as the primary biometric modality and fingerprints as the secondary, significantly enhancing national security and reducing the risk of fraud.”
The system will also enable users to store their IDs, passports, and other DHA-issued documents in a digital wallet on their phone.
South Africans will be able to store and access enabling documents virtually, with a unique, verifiable credential enabling users to securely certify their identity.
The department is aiming to have the digital identity system online by the 2028/2029 financial year, with support for more than 15 documents on the digital wallet, as per mybroadband.
Canada
Air Canada is upgrading the travel experience at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) with the expansion of its Digital Identification programme starting December 3. The expansion of the programme aims to streamline travel by offering a faster, more convenient boarding process.
Maldives
Legislators in the Maldives are undertaking a public consultation on new digital ID legislation.
Lawmakers are seeking public comments on the draft of the nation’s Digital Identity Bill, which is designed to improve residents’ identification by establishing the Maldives Digital Identity System (MDIDS).
A community reading of the incoming legislation identifies five key objectives, the first of which is the provision of a system that allows residents to identify themselves in both in-person and online transactions.
There are plans by authorities to use MDIDS as the foundation for a digital payment system akin to India’s Unified Payment Interface (UPI), according to Coingeek.
Global
Total global revenue from identity verification services will exceed $20 billion by 2030, with digital identity verification passing traditional identity verification in volume along the way, according to the latest research from Goode Intelligence.
The report, Identity Verification; Market and Technology Analysis, Adoption Strategies and Forecasts 2025-2030 – 3rd Edition, describes an industry transitioning to reusable ID, and forecasts the “peak” of traditional IDV.
Goode Intelligence founder and CEO Alan Goode attributes the growth of reusable digital identity verification to the greater availability of government-issued digital identities, and says the development will lead to a market opportunity above $11.4 billion by 2030.
Ukraine
Ukraine has adopted Resolution No. 689, which sets out requirements for the issuance and operation of digital identification wallets.
These digital wallets are to be used under a high-trust eID scheme for both individuals and legal entities and will allow them to store documents, ID-data, electronic signatures and use them online. The wallet, compliant with the EU eIDAS 2.0 standard, will store ID documents for both Ukraine and the EU.
Singapore / Democratic Republic of Congo
Singapore-based Trident Digital Tech Holdings has signed a public-private partnership (PPP) agreement with the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The contract paves the way for nationwide deployment of DRCPass, the Republic’s national digital identification system, to be rolled out in phases with an accompanying public-education campaign.
The collaboration framework was established in December 2024 between Trident and the Office of the President, forming the cornerstone of the DRC’s e-government and digital-identity initiative. Under the accord, Trident is the Republic’s exclusive provider of electronic Know Your Customer (“e-KYC”) services, delivering the Web 3.0-based national digital identity.
