Zambia
Zambia is seeking an international technology partner to support the rollout of its planned digital ID system, while maintaining what officials describe as a home-grown implementation model.
The Smart Zambia Institute says the country is looking for a system integrator to help deploy, customise and integrate its MOSIP-based digital ID platform with the national civil registration architecture. Officials say the project has now entered a critical phase, with the aim of building an inclusive and effective infrastructure that improves access to both public and private services.
United Kingdom
The UK government’s consultation on a National Digital Identity Scheme is being criticised for focusing too heavily on right-to-work checks while failing to address the wider fraud problem that weak digital identity verification has helped create.
Commenting on the consultation, SmartSearch chief executive Phil Cotter said digital identity has an important role to play in tackling large-scale financial crime, including synthetic identity fraud and fraudulent account opening. He argued that the consultation is a rare opportunity to raise identity assurance standards across the economy, but warned that a poorly designed scheme could become just another credential vulnerable to theft or social engineering.
Global
Ping Identity has announced the general availability of Identity for AI, a new offering designed to manage and control AI agents operating across enterprise environments.
The product includes Agent IAM Core, Agent Gateway and Agent Detection, which together are intended to establish agent identity, enforce delegated authority at runtime and detect agentic activity. Ping says the shift reflects a new reality in which the key challenge is no longer simply assigning identities to autonomous agents, but controlling what those identities are allowed to do in real time.
Global
Meanwhile, Saviynt has launched Identity Security for AI, expanding its platform to govern AI agents alongside human and other non-human identities.
The company says the platform provides continuous visibility, lifecycle governance and runtime authorisation for autonomous agents, helping enterprises discover, register and monitor AI systems across major environments including Amazon Bedrock, Microsoft Copilot Studio, Google Vertex AI, ServiceNow AI and Salesforce Agentforce.
United Kingdom
Apple is introducing age checks for iPhone and iPad users in the UK, with the new process linked to access to certain age-restricted services such as 18-plus apps.
Following installation of the latest iOS update, users may be asked to confirm whether they are adults by using a credit card or scanning an identity document. Those who do not verify their age, or who are identified as underage, will have web content filters applied automatically.
The move reflects growing pressure on platforms and device ecosystems in the UK to build stronger age assurance into their services.
Scotland
Condatis has achieved Microsoft’s Identity and Access Management Specialisation, a certification the company says validates its experience delivering identity solutions in real customer environments.
The Scottish firm said the recognition followed a detailed validation process covering customer reference audits, technical assessments and ongoing quality requirements. Condatis says the status gives customers greater confidence that its identity work is aligned with Microsoft best practice and backed by proven delivery experience across complex environments.
The company also says the specialisation will strengthen its access to Microsoft engineering teams, product direction and reference architectures as identity becomes increasingly central to cloud, SaaS and AI-enabled systems.
Nepal
Nepal has established interoperability between its Centralized Citizenship Management Information System and its National Identity Management Information System, linking two major databases that had previously operated separately.
Officials say the reform will remove the need for citizens to repeatedly submit the same personal information across different government services. Data entered for citizenship services will now automatically populate national ID records, reducing manual paperwork and the number of visits required for enrolment and verification.
The integrated service is already active at 12 service points, with nationwide expansion planned in phases as part of Nepal’s broader administrative modernisation programme.
At the same time, frustration is growing over the limited acceptance of the Nagarik app, despite its role as the government’s flagship digital identity platform.
Although the app allows users to present digital versions of documents such as citizenship certificates, driving licences and PAN cards, many banks, hospitals and public offices reportedly still insist on physical copies. Officials say the core obstacle is not the technology itself, but outdated laws and inconsistent institutional mandates that continue to require paper documents.
Kenya
A High Court ruling in Kenya has recognised a duly registered phone number as a personal digital identifier that must be protected against privacy violations and data misuse.
The court directed the government to introduce a regulatory framework within six months to protect phone numbers linked to personal data. It also ruled that telecommunications companies may not recycle or reassign dormant numbers without the consent of the person to whom the number was originally registered.
The decision reflects growing judicial recognition of the role mobile numbers play in identity, privacy and digital access.
Global
Kantara Initiative has formally published the latest version of its Service Assessment Criteria and Statement of Criteria Applicability aligned with NIST SP 800-63A Revision 4.
The update means Identity Assurance Level assessments can now be conducted against the newer NIST identity proofing standard. Kantara says the revised criteria are effective immediately and available to trust mark holders, applicants and relying parties preparing procurement requirements.
The move is intended to help align identity assurance certification with the latest federal guidance on identity proofing.
United Kingdom
YEO Messaging has partnered with Company 86 to expand deployment of its encrypted communications platform, which uses continuous biometric authentication based on live facial recognition.
Under the agreement, Company 86 will advise organisations on secure messaging requirements and resell YEO’s technology to customers needing identity-verified out-of-band communications. The partnership is being framed against the backdrop of tougher resilience and incident-reporting expectations under the UK Cyber Security and Resilience Bill.
The companies say the technology is intended to help organisations maintain trusted communication channels during cyber incidents, including where rapid reporting obligations apply.
Philippines
The Philippines has introduced facial recognition with liveness detection as an alternative proof-of-life method for pensioners under the Annual Confirmation of Pensioners programme.
The Social Security System says the new option will make it easier for older people, people with disabilities and other covered beneficiaries to verify their identity online, reducing reliance on physical document submission. Officials say the change is intended both to improve convenience and to reduce fraud.
At the same time, the Philippine Statistics Authority continues to promote wider use of the national digital ID, which will become the main recognised identity credential for the Department of Social Welfare and Development from next month.
Spain
Spain has confirmed 2 April as the operational launch date for MiDNI, the mobile version of the national identity document.
The National Police has begun public-awareness sessions ahead of the rollout, explaining how the app works and how the credential should be checked in practice. MiDNI retrieves signed identity data from police servers in real time when presented, and is intended for in-person verification use cases such as age checks, hotel check-in, ticketed events, package collection and some financial-service interactions.
The credential is not yet intended for remote authentication, electronic signatures or use as a travel document, but officials say its legal parity with the physical DNI clears the way for everyday use.
Ghana
Ghana is launching a nationwide SIM re-registration exercise centred on smartphone-based biometric verification, with around 80 percent of mobile subscribers expected to complete the process through a self-service app.
The new process requires users to present a Ghana Card and complete a liveness-based facial recognition check linked directly to the National Identification Authority database. The government says the approach is designed to prevent the spoofing and document-copying problems that undermined the previous registration campaign.
Assisted registration will still be available for people without smartphones or those encountering technical difficulties, but the mobile-first design marks a significant expansion of biometric identity verification through consumer devices.
