Canada
Ontario has announced plans for the phased introduction of digital identity credentials, beginning with a digital version of the Ontario Photo Card.
The provincial government will begin consultations with industry and privacy specialists later this year, with optional digital driving licences and health cards expected to follow at a later stage.
Ontario also plans to introduce legislation in late 2027 protecting residents’ right to obtain and use physical identity documents instead of digital alternatives.
The government has not yet confirmed the technology provider, costs or timetable for the digital driving licence and health card. The initiative follows an earlier digital identity programme announced in 2020 that was subsequently delayed.
Vietnam
Vietnam has proposed legislation that would expand electronic identification beyond individuals and organisations to include physical goods, digital assets, transactions and locations.
The draft Law on Electronic Identification and Authentication, presented to the National Assembly by Public Security Minister Lương Tam Quang, would also prohibit the use of fake biometric data and AI-generated images to create or falsify electronic identities.
The proposed framework would incorporate the national VNeID application, a central identification database and systems for managing and verifying electronic credentials. It would also establish requirements for companies providing electronic identification and authentication services.
However, parliamentary scrutiny has raised concerns about the proposal’s broad scope, personal data protection and the technical and financial resources needed for implementation.
Italy
Italy’s data protection authority has approved the technical and architectural plan for the country’s implementation of the European Digital Identity Wallet.
The Garante per la protezione dei dati personali concluded that the proposed IT-Wallet framework was consistent with existing data protection requirements and did not request changes to the draft.
However, the regulator emphasised that organisations involved in processing personal data must clearly define responsibility for handling individuals’ data rights requests and demonstrate appropriate safeguards for sensitive information, including biometrics.
The decision represents another step towards Italy’s implementation of the EU’s digital identity framework.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong International Airport has received certification under the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) One ID programme.
The certification supports the use of digital identity and biometric technology to allow passengers to move through airport checkpoints without repeatedly presenting passports and boarding passes.
However, IATA acknowledged that the wider adoption of biometric travel systems has been slower than anticipated because of differences in national regulations governing identity checks and personal data.
Speaking at the association’s World Passenger Symposium in Macau, Nick Careen, IATA’s senior vice-president for operations, safety and security, said regulatory barriers remained the biggest obstacle to making biometric identification work across international borders.
United Kingdom
New research from digital identity provider Signicat has highlighted a gap between financial services companies’ plans to introduce AI-driven onboarding and consumers’ willingness to let AI act on their behalf.
The company’s Battle to Onboard 2026 report found that 79 percent of financial services providers were prepared for AI-initiated applications, but only 14 per cent of consumers were comfortable with AI opening a financial product for them.
While 65 per cent welcomed AI assistance with financial applications, only 11 percent wanted AI to complete the process independently. Just 15 percent would trust AI to use their digital identity to verify them to a bank.
The research also found that 60 percent of European consumers had abandoned an online financial application in the past year, compared with 68 percent in 2022.
Pakistan
Pakistan has selected 10 priority public services for digital delivery and tested a citizen services portal under its $78 million World Bank-backed Digital Economy Enhancement Project.
The programme has integrated single sign-on with the National Data Exchange Layer, establishing a common authentication and data-sharing framework for accessing government services.
Digital identity capabilities are also being expanded through the National Database and Registration Authority’s PakID Vault, which allows users to access digital versions of official documents, including national identity cards and certain licences.
The wider programme includes a national digital portal, business portal and infrastructure intended to improve interoperability between government organisations.
Uruguay
Uruguay plans to begin testing a digital version of its national identity card, the cédula, before the end of 2026, with wider adoption expected from mid-2027.
The country’s e-government agency, Agesic, intends to start with a small group of users to assess how the credential works in practice before extending it to public agencies and private businesses.
The digital identity will be designed for both online and in-person verification, allowing users to authenticate through their smartphones and share only the information required for a particular transaction.
Agesic has also begun releasing an application that allows smartphones to read the chip in existing physical identity cards, removing the need for a separate card reader when accessing certain digital services.
United Kingdom
Ofcom has outlined four methods it considers effective for verifying whether social media users are above a specified age threshold.
The regulator identified photo ID matching, banking-based checks, facial age estimation and digital identity services as potential approaches.
The recommendations come amid proposals for stricter age restrictions on social media access. Platforms would be responsible for choosing and implementing appropriate verification methods, subject to government approval.
Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes said the regulator’s approach was informed by its experience of age assurance for online pornography, with an emphasis on effective checks that also protect privacy and personal information.
Türkiye
Türkiye plans to develop a prototype national digital identity wallet in 2027, initially allowing users to store basic identity information and educational qualifications.
The initiative, outlined in the government’s 2027 Presidential Annual Program, will begin with public employees and testing at a pilot higher education institution.
The Cybersecurity Directorate will lead the work alongside the Interior Ministry and other public bodies.
The programme also includes further development of Türkiye’s e-Devlet government services portal, which provided access to 9,436 services from 1,130 institutions as of September 2026. The government aims to increase the number of registered users to 71 million next year.
Armenia
Armenia has approved new procedures for issuing biometric passports and identity cards, with the system scheduled to begin operating on 1 November.
Under the arrangements, citizens will register and pay online before the Ministry of Internal Affairs checks their details against the State Population Register. Approved applicants will then attend a service centre to provide fingerprints and photographs.
The system will be operated with private-sector partner Haypass, with 14 offices planned across the country. Self-service kiosks will also be available for biometric enrolment.
The government said the new documents would comply with EU standards and support Armenia’s wider visa liberalisation efforts. Existing passports and identity cards will remain valid until they expire.
United Kingdom
DXC Technology has partnered with identity technology company YEO to explore continuous facial recognition for financial services organisations.
The collaboration combines DXC’s financial services capabilities with YEO’s Continuous Facial Recognition software, which is designed to verify a user’s identity throughout a digital banking or payment session rather than only at login.
The companies said the approach could help financial institutions address account takeover, session hijacking and impersonation, where an attacker gains control of an account after the legitimate user has authenticated.
The partnership will focus on helping banks and other regulated organisations assess how continuous identity assurance could be incorporated into their digital services.
Global
Digital identity provider Telesign has expanded its collaboration with Microsoft to offer SMS and voice authentication through the Microsoft Security Store.
The integration will allow organisations using Microsoft Entra ID to continue accessing SMS-based one-time passwords and voice verification as Microsoft moves towards passkeys as its default authentication method.
According to Telesign, customers wishing to retain these methods will need to select a third-party authentication provider ahead of 1 February 2027.
The service is available through Microsoft’s marketplace, with purchasing and billing integrated into customers’ existing Azure arrangements.
Middle East
Digital trust services provider eMudhra has said its customers across the Middle East and Africa have not been affected by a security incident involving intermediate certificate authorities within its global TLS business.
The company said the incident involved eight intermediate certificate authorities that had not issued end-user certificates, and that its investigation had found no compromise of customer data or infrastructure.
Although it said customers in the region did not need to take action, eMudhra is offering Sectigo-issued TLS certificates as an additional option to improve resilience.
The company is continuing its investigation into the incident and reviewing its certificate generation processes, operational controls and governance arrangements.
