A happy new year to you all! And welcome to the next decade!

As we enter the 2020s we can expect to see the adoption of interoperable Digital ID really start to accelerate.

Much has been achieved already, such as:

• The introduction of Verify in the UK to allow users to use the same ID across many different government services.
• eIDAS now has 16 national ID schemes that can be accepted, or are in the process of being approved, as trusted IDs for access to public services across the EU.
• Implementations of ID Schemes in Canada, Norway, Sweden and other countries that allow use of an ID that was issued for one purpose to be used for another purpose.

But there is still some way to go until Digital IDs can be used ubiquitously for all kinds of online and face to face services, from buying age restricted goods to booking and boarding a flight.

The regulatory adoption in 2020 of Digital ID as an acceptable way for financial services firms to do “Know Your Customer” (KYC) checks is a first step in lining up the regulatory conditions to allow the TRUSTED use of Digital IDs in the private sector. A great first step, but the regulatory acceptance of Digital ID needs to be addressed market sector by market sector so that Digital IDs can be universally relied upon.

OIX’s members collectively have the technology, know-how and ambition to make seamless use of Digital ID a reality for all users across all sectors and geographies.

As governments and other bodies define the regulation and standards to make this possible, OIX is ready to help advise on how best to approach alignment and interoperability of Digital ID services across sectors.

By the end of the 2020s, if not before, we should all be using secure interoperable Digital IDs to make our day to day lives so much easier.

Nick Mothershaw

Chair and Executive Director, Open Identity Exchange.

(Not an OIX member? Join us today to help drive forward the next wave of Digital ID adoption)