New research, collaborations, investments to boost selfie biometrics deployments

A fresh slew of projects and collaborations has emerged around the world involving selfie biometrics solutions from Yoti, Beyon Connect, Veriff, iDenfy, Jumio, and Verif-y as regulatory and business opportunities arise.

uCheck, Post Office and Yoti ready for UK digital identity background check change

UK-based pre-employment checks firm uCheck has recently announced a new partnership with the Post Office and Yoti.

The solution released as part of the collaboration will enable employers to more easily verify applications via the Post Office’s EasyID and Yoti’s selfie biometrics-based Digital ID services (instead of manually checking applicants’ physical documents).

The digital ID verification solution will support passports, driving licenses, and biometric residence permits.

For context, the move comes months after the UK government released new guidelines on how to use Digital Identity Checks as part of Basic, Standard, and Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Checks, as well as to verify Right to Work and other certifications.

Bahrain deploys Beyon Connect’s biometric app

Bahrain’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has employed digital services provider Beyon Connect to build a new digital identity and a “digital postbox” solution for the country’s citizens, GCC reports.

The former, called OneID, will enable citizens to apply for a unique digital identity number that will be utilized to interact with public and private sector digital services across Bahrain.

OneID will be available as a mobile app with facial authentication and liveness checks capabilities to perform digital know your customer (KYC) checks.

The digital postbox solution, on the other hand, is called OneBox and aims to enable national secure communication between the public sector, private businesses, and Bahrain residents.

iDenfy joins forces with Paynovate

iDenfy has entered a new collaboration with Belgian e-money institution Paynovate, to speed up and simplify the registration process for new customers with face biometrics.

According to Paynovate, following the beginning of the partnership, the company will leave all Regulatory Compliance matters to iDenfy, thus also minimizing user onboarding costs.

“The digital life of a company can be disrupted very easily. Card fraud and identity theft are common crimes, but due to artificial intelligence and technology in general, such risks can be managed properly,” comments iDenfy CEO Domantas Ciulde. “Our partnership with Paynovate overcomes such dangers, and we’re happy to help secure the company’s data with a safe ID verification process.”

iDenfy entered similar partnerships with CyberstarPay and ForexChief earlier this month.

Veriff discusses face biometrics to counter deepfakes

Veriff CEO Kaarel Kotkas recently discussed Veriff’s anti-spoofing technology in an interview with ZDNet.

“In the financial sector, the identity verification process has traditionally been based on three photos the user has to send: a photo of the user’s face, and photos of both sides of their document, be it a passport or some other ID. But in the age of deepfakes, it’s quite cheap and easy to manipulate those photos.”

To counter these spoofing attempts, Kotkas says Veriff uses liveness detection, which uses more than 1,000 data points when making verification decisions.

“We have all sorts of other data, like device data, video data [and] behavioral data, which help us to understand whether it’s a real person live in front of the camera,” the executive tells ZDNet.

Moving forward, Kotkas said Veriff’s main focus will remain on the identity verification space, with a particular focus on identity verification services for the metaverse.

Veriff also appears on seed funding investor Y Combinator’s list of more than 260 “2022 YC Top Companies.” The Estonian digital ID provider rose 28 spots on the list to number 61.

Report calls for stricter ID verification in gaming

The Digital Identity Tracker report, jointly published by PYMNTS and Jumio shows that 33 percent of consumers give companies sensitive data for entertainment purposes.

This data is not always accurately protected, however, with the document mentioning the recent Electronic Arts (EA) user data leaks.

The third and final part of the report examines ways to better secure the account of online gamers, with 58 percent of those surveyed believing biometrics is a more convenient method of protecting their identity when compared with traditional authentication methods such as passwords.

And 55 percent of respondents also said they trusted biometrics more than PIN numbers or passwords.

Jumio is expanding in the Middle East, meanwhile, with the launch of a portfolio of solutions tailored to the region, and the hiring of Arshad Sheikh as the company’s sales leader for Middle East, Turkey and North Africa (METNA).

The announcement cites a study from IDC that suggests the METNA region will account for 40 percent of ICT investment in 2025, and Jumio is positioning its KYX Platform to provide fraud prevention, regulatory compliance and customer conversion through biometrics as part of that surge.

Sheikh will be based in Dubai.

Jumio also recently released new white papers about anti-money laundering compliance practices.

Wellfield add selfie biometrics with Verif-y investment

Wellfield and Verif-y have entered a strategic partnership focussed on digital ID applications for decentralized finance, with Wellfield also announcing an investment in the Philadelphia-based Verif-y.

The collaboration will see Verif-y’s identity authentication and verification capabilities integrated into the Wellfield MoneyClip app.

In return, Wellfield will provide Verif-y with MoneyClip’s back-office functionality for integration into Verif-y’s U.S. mobile offering.

“Today, digital identity solutions are less consumer-centric and more driven by institutions who are focused on fulfilling regulatory obligations,” comments Verif-y CEO Ed Zabar. “In Wellfield, we see a company that is building the next generation of financial products and a management team that shares our consumer-centric focus and vision for the future.”

Article Topics

authentication  |  Beyon Connect  |  biometric liveness detection  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  face biometrics  |  iDenfy  |  identity verification  |  Jumio  |  KYC  |  selfie biometrics  |  Veriff  |  Yoti