Experian wins digital ID infrastructure contracts, UK govt digitization continues

The UK government has awarded Experian two new contracts to provide digital identity infrastructure, with a combined value of nearly £11 million (US$12.6 million).

The first one has an estimated value of approximately £9.1 million (roughly $10.5 million) and covers the provision of an identity fraud checks service for the country’s Digital Identity Programme.

Parts of the contract documents are redacted, but it is clear that Experian’s digital identity authentication software, the CrossCore fraud prevention platform, and PEP and sanctions checks are included.

A second contract awarded to Experian, worth up to £1.89 million (roughly $2.19 million), focusses on the provision of email and phone validation services to the UK’s digital ID infrastructure.

Both contracts run until mid-2024, with a 12-month extension available to the government. The services will be run on the UK’s G-Cloud.

The contracts come months after Juniper Research’s Digital Identity Competitor Leaderboard recognized Experian as an established digital identity solution provider.

Companies House to launch digital ID system

Companies House said it will launch a digital identity verification system for individuals interested in registering and operating a business in the UK.

The firm made the announcement in a blog post, where Louise Smyth, Companies House CEO, said the digital ID infrastructure would help the UK tackle fraud.

“Anyone setting up, running, owning or controlling a company in the UK will need to verify their identity with Companies House to provide assurance that they are who they claim to be,” reads the post.

Smyth also said Companies House would also be able to challenge information submitted to it, and if a query is raised, the company will need to provide evidence to resolve it, or Companies House will be able to take action in annotating the register, removing material, or sending a penalty to the company.

“This will include being able to act to help individuals who are the victim of identity theft whose details are used to set up companies, which causes so much anxiety and stress,” Smyth explains.

According to the executive, the new digital ID system will also improve the quality of information that Companies House publishes so that businesses who rely on its register can trust it is based on stronger foundations.

For context, Companies House is an executive agency (which is sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and the Industrial Strategy). The firm has not yet selected a specific digital identity provider and is currently considering available options.

On the other hand, the UK government is currently testing the One Login digital identity system, which it intends to make mandatory across different government departments in the near future.

HM Land Registry unveils digital property market system

The UK’s HM Land Registry has recently launched its Strategy 2022+ and three-year Business Plan detailing the next stages of its digital transformation.

The project to work with the property sector to allow a property to be bought and sold in a fully digital way will reportedly encourage the market to adopt new technology.

“In the past, HM Land Registry’s five-year strategic plans have referenced the move to digital/machine-readable and the creation of notional registers, but this time it has already started the process through the delivery of the Digital Registration Service,” comments Beth Rudolf, director of delivery at the conveyancing association.

“This is very encouraging in an industry where we need to be able to deliver digitally for the consumer and other stakeholders in order to reduce the waste of the extended transaction times and fall-through rates.”

According to a blog post on the UK government’s website, technologies developed as part of the new program will include digital IDs and e-signatures. The novel infrastructure will also foster the creation of an open, integrated ecosystem of digital services that support property transactions.

Through the new system, people will only need to provide their information once (as opposed to sharing it with different people multiple times throughout the transaction process).

The Land Registry’s strategy plan comes days after Companies House stepped up its efforts to verify the identity of UK company directors wherever they are in the world.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  Companies House  |  digital government  |  digital ID  |  digital ID infrastructure  |  Experian  |  fraud prevention  |  government purchasing  |  identity verification  |  secure transactions  |  UK