Hippo lays out NHS and Gamestop case studies for digital identity

How can financial services companies balance security, compliance and user experience? For UK-based digital consultancy Hippo Digital, the answer is digital identity.

The firm recently published a white paper explaining the benefits of unifying digital IDs to senior executives in the financial industry working on security, risk, compliance, fraud and data. Hippo works with UK government departments and private firms, including the British public broadcaster BBC, Virgin Red rewards club, SkyBet betting platform, delivery service Evri, Equifax and more.

The paper lays out some of its case studies in creating digital ID solutions, including the login service for the National Health Insurance (NHS) app.

The login feature of the NHS app has increased online healthcare use among Brits. It is now one of the UK’s most-used digital identity services with 2 million daily authentications recorded at its peak, according to the firm. Hippo also boasts a 40 percent reduction in verification time, including for deaf and non-English speaking users. The use of open-source cloud services has reduced hosting costs by 80 percent.

Another case study focuses on Gamestop, a voluntary service that allows people to exclude themselves from online gambling websites and apps in the UK. Hippo has been helping Gamestop build and maintain its identity service since 2018. The main challenge for Gamestop was enabling game operators to check a customer’s exclusion status each time they register or log in by providing real-time information.

“By adopting innovative approaches to design, data and technology, financial services organizations can offer better user experiences, while fulfilling security and regulatory requirements,” writes Jim Small, head of Identity at Hippo. “They can also find better ways of identifying and supporting vulnerable customers, prevent fraud, and open up new commercial possibilities.”

In a separate blog post, Smalls also lays out his vision of a digital wallet ecosystem that could handle all of our needs, identity documents, financial services and digital payments, loyalty schemes and more. The basis of this solution is open standards.

One example of this approach has been the European Union’s eIDAS 2.0 which laid out the foundation for cross-border transactions and services across Europe by providing a framework for digital ID across Europe.

“Open standards are the foundation for a true digital wallet ecosystem, by establishing common protocols and frameworks. Done properly, these standards can break down the barriers currently preventing the widespread use of digital wallets,” writes Small.

Article Topics

digital ID  |  digital identity  |  digital wallets  |  financial services  |  fraud prevention  |  Hippo Digital  |  identity verification  |  standards