OIX closes, leaving legacy of digital ID ecosystem development

The Open Identity Exchange (OIX) is shutting down after 14 years of promoting and encouraging the development of digital identity.

The organization released a series of reports and guidance documents to support the people and groups that influence and implement digital ID policy, as well as digital identity providers and relying parties. It has been involved in numerous projects on digital identity interoperability, digital wallets, and commercial models for digital ID ecosystems.

Major accomplishments by OIX over the years include publishing the OIX Guide to Trust Frameworks for Smart Digital ID in early-2022 and Digital ID DNA Interoperability Across Trust Frameworks last October. OIX also ran the Identity Trust conference and partnerships with international groups like the Trust Over IP Foundation and national authorities like DIACC, and operated the OIXnet trust registry.

The group ceased operation on August 31.

Many members have reduced their financial support of OIX, due to budget cuts or different investment allocation, a group representative told Biometric Update in an email.

“There is still much to do to achieve our vision of a user held reusable digital identity that can be trusted all over the globe; and we trust other organisations with similar missions will continue to strive for this vision,” the OIX representative wrote.

A letter to members announcing the closure noted that a significant number of members did not renew their memberships during the first half of 2024.

OIX Founder Don Thibeau was replaced as chair of the organization by Katarina Pranjić of LexisNexis in June, and Chief Identity Strategist Nick Mothershaw joined the Select ID initiative as CEO in May as it seeks to establish a marketplace of trusted and reusable identity verification for the financial industry.

OIX Identity Development Director Gareth Narinesingh told Biometric Update in a recent feature interview that the global digital ID market is “in a critical phase.”

Article Topics

digital ID  |  digital identity  |  Open Identity Exchange (OIX)