Philippines plans to complete universal digital ID registration in 2025

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is set to register the entire Filipino population in the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) by next year. This goal was revealed by Emily Pagador, PSA assistant national statistician for use case development and management service at the PhilSys registry office, during the National ID Summit, Philippine News Agency reports.

The PSA aims to register 92 million Filipinos by the end of 2024, up by over 10 million last year. As of September 7, 2024 89.5 million individuals have already signed up for the national digital ID system.

Last week, the PSA piloted national ID authentication services at the LandBank branch, demonstrating its application in banking. The system allows the verification of identities for account opening, check encashment, and withdrawals using biometric data from the PhilSys registry.

“We thank the LANDBANK for their continued support of the National ID,” says PSA Undersecretary Claire Dennis S. Mapa.

“Similar to the success of colocation services with the LANDBANK, which has benefitted more than 8 million unbanked registered persons in the formal banking system, we are optimistic that this collaboration for the National ID authentication services will prompt other financial institutions to adopt and utilize the National ID for authentication and make banking services more accessible to registered persons.”

The activity aims to showcase the practical use of the national ID within the financial sector, particularly in banking. PSA says it will demonstrate how the digital ID can be used to verify the identities of clients when opening accounts, cashing checks, and making withdrawals, utilizing the registered information in the national registry, including biometrics.

Additionally, the national ID authentication services are being used in other sectors. At the PSA’s Civil Registry System (CRS) outlet on East Avenue, biometric authentication is utilized for processing civil registry documents, such as birth certificates and certificates of no marriage, further streamlining identification processes across various services.

The LANDBANK and the PSA have also teamed up with Traxion Pay to launch a series of digital wallet offerings by the end of 2024. This initiative, which will leverage the Philippines’ national digital ID system, aims to streamline authentication services and provide a secure platform for millions of Filipinos, Daily Tribune reports.

The PSA’s pilot authentication services have now become an integral component of this latest digital wallet development.

First bank adopts PSA’s selfie biometric for KYC

Asia United Bank (AUB), meanwhile, is integrating the PSA’s selfie biometrics authentication service   eVerify for users opening new bank accounts. AUB is the first bank to adopt eVerify, which can verify the authenticity of any form of the national ID with a QR code scan. The bank has been using eVerify for KYC checks since receiving PSA approval to do so at the end of July, shortly after its launch.

The bank has implemented eVerify with its HelloMoney digital wallet, and will soon expand it to in-person interactions. AUB Chief Compliance Officer Claire dela Rosa said the use of facial recognition and liveness detection for in-branch account openings will save customers from having to present multiple IDs and fill out forms. eVerify will also be used for cash withdrawals and replacing one-time passwords (OTPs) for remote banking transactions.

These initiatives address several challenges faced in the country’s pursuit of financial inclusion. According to the latest data, millions of Filipinos remain unbanked, with limited access to formal financial systems. One key issue has been the lack of identification documents, especially in rural areas where banking infrastructure is sparse.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital identity  |  KYC  |  national ID  |  PhilID  |  Philippines  |  Philippines Statistics Authority  |  selfie biometrics