UK Virgin Islands launch digital transformation tender

Tourist hotspots Thailand, Sri Lanka, the Seychelles and the Virgin Islands are not just offering beaches and sunshine, they are also boosting their digital economy sectors.

The British Virgin Islands has launched a tender seeking proposals to transform its digital economy, including digital IDs, digital ID systems, payment platforms and data exchange frameworks.

The consultants will evaluate the current state of government agencies and the digital public infrastructure of the self-governing overseas UK territory. They will also outline digital transformation priorities and ensure they are aligned with the Virgin Islands National Sustainable Development Plan. Other tasks include developing a strategy and implementation roadmap as well as proposing reforms to the Caribbean islands’ legal system.

Thailand considers expanding digital wallet to ID documents

Thailand’s Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) wants to expand its digital wallet to include the storage and management of verifiable credentials. The wallet would include driver’s licenses, educational certificates and health information.

The government agency under the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society also plans to raise the number of services accessible by digital ID to 80 percent by 2025. Thailand currently has 18 million users of digital ID which allows access to 449 government services. A total of 12 companies hold 16 licenses for providing digital ID services.

ETDA’s targets are part of an ambitious plan to increase Thailand’s digital economy’s contribution to GDP by 30 percent by 2027, the agency announced last week according to the Bangkok Post.

Registration for Thailand’s digital wallet began in July.

Sri Lanka finalizing biometrics procurement

The Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identification (SL-UDI) scheme is finalizing its biometric system procurement and will start collecting data in October, news outlet The Morning reports.

The digital ID system will be crucial for Sri Lanka’s digital transformation, including benefit distribution, public service delivery, digital payments and tax collection – especially as the country moves away from cash, Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardena said last week.

Another part of Sri Lanka’s digital transformation is the Electronic National Identity Card Project (e-NIC). The project’s database will help digitize the government by allowing accurate verification of individuals, he added.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s South Asian neighbor Cambodia is following the island nation’s lead in working with India to upgrade its digital economy, including with digital ID. Khmer Times reports that Cambodia’s government, which has already deployed MOSIP’s eSignet service, is looking to improve the country’s digital public infrastructure, while India is pursuing its DPI technology export agenda.

Seychelles expands digital ID services

The Seychelles is adding new digital services to boost the use of its SeyID digital ID app. The platform, designed by Swiss company WISeKey, will introduce the CertExpress service which allows users access to government certificates, such as birth or marriage certificates and driving license renewal.

The Seychelles Department of Information Communication Technology (DICT) is also adding new applications and websites such as the government services catalog Mon Servis (My Services) which can be used by organizations for tasks such as renewing business licenses. The agency is also working on an online fine payment service and an address registration service called  Sey-Address, according to Seychelles News Online.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  Cambodia  |  digital government  |  digital ID  |  digital wallets  |  Seychelles  |  Sri Lanka  |  Thailand  |  Virgin Islands