Chinese nationals can now verify their IDs digitally overseas

Chinese nationals will be able to authenticate and verify their identities digitally during electronic know your customer (eKYC) processes overseas.

The new service is a result of a collaboration between Zetrix, a blockchain platform developed by Malaysia’s e-government service provider MyEG, and China’s national blockchain Xinghuo BIF.

Zetrix’s ZCert is the first verifiable credentials platform that allows Chinese nationals to prove their identities digitally overseas. It also allows users to control their data thanks to its Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) framework, the company says in an announcement.

“We are truly excited about the introduction of this cross-border digital ID service as it enables a new wave of services powered by smart contracts,” says Zetrix Co-Founder TS Wong. “KYC processes can now be simplified and automated.”

The ID verification service comes just months after Zetrix allowed digitizing Chinese driving licenses for verification purposes overseas. To create the mobile driving license (mDL), Chinese users can access the China-ASEAN Identification Pass Application, a verifiable credentials platform developed by Beibu Gulf Investment Group and connected to the Xinhuo blockchain. The application was made available on China’s popular chat app WeChat.

The digital credentials platform taps into China’s national police and transport department databases thanks to a collaboration with local state-owned enterprise Beitou IT.

Over the past two years, Malaysia has reportedly seen a sharp increase in the number of Chinese nationals settling in the country.  The China-Malaysia collaboration on digital credentials kicked off in 2022 when the two sides signed an agreement to operate the first Xinghuo BIF International Supernode in Malaysia. The blockchain is supported by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and led by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT).

“Creating cross-border trust is of great importance, especially the verification of digital identity, credentials and documents,” CAICT’s Xiaoyu You said in a statement. “We would like to create a trusted data channel, together with MyEG, to facilitate the international cooperation between China and Malaysia and the rest of the world in the digital age.”

The cross-border credentials verification service is expected to add more documents in the coming months.  Zetrix is also hoping that its digital documents will be accepted in other ASEAN countries in the future.

Analysts quoted by The Edge Malaysia predict that the blockchain service could potentially become a primary income generator for MyEG, taking over income from  digital government services.

In August, MyEG services and Malaysia’s state research and development center MIMOS Berhad signed a deal with the Worldcoin Foundation and Tools For Humanity (TFH). The collaboration is meant to explore the integration of Worldcoin’s credential verification technology into Malaysia’s Blockchain Infrastructure (MBI), created by Zetrix and MIMOS.

Article Topics

blockchain  |  China  |  digital government  |  digital identity  |  document verification  |  identity verification  |  Malaysia  |  MyEG  |  verifiable credentials  |  Zetrix