Regula to replace SumSub as face biometrics provider for Maldives

Regula Forensics has been granted the contract to provide face recognition for the Maldives’ national digital identity, eFaas, after the government voided its original contract with SumSub.

According to The Edition, the switch in vendors is driven by the winds of global conflict. Although SumSub is registered as a business in the UK, its owners are from Israel, and the Maldives’ government faced mounting public criticism for maintaining its business ties during that country’s ongoing regional war in the Middle East.

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has called on the UN to hold Israel accountable for “the ongoing massacre, the genocide by Israel in Gaza,” and briefly moved to ban Israeli passport holders from entering the country in June. In response, Israel recommended against traveling there.

Regula, which has 30 years of experience in forensic research and the largest library of document templates in the world, is headquartered in Daugavpils, Latvia, near the border with Belarus. It recently moved to a new facility there to accommodate its ongoing growth.

“Since the company’s business keeps growing, we need to intensify and expand our software and hardware R&D, as well as our forensic device manufacturing line,” says a post on the company’s blog that offers a photo tour of the snazzy new office.

“With this move, Regula’s development center in Europe is as large as 3800 square meters, and the office building is twice as big as the former one.” It hosts Regula’s full business cycle from research and development to software and manufacturing.

Regula CTO Ihar Kliashchou says the expansion of its European R&D and production facility will allow the company to “meet the needs of our customers more relevantly and rapidly.”

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital ID  |  eFaas  |  face biometrics  |  identity verification  |  Maldives  |  Regula  |  Sumsub