Philippines partners with GCash to drive national ID and mobile wallet uptake

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and GCash are partners in a mobile registration scheme as part of a national digital ID drive.

The colocation strategy will allow Filipinos to register to the National ID and open a mobile wallet account on the spot. The PSA and GCash formalized the collaboration in a Memorandum of Agreement signing at the PSA headquarters in East Avenue, Quezon City. GCash has long used biometrics from Ant Digital Technologies subsidiary Zoloz for performing KYC checks on new users.

“Our shared vision is clear – to make financial services accessible to every Filipino, regardless of their age, background, or location,” said PSA Undersecretary Claire Dennis S. Mapa, National Statistician and Civil Registrar General.

“Through this partnership, we aim to promote financial inclusivity by leveraging the National ID system and GCash’s digital financial solutions.”

To date, about 56 percent of all users who opened GCash accounts have used the National ID for verification. The PSA has been multiplying strategies to ensure greater integration of the national ID into public and private sector service delivery.

It has also targeted NGOs, with a recent event bringing together representatives of some NGOs as PSA officials emphasized the critical role of the national digital ID and explained its many use cases. In March, the PSA said the country had issued at least 84 million digital IDs.

In other news, the country’s Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has announced a policy to mandate the adoption of unified standards in Information Systems Strategic Planning (ISSP) for all government agencies.

It’s a significant step for the public sector in the Philippines’ ongoing digital transformation. The mandate will expedite the establishment of a centralized framework for ICT planning in the delivery of digital public services.

“This standards-based approach ensures that every ICT project in government is designed not for complexity, but for simplicity, efficiency and the empowerment of every Filipino citizen,” said DICT Secretary Henry Aguda, as reported by Open Gov Asia.

The directive requires all national government agencies – as well as government-owned and controlled corporations, state universities and colleges – to use a standard ISSP template, which has been developed and approved by the DICT. This will ensure agencies can design and implement ICT systems that are interoperable and secure.

HID Global urges Philippines govt to develop national AI-equipped ID security strategy

The Philippines has one of the highest fraud and cybercrime rates in the world, with cases surging in recent years. While its government accelerates digital transformation and ramps up implementation of national ID, issues of trust and security and public confidence will remain.

Global identity company HID Global has urged the Philippines government to develop a national artificial intelligence-powered identity security strategy and adopt biometrics and fraud detection technologies to protect citizens from cybersecurity risks.

While HID Global may have a vested interest in this, it has been demonstrated that things such as passkeys, biometrics, cryptographic processing and algorithmic-based anti-fraud technologies can help to prevent phishing, identity theft, scams and other (cyber) crimes. Other benefits include greater convenience and efficiency.

“The government can consider creating a national AI-powered security strategy to accelerate the adoption of biometrics, mobile identity verification and fraud detection across sectors,” Prabhuraj Patil, HID Global senior director for Physical Access Control Solutions in ASEAN and India Subcontinent, told BusinessWorld.

While governments certainly can consider such strategies, the fine details of policy and implementation is the work of politicians, civil servants and experts who must shepherd national strategies through layers of bureaucracy (unlike private companies), while finding agreement between stakeholders.

During a keynote address at MOSIP Connect 2025 in Manila, DICT leader David Amirol gave some insight. In his speech, the e-government undersecretary was candid about the challenges, calling his country’s digital transformation experience “quite a painful journey.”

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital identity  |  digital wallets  |  GCash  |  HID Global  |  national ID  |  PhilID  |  Philippines  |  Philippines Statistics Authority  |  Zoloz