Digital wallets integrate biometrics in India, Vietnam as Taiwan rolls out POCs

India, a digital identity powerhouse thanks to its Aadhaar system, is getting a new national digital wallet with embedded face biometrics. India.com says the Aadhaar App functions as a secure digital wallet for storing, displaying and sharing Aadhaar credentials, enabling users to store up to 5 Aadhaar profiles on a single phone. It is now available for both Android and iOS.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is promoting it as complementary to the existing mAadhaar app, which remains the portal for downloading a digital Aadhaar card, ordering a PVC card, verifying contact details, or generating a virtual ID.

Use cases for the new app include expedited hotel check-in, SIM activation and KYC for banking. With multiple accounts on one device, it promises to make it easier for families sharing a single registered mobile number.

The app has facial authentication and biometric lock features for security, and facial scanning for sharing ID. It enables selective sharing of information to maximize privacy, supports QR code scanning and sharing for identity verification, and works offline.

Taiwan to launch 3 wallet POCs next month

The global stage is setting up wallets for continued success. Europe’s EUDI Wallet scheme is about a year away from launch. The GOV.UK is live in the UK. And countries in Asia-Pacific continue to express support for wallets.

Taiwan recently reiterated its commitment to promoting digital credential wallets. According to CNA.com, its Ministry of Digital Development is planning to release three proof-of-concept projects for a digital wallet in December. According to government officials, the project involves not only technology but also “persuading the business community to participate, especially hoping that convenience stores will adopt it.”

Taiwan acceded to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in 2023, and Deputy Minister Hou Yi-hsiu says the relationship allows Taiwan to participate in international discussions, make recommendations on technical standards, and factor global developments into domestic policies and industrial development. Public-private partnerships, deeper open-source development and decentralized governance models are all on Taiwan’s priority list.

Meanwhile, the Digital Development Department is busy with information-gathering. It recently hosted an international forum on digital credentials wallets and distributed verification to accrue learning for its Digital Credentials Wallet Project, which invites experts from different fields to assist in general improvements to the technology.

Vietnam makes biometrics mandatory for digital wallet registration

New regulations issued by the State Bank of Vietnam says that biometric verification will be required for digital wallet registration as of 2026. Viet Nam News reports that “under the Circular No 41/2025 on intermediary payment services, e-wallet service providers must meet customers in person to verify their identity documents and verify biometric data before activating e-wallets.”

Foreigners who are not physically present in Vietnam can verify their identity through a third party or a contracted organization.

Per the report, government agencies, public institutions, listed companies and Fortune Global 500 enterprises from the preceding year will be exempt from biometric checks.

The new regulations also prohibit wallet providers from allowing cash deposits or withdrawals at their locations, and from charging users interest on wallet balances.

As of March 31, 2025, 47 institutions were licensed to provide e-wallets in Vietnam, with major players including MoMo, Viettel Money, ZaloPay, ShopeePay and VNPAY.

The country is in the midst of an ambition push for digital transformation, aiming for 100 percent digital ID and government service access by 2026.

Article Topics

Aadhaar  |  biometrics  |  digital ID  |  digital wallets  |  face biometrics  |  India  |  Taiwan  |  Vietnam