Introducing a self-sovereign digital identity (SSDI) could address some of the key concerns around privacy and online fraud in South Africa, says Absa.<\/p>\n
An SSDI provides a quick and highly secure way for people to store and update their own identity data on a personal mobile device, and share proof of it through a secure digital verification system without having to share actual copies of their documents, the bank said.<\/p>\n
“What makes it different to other forms of digital identity management \u2013 and a game-changer for financial inclusion in Africa \u2013 is that SSDI not only gives consumers a way to control their personal information with less risk of identity theft, but it also gives individuals who don\u2019t have physical documents a means to build up legal proof of identity, enabling them to access benefits and financial services that they might not be able to obtain otherwise.”<\/p>\n
An SSDI system uses secure electronic \u201ccredentials\u201d that are issued by relevant authorities – such as Home Affairs, credit bureaus, financial services organisations and similar – and which a person stores in a mobile app to share at their discretion.<\/p>\n
Absa said that the technology will transform the arduous document-based process typically required each time someone needs to prove an aspect of their identity\u00a0 – including an identity number, legal and regulatory compliance like FICA, and proof of residence – into an electronic mobile request\/response that takes seconds.<\/p>\n
“Once adopted on a large scale, SSDI lowers transaction costs, protects customer information and limits the opportunity for cybercrime.<\/p>\n
“What makes it so exciting for companies like Absa is that it lowers the cost of opening accounts, which has the potential to make small business financing more accessible, deepen savings and credit for under-banked customers, and in future even reduce the harm caused by fraud and identity theft.”<\/p>\n
What needs to be introduced\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Because of the volume of personal information that financial institutions require for everything, from FICA compliance to credit scores and lines of credit, they are best placed to build the platforms and environments that will make SSDI possible, Absa said.<\/p>\n The local financial services industry has already made significant progress in this regard, it said.<\/p>\n “As a founding steward of the Global Sovrin Network since 2018, Absa has been actively involved in the global deployment of an open-source public-permissioned distributed ledger technology network<\/strong> \u2013 the world\u2019s first to be built specifically for SSDI purpose \u2013 as well as the local development of a self-sovereign digital identity management system.<\/p>\n “This builds on four years of Absa\u2019s work with BankServ, other banks and multiple local and global forums, to set up an industry-wide governance framework for self-sovereign identity.<\/p>\n This includes collaborating with the South African International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) to develop documentation that covers the standards for SSDI management, it said.<\/p>\n “Collaborators are now exploring how to make the governance framework machine-readable, to enable implementation via automated electronic channels as part of the overall identity management system.”<\/p>\n While the financial services industry has done well to lay these foundations for SSDI in Africa, the tipping point will only come when other industries start doing the same, Absa said.<\/p>\n “Much like cell phone technology and the internet, the true power of SSDI will only be unleashed when it is embedded across all sectors of society, from education and medical care to telecommunications and retail.<\/p>\n “And that will require all role players \u2013 government bodies, regulators, service providers, public and private agencies \u2013 to take up the SSDI baton and become part of the change.”<\/p>\n