National Australia Bank plans to introduce encrypted mobile driver licence checks at selected Queensland branches this month, allowing customers to send verified licence information directly from their phone to the bank after approving a request.
The service will use the Queensland Government’s digital driver licence app. A customer opens the credential, reviews the information requested by their banker and chooses whether to share it. Approved licence details then move from the device to NAB through an automated data exchange, without manual data entry or physical documents being required for that workflow.
NAB says the capability uses ISO/IEC 18013-5 for secure device-to-device transfer. The bank is starting in Queensland because the state’s mobile licence technology meets its security and technical requirements. It plans to extend the service to other states as compatible systems become available.
Customers will still be able to verify their identity using physical documents. The phone-based process is an additional option for branch visits, rather than a requirement to obtain a digital licence or replace existing identification.
Claire Righetti, NAB’s executive for onboarding and identity management, said direct sharing of verifiable credentials is intended to make customer checks faster and more secure than manual entry. The bank describes the rollout as the first announcement of this form of encrypted in-branch identity verification by an Australian bank.
The new branch capability follows NAB’s introduction of its Take a Selfie biometric verification feature in onboarding. That feature checks whether a customer matches their identity document. The mobile licence service instead provides a way to transfer credential information from a government app into the bank’s verification process.
Queensland has already expanded its licence app to hold professional driving credentials alongside ordinary driver licences. Its broader credential program uses the international mobile licence standard to support digital presentation and checking.
In a separate market, U.S. regulators recently clarified banks’ use of mobile driver licences under existing customer-identification requirements. That guidance concerns American institutions, while NAB’s rollout uses Queensland’s credential infrastructure. NAB Head of Identity Management Si Phan said the bank intends to work with state governments and relevant authorities to expand use of the technology.
Sources: NAB
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
