Six of the United Kingdom’s largest banks and building societies are working with the trade body UK Finance on a voluntary digital verification service that would let customers confirm personal details through their banking app rather than by repeatedly sharing physical documents. Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, Nationwide Building Society, NatWest Group, and Santander are behind the financial-services-led effort.
The idea is to use the verified information banks already hold about their customers. With explicit consent each time, a detail such as a customer’s name, age, or address would be shared securely with a third party to complete a transaction or open an account, without the customer handing over a passport or utility bill. UK Finance said the service would be voluntary and that customers would stay in control of what is shared and when. Suggested uses include online purchases, age and identity checks on digital platforms, property transactions, and account opening.
UK Finance said the project is pitched at four outcomes: giving customers control and privacy over what they share; reducing fraud by drawing on bank-verified credentials to counter scams, fake accounts, and synthetic identities; adding convenience; and helping businesses verify customers more reliably while cutting cost and friction. The work has so far completed a proof of concept using synthetic data to test the technical, legal, and operational requirements, and the next stage is a live pilot in a controlled real-world environment scheduled for the coming months. UK Finance and the participating firms are working with Select ID, a certified orchestration service provider under the UK Digital Verification Services Trust Framework, on the technical design and delivery.
The initiative is being run separately from the government’s own digital identity program, though UK Finance said it is aligned with the UK digital verification services trust framework and focused on private-sector use cases rather than public-sector ones. The approach has parallels in earlier UK moves such as government guidance on certified digital identity for anti-money-laundering checks and Companies House adopting GOV.UK One Login for identity verification.
“The financial services sector is ideally placed to deliver a secure and trusted digital verification service,” said Jana Mackintosh, managing director of payments and innovation at UK Finance. Nick Mothershaw, CEO of Select ID, said the project would explore how bank-verified information can make digital verification more secure and convenient. UK Finance said it would welcome expressions of interest from retailers, digital platforms, and other organizations interested in future pilot activity.
Sources: UK Finance
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
