United Kingdom

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has confirmed he will abandon plans for a government-issued digital identity scheme when he becomes prime minister, marking a major reversal of Labour policy. His office said resources previously allocated to the programme would instead be redirected towards cost-of-living measures and other everyday priorities.

The decision follows months of political debate over the proposal, which had already been scaled back from a mandatory scheme to a voluntary service. The announcement has prompted renewed discussion across the digital identity sector, with businesses questioning how trusted identity verification will evolve without a government-backed digital ID framework.

Global

Yubico has released YubiKey 5.8, extending the role of hardware-backed passkeys beyond authentication into digital authorisation and identity workflows.

The new firmware introduces support for CTAP 2.3 and preview support for the emerging WebAuthn signing extension, allowing developers to build hardware-backed digital signatures, identity wallet functions and AI approval workflows using open standards. The company says the update is designed to help organisations secure both human and AI-driven actions as agentic AI becomes more widely deployed.

Indonesia

Indonesia has recorded 9.3 million biometric SIM registrations since January as the country transitions all new prepaid mobile subscriptions to facial biometric verification.

Biometric registration became mandatory for new SIM activations on July 1 following a six-month voluntary rollout. The government is targeting 18 million registrations by the end of the year and has also begun auditing operators and retailers to ensure the verification process is being correctly implemented and not circumvented.

Spain

Spanish airport operator Aena has launched a €998,500 procurement to upgrade the biometric gates used by its BioPass passenger processing system.

The tender covers equipment supplied by Gunnebo and Dormakaba across Aena’s airport network and supports the continued expansion of facial recognition for passenger processing. BioPass enables travellers to link their identity and boarding information to a facial template, reducing the need to present travel documents repeatedly throughout the airport journey.

Malta

Malta has launched a €15.66 million procurement for its national European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet, moving from policy development to full implementation.

The tender covers both the consumer-facing wallet and the supporting trust infrastructure needed for issuers, wallet holders and relying parties to exchange verified digital credentials. The wallet is intended to support cross-border identity verification, electronic signatures and the storage of digital credentials in line with the revised eIDAS framework.

Vietnam

Vietnam has approved a new resolution that significantly expands the role of its national digital identity platform.

From August 15, citizens will be able to use the platform for free digital signatures, electronic identification and authentication, online public services, digital document submission and public sector payments. The government has also designated October 15 as Vietnam Digital Citizen Day to encourage wider adoption of digital identity services.

Ukraine

Ukraine has added voice interaction to Diia.AI, allowing citizens to access government services through spoken conversations as well as text.

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Developed by the Ministry of Digital Transformation and GovTech company Kitsoft, the enhancement enables users to ask questions by voice, receive spoken responses and switch seamlessly between voice and text. Officials say the update makes digital public services more accessible and builds on Diia.AI’s role as a nationwide AI assistant supporting more than 170 government services.

Nigeria

Nigeria is consolidating responsibility for digital identity under the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) as implementation of the country’s new digital identity legislation continues.

NIMC will assume responsibility for the country’s public key infrastructure, bringing encryption and digital signatures under the national identity authority. The new NIMC Act also strengthens the legal status of National Identity Numbers across public services while introducing tougher penalties for unlawful access to identity data.

Bahrain

Investment bank SICO has introduced fully digital investment account opening using Bahrain’s eKey 2.0 national digital identity platform.

Eligible residents can now complete identity verification, account opening and investment onboarding remotely using biometric authentication and electronic know-your-customer checks. The service was developed with Beyon and Bahrain’s Information and eGovernment Authority and represents another expansion of eKey 2.0 into financial services.

South Africa

South Africa is introducing tighter SIM registration rules aimed at tackling identity fraud and criminal misuse of mobile phones.

The revised framework requires real-time identity verification against the national population register before SIM cards can be activated. The changes are intended to close loopholes that have allowed bulk SIM registrations using false identities and improve law enforcement’s ability to investigate mobile-enabled crime.

United Kingdom

New Zealand identity technology company Auror has expanded its facial recognition platform into the UK, giving retailers real-time alerts about known high-risk offenders.

Auror Subject Recognition uses retailer-controlled watchlists built from each retailer’s own crime records and includes governance measures designed to prevent broader surveillance or profiling. The company says biometric templates are not stored in the cloud, non-matching images are deleted immediately and human oversight remains central to all significant decisions.

India

India’s Aadhaar mobile application has surpassed 40 million downloads as demand for digital identity services continues to grow.

The app enables users to update addresses, mobile numbers and email addresses, download e-Aadhaar documents and manage biometric lock and unlock functions without visiting enrolment centres. Since the start of the month, users have completed more than 1.16 million address updates, 4.9 million mobile number updates and 19.1 million biometric lock or unlock actions through the platform.

Philippines

The City Government of Tayabas has become the first local authority in the CALABARZON region to connect its municipal digital services platform to the Philippines’ National ID Authentication System (NIDAS).

The integration allows residents to verify their identity using the national digital identity system when accessing local government services, helping reduce duplicate records and paperwork. Officials say the deployment could provide a model for other local governments seeking to integrate national digital identity into municipal services.