The perfect storm for identity
Now we’re well into 2017 I wanted to touch base with an update. While it can sometimes take a while to get going in the new year, especially with the dreich Scottish winter, my world has continued to accelerate at a high pace.
Last year I remember talking a lot about how the ‘Perfect Storm‘ was brewing for trust online. Today I can feel the electric charge in the air. There are two big movements in the market that are converging this year. The first is the Payment Services Directive (PSD2) and activity in the UK, through the Open Bank Project, to allow individuals to easily share their financial data through open bank APIs. As pioneers in this space it’s fantastic to finally see such a wide acceptance of this movement.
The second development, quickly building momentum in Europe, is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which outlines new measures to deal with the ever increasing levels of personal data. In today’s environment where the collection and use of personal data is integral to effectively delivering services, there’s soon going to be a greater emphasis on data protection, security, control and transparency. These are all fundamental to our values and why miiCard, our consumer product, was built the way it was. For those in the UK the ICO has a good guide to help your business prepare for GDPR (https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisations/documents/1624219/preparing-for-the-gdpr-12-steps.pdf).
These developments will be pivotal in the evolution of online identity and trust – a challenge that’s at the heart of what we have been working on for over five years now. It’s exciting times for sure.
As you may know, our company pivoted early in 2015 from a consumer proposition to a business focus through the launch of the DirectID service. While it’s the same value proposition at the core – leveraging the bank as a source of identity, trust and data for the benefit of both the consumer and the business – it was the channel and delivery mechanism that changed.
Since then we’ve seen how, by creating convenience and trust in a complex world of financial services, we can fundamentally change the way businesses operate and serve their clients. DirectID has been adopted with huge success for our customers, helping them to –
Reduce their onboarding process from days down to seconds
Reduce application fraud by 75%
Provide same day decisions on mortgage applications
Allow for same day payments in online lending decisions
And grow beyond the branch to offer services nationally
This recent announcement provides a flavour of the types of businesses benefiting from the service. As well as this case study I presented for the Mobile Ecosystem Forum Consumer Trust Summit, here’s the link if you’re interested in having a quick look https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q19-_ENskIU&app=desktop
Alongside this it’s great to see our own metrics increase month on month – the compound traffic climb, the doubling of transactions, the 30+ customers steadily growing with a new launch on the platform each week. And I’m proud to announce two big partnerships with Lexis Nexis and Signicat, all helping to accelerate growth of DirectID.
As always I’d welcome a discussion and please do let me know if there is anything I can help with.
Best,
