Over 1.7 billion people in the world do not have a legal identity. These include refugees, those displaced by war or territorial disputes or natural disasters, victims of ethnic cleansing, children whose birth has not been registered, orphans, or victims of organised crime.
Why is identity important? It is needed for social and financial inclusion (economic empowerment). Those without a legal identity do not have access to healthcare, immunization, education, social benefits. They do not have right to vote and cannot open a bank account.
Trulioo is a global identity and business verification company that provides secure access to reliable, independent, and trusted data sources worldwide to instantly verify consumers and business entities online. Trulioo’s mission is to solve problems associated with verifying identities by powering fraud prevention and compliance systems.
Onfido helps businesses digitally verify people’s identities. Using machine learning technology, Onfido validates a user’s identity document and compares it with their facial biometrics. The identity can then be cross-referenced against international credit and watchlist databases.
BanQu uses the Ethereum blockchain technology to build digital identities for the refugees and others in some of the poorest countries in the world such as Malawi, Congo, Somalia and Rwanda. It uses biometrics combined with a 360-degree view of sender-receiver transactions to build an individual’s digital identity which over time becomes the Economic Identity