Money20/20 Europe: 350,000 Belgians Now Using Mobile ID Program

“…Itsme is designed to let citizens sign up with biometric registration, and to then connect with government services online for things like tax payments and accessing pension subsidies, perform online banking, and access services from their MNOs.”

Gemalto is taking the opportunity of this week’s Money20/20 Europe event to celebrate its success with a mobile ID program underway in Belgium. The company has announced that is platform, Itsme, has successfully enrolled 350,000 users.

Developed in collaboration with Belgian Mobile ID, a consortium of Belgian banks and mobile network operators, Itsme is designed to let citizens sign up with biometric registration, and to then connect with government services online for things like tax payments and accessing pension subsidies, perform online banking, and access services from their MNOs. And those who have enrolled are really using it, with Gemalto reporting that a year after Itsme’s launch, the average user is performing three e-government transactions and six banking transactions per month.

With Belgium’s population at a little over 11 million, Itsme’s 350,000 users still represent only a small fraction of its population; but given global trends toward digital banking and the digitization of government services, it’s fair to expect more registrations going forward. And Belgian Mobile ID CEO Kris de Ryck is optimistic that the program will inspire others to follow suit, asserting in a statement, “we hope our partnership will be an example for other countries in Europe to provide seamless and secure connections to online public services” using the Itsme platform.

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June 5, 2018 – by Alex Perala