UK Finance is backing a financial services-led digital verification service developed by several major banks, including Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, Nationwide Building Society, NatWest Group and Santander. The initiative aims to provide a simple and secure way for customers to verify personal details digitally through their banking app.
How the Service Works
Based on the relationships banks and building societies have with their customers, verified information such as name, age or address would be shared securely with a third party to enable a transaction or access a service. This could be used for online purchases, age and identity verification on platforms, property transactions, or opening an account online—without needing physical documents like passports or utility bills.
Many online processes still require customers to repeatedly verify identity, often by sharing multiple physical documents. UK Finance stated that any future service would be voluntary and based on explicit customer consent, with customers controlling what data is shared and when.
Benefits and Next Steps
The service could help tackle scams, fake accounts and synthetic identities, while allowing customers to confirm identity quickly without repeatedly providing documents. The project has used synthetic data to explore requirements, and a live pilot in a controlled real-world environment is planned in the coming months. UK Finance also welcomes expressions of interest from retailers, digital platforms and other organisations interested in future pilot activity.
Jana Mackintosh, managing director of payments and innovation at UK Finance, said: “The financial services sector is ideally placed to deliver a secure and trusted digital verification service. Using already verified information, shared only with the customer’s explicit consent, could help make digital transactions safer, quicker and more convenient as well as ensuring customers have full control over how their data is used.”
Nick Mothershaw, chief executive of Select ID, added: “We are pleased to support this industry initiative to explore how trusted, bank-verified information can be used to make digital verification more secure and convenient for customers and businesses.”
