Digital ID is finally here
By embracing digital technologies, the government and businesses in the Maldives aim to streamline processes, reduce paperwork, and provide more accessible services to citizens and residents alike.
The Maldives has been actively striving to transition into a digitalized society, where convenience and accessibility are just a touch away. This journey towards digitalization has been underway for quite some time, even predating the widespread use of the internet. However, in recent years, the focus has shifted to not only embracing a progressive future but also prioritizing cybersecurity protection and enhancing the overall quality of life.
Not too long ago, the majority of people in the Maldives relied heavily on cash for their financial transactions. However, there has been a significant shift towards embracing digital solutions in various sectors, particularly in banking. The introduction of Internet banking, scan-to-pay systems, and other digital measures has been instrumental in driving the country's digitalization efforts.
The Maldives recognizes that digitalization brings numerous benefits, such as improved efficiency, enhanced transparency, and increased financial inclusion. By embracing digital technologies, the government and businesses in the Maldives aim to streamline processes, reduce paperwork, and provide more accessible services to citizens and residents alike.
With this effort, the Government introduced the digital Identity Card (ID) towards the end of 2022. This move was made in order to bring about additional security as well as ensure safety towards people’s personal information as well as ease of use when it came to e-Faas authentication which can be used for Government digital services.
Though the talks of a digital ID have been underway since 2022, it is finally becoming a reality as the Government of the Maldives has opened the opportunity to the public to officially test the usage of the digital ID through e-Faas. Prior to this, the testing phase was opened up to 500 Android users, but this time around it is opened to the whole public and the testing process can be carried out by users of Android as well as IOS.
The move towards this digitalization appears to be getting more and more popular as the ease of use and access is not only applicable to day-to-day life situations. Just a few days prior, Velana Airport, the domestic airport of the Maldives had also announced that they will be accepting digital ID for domestic travel, making this project even more widely accepted among the public, businesses and Governments alike.
