Nigeria and Kenya are the next target markets for Identy.io, a global provider of digital identities, as it expands into Africa. Facial, fingerprint, and palm identification are among the safe, mobile biometrics that the company specialises in.

According to Indenty.io, its platform runs locally on smartphones, eliminating cloud storage while maintaining security and privacy.

It goes to say this is achieved by leveraging standard smartphones for fingerprint and face scans, the company aims to bridge the continent’s digital divide, where a significant number of adults still lack basic identification.

To spearhead this rollout, the firm has appointed a specialised regional leadership team, including industry veterans from Nigeria’s Bank Verification Number programme, to integrate their automated Biometric Identification System into national digital public infrastructure.

The company says the significance of this move lies in the departure from traditional, “clunky” biometric models.

Historically, digital ID enrollment in Sub-Saharan Africa has been throttled by the high cost of specialised scanners and the logistical nightmare of deploying them to rural areas.

Identy.io notes that its approach shifts the heavy lifting to mobile software.

Identy.io is positioning itself to capture a market the World Bank’s Identification for Development initiative identifies as critical for financial inclusion.

If successful, this could accelerate government-to-person payments and healthcare access in regions where coverage currently sits below 70%.

“We are transforming the traditional industry model, which often relies on expensive and inflexible digital infrastructure,” says Antony Vendhan, Co-founder of Identy.io. “This allows our clients to reach underserved communities by providing individuals with multimodal access to secure their digital identities.”

The company will face established players like IDEMIA and Thales, who have long dominated government contracts.

Furthermore, Identy.io will face competition from up-and-coming regional fintech identity firms such as Smile ID, which already has a significant presence in Know Your Customer services throughout Africa.

To gain an edge, Identy.io has aligned itself with Modular Open Source Identity Platform (MOSIP).

By being listed on the MOSIP marketplace, the company says its tech becomes “plug-and-play” for governments building open-source national ID systems, a growing trend among nations wary of “vendor lock-in.”

While the primary focus remains on Nigeria and Kenya, Identy.io’s long-term roadmap includes a phased rollout to other emerging markets.

The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the nation’s financial system, announcing that its recent upward review of the maximum deposit insurance coverage now protects about 99% of depositors in the Country.

Kabir Katata, Executive Director (Operations), NDIC, stated this on Wednesday at the Corporation’s 2025 Stakeholders’ Town Hall Meeting held in Enugu.

Katata, while speaking on the theme, “Deepening Stakeholder Engagement,” said the policy to expand deposit insurance coverage was deliberately designed to protect small savers, promote financial inclusion and strengthen public confidence in the banking sector.

He explained that the town hall meeting was aimed at engaging stakeholders across various sectors, including academia, market associations and civil society groups.

“The essence of this town hall meeting is to interact with our stakeholders, tell them what we do and listen to their questions so they can better understand the role NDIC plays in society. We guarantee depositors’ funds and supervise banks to ensure that depositors are protected”, he said.

Katata noted that following the 2024 review of deposit insurance coverage, depositors in Deposit Money Banks (DMBs), Mobile Money Operators (MMOs) and Non-Interest Banks (NIBs) are now insured up to N5 million per depositor.

Similarly, depositors in Microfinance Banks (MFBs), Primary Mortgage Banks (PMBs) and Payment Service Banks (PSBs) now enjoy insurance coverage of up to N2 million per depositor.

“This means that in the event of a bank failure, depositors are promptly paid up to the insured limit,” he said.

He added that depositors with balances exceeding the insured limit would receive the initial insured sum, while the outstanding balance would be paid as liquidation dividends upon realisation of the failed bank’s assets and recovery of debts.

Highlighting improvements in the payout process, Katata referenced the recent resolution of defunct institutions, including Heritage Bank Limited, Union Homes PLC and Aso Savings and Loans PLC.

He said that the Corporation successfully leveraged the Bank Verification Number (BVN) as a unique identifier to trace depositors’ alternative accounts and transfer insured sums within days of bank closures.

“I urge all depositors to ensure that their BVN is properly linked to their bank accounts and identity records. This greatly facilitates seamless and timely access to insured deposits in the event of bank failure,” he advised.

Katata emphasised that although the NDIC works closely with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to ensure sound corporate governance and regulatory compliance in banks, financial system stability remains a shared responsibility.

“While the CBN and NDIC continue to strengthen oversight, depositors also have a responsibility to remain vigilant and well-informed,” he said.

Zacch Adedeji, the Executive Chairman of the Nigerian Revenue Service (NRS), has described technology as a crucial factor in the implementation of the new tax laws.

Adedeji stated this while delivering the maiden convocation lecture of the Federal Polytechnic, Ayede, Oyo state.

In a statement by his Technical Assistant on Print Media, Sikiru Akinola, Adedeji listed some of the most fundamental challenges confronting taxation to include infrastructure, skills, trust and resistance.

In the lecture titled, ‘The Role of Technology in Implementing Nigeria’s New Tax Laws: Challenges, Prospects, and Implications for National Development,’ the NRS chairman said each of the challenges would be addressed with the imminent upgrading of the country’s tax system for a digital environment.

He said: “Nigeria has recently enacted a new set of tax laws, representing the most significant restructuring of our nation’s fiscal legislation in 50 years. While public conversation often frames these changes as legal reforms, and that is true, it is also an incomplete picture.

“These laws are not merely changing rates, definitions, or administrative powers. They are quietly redefining how authority operates within the tax system. This is a complete structural overhaul, signalling the end of tax collection as a manual task and the beginning of tax intelligence.

“If you read the new laws carefully, you will notice a subtle but profound assumption woven throughout their fabric. They presuppose the existence of reliable taxpayer identification, integrated data across institutions, traceable transactions, automated processes, and scalable enforcement.

“In other words, these laws are built for a digital environment. They cannot function properly in a manual, fragmented, paper-based system. The implication is clear: without technology, the laws remain aspirational. With technology, they become operational.

“This transition is central to the mandate of the Nigeria Revenue Service as we implement this new legal framework. Historically, tax administration relied heavily on human discretion over who is registered, who is assessed, who is audited and who is penalised.”

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abass, encouraged the graduating students to be good ambassadors of the institution.

Represented by AbdulFatai Buhari, the senator representing Oyo North, Abass charged the youths not to relent in their bid to acquire more knowledge.

He also commended the tax boss for leading the change in tax administration in the country.